"If you think scientists are dull, boring eggheads in white coats who hang out in labs and don't have any friends... then you're wrong. The big brainiacs of history were off-the-chart smart, but that doesn't mean they were always right. They made mistakes, they argued, they performed strange experiments. They took risks, they broke the rules, they were dangerous. They were rebels"-- Page 4 of cover.

Includes index.

Introduction: what is this thing called science? -- The story of the solar system -- The story of the earth -- The story of the atom -- The story of forces -- The story of life itself -- The story of light -- The story of invisible rays -- The story of the elements -- The story of anatomy -- The story of microbes -- The story of genetics -- The story of the quantum world -- Glossary -- Index.