Light Years

>Light Years> tells the fascinating story of the phenomenon at the very heart of our existence -light. From the dawn of civilisation the mystery of light's nature and the extent of its powers have occupied the world's finest minds. For the first time, here is the story of the men and women who were determined to unlock the secrets of the greatest puzzle of our universe.--Recounts spiritual interpretations, from the Ancient Egyptians to the Mayans-Tells the story of the first scientific grapplings with light by ancient Chinese sage Mo Ti, brilliant Greek philosopher Empedocles, Arab genius Alhazen and others-Explores the contribution of artists such as Brunellschi, Leonardo da Vinci and Dürer to our understanding of light-Examines the great revolutionaries of light theory including Galileo, Descartes, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and Albert Einstein-Explores the work of scientists such as Maxwell, Edison and Gould that led to light-driven inventions from the camera to the laser, CDs and optical computers-Explains the mind-bending advances of quantum physics that put light at the heart of all matter and which could unlock the secrets of space and time travel-Features exclusive input from world-ranking expert Professor Günter Nimtz on new discoveries that have smashed the light speed barrier, producing pulses at 310 times the speed of light that arrive before they have left