The Science Odyssey seriesan end-of-the-century look at what we know, what it means to our lives, and what we have yet to learnconsists of five two-hour documentary programs to air nationally during prime time on PBS on January 1115.

The book is a companion, adjunct, enhancement, and augmentation of the series. It explores the sweeping changes that have revolutionized both our lives and our thinking in technology, physics, astronomy, earth science, biology, chemistry, paleoanthropology, medicine, public health, and the behavioral sciences over the course of the century.

Reflecting the organization of the television series, the book is divided into five sections: Bigger, Better, FasterTechnology and Engineering; Mysteries of the UniverseAstronomy and Physics; OriginsEarth Sciences and Life Sciences; Matters of Life and DeathMedicine and Public Health; In Search of OurselvesHuman Nature and Behavior.

This colorfully illustrated, accessible, and enlightening journey over the twentieth centurys astonishing scientific terrain probes the discoveries, the people, and the historical events that have shaped this centurys explosion of scientific ideas.