American scientists Arthur Wiggins and Charles Winn talk simply, in detail and with humor about the biggest problems of science that scientists around the world are struggling to solve. Astronomy. Why is the Universe expanding, and the expansion rate is constantly increasing? Physics. Why do some particles have mass and others do not? Chemistry. What chemical reactions pushed atoms to form the first living beings? Biology. What is the complete structure and purpose of the proteome? Geology. Is accurate long-term weather forecast possible? The authors introduce the events that posed these problems, discuss existing theories, including theories of strings, chaos, the human genome and protein folding, and give readers the opportunity to take part in thinking about the proposed ideas. The book talks about the biggest problems in astronomy , physics, chemistry, biology and geology, which scientists are currently working on. The authors review the discoveries that led to these problems, introduce work to solve them, and discuss new theories, including string theory, chaos theory, the human genome, and protein folding. For a wide range of readers. Drawings by Sidney Harris