Samuel Goudsmit led the team of American intelligence agents sent into the chaos of Germany towards the end of the Second World War to discover how near the Third Reich was to making a successful nuclear bomb. It seemed at the time that there was even a risk that it might be used. ALSOS (American Institute of Physics, £20.50/$29.95, ISBN 1 56396 415 5) is Goudsmit’s dramatic story of the mission. It is still feverish and exciting. Muddy photographs.
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
2
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
3
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
4
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
5
Putting CO2 into rocks and getting hydrogen out is climate double win
6
Can we harness quantum effects to create a new kind of healthcare?
7
We may finally know why dinosaurs like T. rex evolved tiny arms
8
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
9
Colossal claims an artificial eggshell will help it bring back the moa
10
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
