A tour through the history of human curiosity - from its original condemnation as sin, blossoming through the lives of Galileo and Newton, to its current role central to modern society. There was a time when curiosity was condemned. Through curiosity, our innocence was said to be lost. Ye this hasn't deterred us. There seems now to be no question too vast or too trivial. No longer reviled, curiosity is now celebrated. About the Author Philip Ball is a writer and contributor to Nature, where he previously worked as an editor for physical sciences. He writes regularly in the scientific and popular media, often combining the arenas of science and art, and delivers lectures with equal success at NASA and the V&A Museum. His many books include The Self-Made Tapestry, H2O: A Biography of Water, The Devil's Doctor, Critical Mass (winner of the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books), Universe of Stone, Nature's Patterns, the acclaimed The Music Instinct and, most recently, Unnatural. Philip obtained a PhD in physics from the University of Bristol.