The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years

From the obvious to the unimaginably complex — and taking in the downright improbable along the way — this book opens up some of the most astonishing attainments of human creativity and ingenuity. From the printing press to the Thermos flask, from calculus to the contraceptive pill, it celebrates the innumerable inventions by which we have transformed the way we live. It hints too at our limitations, at some of the challenges which lie in store: we may have changed our world, but are we smart enough to save it?

John Brockman challenged the array of scientists that he hosts on his website by asking: "What is the most important invention of the past two thousand years?". This book provides a showcase for more than a hundred of their responses, which are as varied as the participants themselves.