The World's 20 Greatest Unsolved Problems

by John R. Vacca

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Book cover for The World's 20 Greatest Unsolved Problems

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Featuring Original Contributions from Dr. Stephen HawkingUnfold the mysteries that vex the greatest minds in science

Gain extensive knowledge of the most challenging scientific problems and learn from more than 60 of the world’s foremost scientists—among them, 40 Nobel laureates! Expand your horizons with a wide range of advanced scientific theories and techniques on problems concerning:

  • Permanently storing nuclear waste or eliminating it altogether
  • Harvesting energy from a reaction similar to that of the sun
  • Earthquake prediction
  • The creation of the universe
  • Comprehension of free will
  • The mystery of dark matter
  • The cosmological constant problem
  • The construction of a consistent quantum theory of gravity
  • And much more

Science has reached dazzling heights of discovery, transforming civilization in the process. And yet, some of the most fundamental questions remain unsolved! In The World’s 20 Greatest Unsolved Problems, John Vacca—together with more than 60 of the world’s most highly respected scientists—explains these problems in detail and describes the intellectual and technological hurdles to be overcome in order to solve them.

This book is indispensable for science buffs, teachers, students, and scientists who want to keep pace with the latest developments. The World’s 20 Greatest Unsolved Problems delves deep into mysteries such as the creation of the universe, dark matter, the quantum theory of gravity, protein folding, free will, consciousness, earthquake prediction, Fullerenes, the quantum mechanical vacuum, storing or eliminating nuclear waste, and more. No other resource explains science’s most compelling dilemmas with such clarity and authority, and nowhere else can you share the expertise of so many brilliant minds! You’ll find

  • Complex topics made intelligible, as only experts in their fields can
  • Coverage of the key problems expected to dominate the next 40 years of scientific research

The World’s 20 Greatest Unsolved Problems is must reading for anyone teaching science or performing scientific research. It also will fascinate the moderately technical reader or scientific novice.



  • ISBN10 0131426435
  • ISBN13 9780131426436
  • Publish Date 15 July 2004
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 10 July 2012
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Prentice Hall
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 704
  • Language English