The Shortest History of Science

'The history of science is the most important story ever told'

In many history books, science is merely the backdrop to a focus on individuals, cultures and political movements. But without science, there would be no history – no Roman Empire, no Great Wall of China, no modern world. Science is what makes this story possible – and it deserves to take centre stage.

In The Shortest History of Science, David Baker traces the breakthroughs and plateaus, backslides and leaps forward by which the human race has advanced from rubbing two sticks together to make fire to landing on the Moon and creating artificial intelligence. All in the evolutionary equivalent of a blink of an eye. He introduces us the heroic protagonists – the scientists – who made the greatest discoveries, links the development of new technologies to insights, and traces our growing understanding of the natural world and human potential.

The Shortest History of Science offers an essential lens through which to understand the human story.