Michael Hanlon

Despite our recent advances into the depths of space and the inner most-workings of the atom, some of the most often asked questions in science remain mysteries, even to the dedicated scientists committed to finding answers. Here, Michael Hanlon, the Science Editor for Britain's Daily Mail, identifies ten such questions and explains why we find these problems so compelling, including: How does time really work, and do we even understand it? Am I the same person I was a minute ago, even as all the atoms in my body are being replaced? What is the other 96% of the earth made of? Does the paranormal exist? Written with a profound understanding of the sciences involved, Hanlon manages to speak to readers with no particular knowledge of science but who are deeply inquisitive about the natural world.

Does an airline pilot really need to surrender his tweezers at airport security when hes about to board an aircraft equipped with an axe on the back of the cockpit door?Can a mobile phone really cause a major explosion at a gas station?And is there really a good reason why you should be be prevented from swimming in a lake more than a foot deep?These rules exist, and they exist in the name of our own protection. But in this engrossing dissection of global health, safety and security regulations, authors Tracey Brown and Michael Hanlon dig a little deeper to discover the real reasons behind many of the instructions we obey without questioning their creators motives. Their conclusions range from the startling to the staggering, and in presenting them the authors seek to empower readers to question the people and organisations who come up with them in the first place.Previously published as In the Interests of Safety.

La ciencia está repleta de grandes enigmas. Parecen preguntas sencillas, pero las respuestas distan de serlo. ¿Qué es el tiempo? ¿El Universo está vivo? ¿Qué es el “lado oscuro”? ¿Qué es lo normal, y