Overview

Here are many, many things that nobody knows. Why are so many giraffes gay? Has human evolution stopped? Where did our alphabet come from? Can robots become self-aware? Can lobsters recognise other lobsters by sight? What goes on inside a black hole? Are cell phones bad for us? Why can't we remember anything from our earliest years? Full of the mysteries of life, the universe and everything, The Things that Nobody Knows is a fascinating and unputdownable exploration of the limits of human knowledge of our planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond.

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9780857896223

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Reviews

This book goes beyond pop culture interest to engage those truly interested in scientific taxonomies; it's one of those rare books patrons won't want to put down and will be talking about for hours around the water cooler. Significant YA appeal as well.-------------- --Library Journal

A delightful collection for trivia buffs and browsers. * Booklist * A rigorous and playful exploration of human limits in scientific knowledge about the planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond * Publishers Weekly * Discovering the many undiscovered things that one thought had been discovered already is one of the joys of this book... You might have thought that wallowing in ignorance is a tedious and fruitless occupation. As Hartston proves entertainingly, how wrong you would be. * Daily Express * Properly researched, and the elegance of its pop-cosmology or pop-biology mini-narratives rivals that of many specialists. It is slyly witty, and pleasingly optimistic. -- Steven Poole * Guardian * Each mystery is delightfully penned in bite-sized chunks that often includes humorous repertoire... highly enjoyable... Captivating and inspiring * New Scientist *

'Why are male cats more likely to be left-pawed and female cats right-pawed? It is enormously reassuring to know that somewhere a natural philosopher is trying to find out. . . . Slyly witty. . . . and pleasingly optimistic. -- Guardian

With humor and an inquiring mind, [Hartson] examines perennially confounding quandaries, and his investigations will surely pique the curiosity of kids and scholars alike. --Publishers Weekly

Each mystery is delightfully penned in bite-sized chunks that often includes humorous repertoire... highly enjoyable... Captivating and inspiring New Scientist Properly researched, and the elegance of its pop-cosmology or pop-biology mini-narratives rivals that of many specialists. It is slyly witty, and pleasingly optimistic. -- Steven Poole Guardian Discovering the many undiscovered things that one thought had been discovered already is one of the joys of this book... You might have thought that wallowing in ignorance is a tedious and fruitless occupation. As Hartston proves entertainingly, how wrong you would be. Daily Express A rigorous and playful exploration of human limits in scientific knowledge about the planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond Publishers Weekly A delightful collection for trivia buffs and browsers. Booklist

Author Information

William Hartston is a Cambridge-educated mathematician and industrial psychologist. Between 1962 and 1987 he played chess competitively, becoming an international master and winning the English chess championship in 1973 and 1975. He runs competitions in creative thinking for the Independent newspaper and the Mind Sports Olympiad. He also writes the off-beat Beachcomber column for the Daily Express and has written a number of books on chess, mathematics, humour and trivia.

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