More of Isaac Asimov's weekly science columns for the Los Angeles Times and those his wife, Janet, wrote during his illness and after his death in April 1992. The Asimovs discuss how close we are to producing life in a lab, the latest revelations about dinosaur extinction, recent startling sightings of planets and stars, if we can establish colonies on Mars, if computer intelligence can ever surpass human intelligence, and the gravest dangers to our environment. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A wide-ranging compendium of twenty-six essays explores such scientific subjects as particle physics, the planets, the biology and physics of decompression, evolution, the history of time, and the benefits and problems of high technology robotics

Of all the portions of the universe we see in the sky, the most spectacular is the Sun. Our very own star, the Sun is ruler of the Solar System. When it is shining, it drowns out everything else. When clouds cover the Sun, the day is gloomy. At night, when the Sun is not overhead, the sky is dark. All the world depends on the Sun. Topics include sunspots, flares, prominences, the Sun's atmosphere, upcoming solar eclipses, and the Sun's vital importance to life on Earth.