To Boldly Go Where No Book Has Gone Before

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Science is a serious business, right? Wrong.

Scientists have been participants in the best reality show of all time, with all the highs, lows, bust-ups, and strange personalities of any show on telly today. From Luke O’Neill – the science teacher you wish you’d had – this hugely accessible history of science reveals the human stories behind the biggest discoveries.

For example, we meet Charles Darwin as he weighs up the pros and cons of marrying his cousin: ‘constant companion’ vs ‘less money for books’. Tough call.

To Boldly Go Where No Book Has Gone Before covers everything from space travel and evolution to alchemy and AI. Written by one of our leading scientists, this is an insider’s account that celebrates the joy of science. It is filled with all the juicy bits that other histories leave out.If science and medicine were a theme park, Luke O’Neill is the best company on the wildest rides . . . serious and fun . . . expansive and detailed . . . a disruptive professor in his own class—Bono

Luke’s brilliant wit and infectious passion makes for a fascinating and hugely entertaining read…a timely reminder of just why science and the scientists who have shaped our lives matter—Liz Bonnin

A lively, gossipy, story-filled delight, filled with fascinating factoids—Sunday Independent

Even the scientifically illiterate, like myself, could get it and have a whole new understanding of all kinds of things—Brendan O’ConnorLuke O’Neill is a world-renowned scientist, author and educator, and Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin. He has published over 350 major papers, has 6 major discoveries to his name – including a protein called Mal which is a master switch for immunity – and in 2016 was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is ‘the equivalent of a lifetime achievement Oscar’ (Guardian). Luke appears regularly on television and radio, has a weekly column in Ireland’s number one Sunday newspaper, the Irish Independent, and in 2021 was the Chair of judges for the Royal Society Science Book Prize. How can Luke ensure that he is in a history of science? Write one. This is that book.GB

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