Physics, once known as natural philosophy,” is the most basic science, explaining the world we live in, from the largest scale down to the very, very, verysmallest, and our understanding of it has changed over many centuries. In Black Bodies and Quantum Cats, science writer Jennifer Ouellette traces key developments in the field, setting descriptions of the fundamentals of physics in their historical context as well as against a broad cultural backdrop. Newton’s laws are illustrated via the film Addams Family Values, while Back to the Futuredemonstrates the finer points of special relativity. Poe’s The Purloined Letter” serves to illuminate the mysterious nature of neutrinos, and Jeanette Winterson’s novel Gut Symmetriesprovides an elegant metaphorical framework for string theory.An enchanting and edifying read, Black Bodies and Quantum Cats shows that physics is not an arcane field of study but a profoundly human endeavor—and a fundamental part of our everyday world.

Jennifer Ouellette writes APS News-'s popular -ôThis Month in Physics History-ö column, which she co-created with editor Alan Chodos in 2000. She also writes on science for such publications as Discover and Salon. She is a Jujitsu black belt.