Eight Improbable Possibilities

The Mystery of the Moon, and Other Implausible Scientific Truths

By: John Gribbin

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Paperback | 2 January 2023

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Paperback
192 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
1.5 x 12.9 x 19.5

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A mind-warping excursion into the wildly improbable truths of science.

Echoing Sherlock Holmes' famous dictum, John Gribbin tells us: 'Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, is certainly possible, in the light of present scientific knowledge.' With that in mind, in his sequel to the hugely popular Six Impossible Things and Seven Pillars of Science, Gribbin turns his attention to some of the mind-bendingly improbable truths of science. For example:

We know that the Universe had a beginning, and when it was – and also that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. We can detect ripples in space that are one ten-thousandth the width of a proton, made by colliding black holes billions of light years from Earth.

And, most importantly from our perspective, all complex life on Earth today is descended from a single cell – but without the stabilising influence of the Moon, life forms like us could never have evolved.

About the Author

John Gribbin's numerous bestselling books include In Search of Schrödinger's Cat and Six Impossible Things, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Royal Society Science Book Prize. He has been described as 'one of the finest and most prolific writers of popular science around' by the Spectator.

Industry Reviews

'We loved this book ... deeply thought provoking and a book that we want to share with as many people as possible.' * Irish Tech News *
A fascinating journey into the world of scientific oddities and improbabilities. * Lily Pagano, Reaction *

'Gribbin casts a wide net and displays his breadth of knowledge in packing a lot into each chapter . . . a brief read, but one that may inspire readers to dig deeper.'

-- Giles Sparrow * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *
[Gribbin] deftly joins the dots to reveal a bigger picture that is even more awe-inspiring than the sum of its parts. * Physics World *

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