The insatiable public thirst for scientific knowledge

There is currently very strong public support for science in the UK. In particular, science books written for ordinary people have become very popular. One reason for this is the general increase in the popularity of non-fiction. Another reason is the influence of physicist Stephen Hawking through his book 'A Brief History of Time.' Ordinary people do not care for everything undertaken in the name of science, such as genetic modification of crops, but they do care for scientific effort in itself.