Michael Hanlon is one of Britain's most successful science writers. He has been Science Editor at the Daily Mail for many years; prior to this he was at the Daily Express, the Independent and Irish News. He contributes regularly to magazines such as the "Spectator" and appears on TV and radio as a science pundit. He has headlined several science festivals and written three critically acclaimed popular science books before this one: "The Science Of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" (Macmillan, 2005), "The Real Mars" (Constable, 2004) and "The Worlds of Galileo" (Constable, 2001).