This discussion of the world of science as it stands today aims to popularize and sharpen, for the general reader, current scientific knowledge in each of the six main fields of scientific endeavour. The history of science is presented chronologically within the different fields and is presented in a timeline at the beginning of the book. Including biographical details for the key figures in the history of science, the book emphasizes the human face of science, as well as explaining the consequences for humanity of such discoveries as the atomic bomb and genetic engineering.