Every once in a while, an idea comes along that makes the entire world sit up and take notice. From the earliest understandings of our place in the solar system, via Darwinism, DNA, neutrons and quarks, right up to the theories that are pushing the boundaries of our knowledge today, we are forever propelled forward by our most gifted scientific minds.

In this fascinating book, former BBC Focus magazine editor Jheni Osman explores 100 of the most forward thinking, far-reaching and downright inspired ideas and inventions in history, each nominated by experts from all fields of science and engineering. With selections from established authorities such as Brian Cox, Patrick Moore, Richard Dawkins and Marcus du Sautoy, Osman covers topics as diverse as the Big Bang, vaccination, computing, radioactivity, human genomes, the wheel and many more.

Each essay looks at the logic behind these great inventions, discoveries, theories and experiments, studying the circumstances that brought them into being and assessing the impact that they had on the world at large. An intriguing and thought-provoking collection, 100 Ideas that Changed the World offers us a glimpse into the minds behind history’s greatest eureka moments.