“Everywhere in the universe, the periodic table has the same basic structure. Even if an alien civilization's table weren't plotted out in the castle-with-turrets shape we humans favor, their spiral or pyramidal or whatever-shaped periodic table would naturally pause after 118 elements.”

American writer

Sam Kean is an American writer known for books that tell the story of scientific discoveries in a narrative style. He was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and lives in Washington, D.C. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, Psychology Today, and The New Scientist. He has also published eight books, and they have been reviewed positively by The Wall Street Journal, Library Journal, and The New York Times.