Read Bryson's The Body just now and it has a broader array of data and information as this book. Unfortunately can't find my review and quotes that I had posted back in 2005. Anyway, excellent read for curious teens and up. For example, both books include the topic on micros, but this quote is not repeated in "The Body":

Your pillow alone may be home to forty thousand of them. (To them your head is just one large oily bon-bon.) And don’t think a clean pillowcase will make a difference. To something on the scale of bed mites, if your pillow is six years old – which is apparently about the average age for a pillow – it has been estimated that one-tenth of its weight will be made up of “sloughed skin, living mites, dead mites and mite dung,” to quote the man who did the measuring, Dr. John Maunder of the British Medical Entomology Center. (But at least they are your mites. Think of what you snuggle up with each time you climb into a motel bed.)

It's alright. If delving into the back stories and (mostly) interesting (but not essential to know) personalities and backstories to some of the best discoveries of Western science is your thing, go for it. Wouldn't consider it a must-read as it reads a lot like a science history textbook but with forced humor. Don't get me wrong there's some moments/facts that make me go "woah", but as a science graduate I'm already familiar with a lot of it. Also have heard there's a lot of inaccuracies

This was the first book of Bill Bryson's that I have read and I will definitely be reading more of his stuff. I couldn't put this book down! I will re-read this one many times over again.

An excellent read. Bryson covers the history and current state of science very concisely along with his trademark humour. Very informative and entertaining.

Bryson is amazing!

This was an absolute delight to read. I was most glad to learn about all the unusual connections between various scientific discoveries. Bryson writes with an easy sense of humor that just makes you want to keep turning the page.

I've never been a fan of non-fiction books. They just aren't all that fun to read even if its a subject that interests me. This was the very first book that not only interested me, but kept me reading throughout. An extremely ambitious book, Bryson takes the entire history of science on Earth and boils it down to the most interesting accomplishments, discoveries and people. He summarizes even the most complicated science making it easy to understand with helpful explanations and examples. It's almost overwhelming how many new and exciting things you learn in just one chapter alone. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in any area of science. You will not be disappointed!

Wow...Never thought History would be so interesting. It didn't feel like a non-fic at all. The 'story of us' is even stranger than fiction. How little we know about cosmos and the miracle called life! If I have read this a couple of years ago during my high school, may be the world would have got another passionate taxonomist. Author combines many interesting and quirky facts from different streams of science,dipped in humor to give you the perfect book to know about the history of anything.
A distinguishing trait of the book is that it poses more questions in front of you than answers. Enjoyed reading the book, though towards the end it was a little dragging. May be the fatigue of assimilating so many facts caught up with me!

In Bryson's own words, this book was to "see if it isn't possible to understand and appreciate the wonder and accomplishments of science at a level that isn't too technical or demanding." He then takes us on an amazing journey through the worlds of geology, chemistry, astronomy and physics and concludes that of all that we have discovered we still don't truly understand a lot (in spite of the enormous scientific knowledge base that we presently have). At one point he outlines the four key factors as to why we have life on this planet and concludes that "we evolved to suit the conditions of the earth". Fascinating. And the book is full numerous interesting facts --- an explanation of the Big Bang; a glimpse into Einstein's world; the power of volcanoes; the microscopic world of atoms and much more.
Bryson also explores why we know so we know as little as we do (e.g. most living things are small and easily overlooked; we don't look in the right places; the world is a really big place).
After 478 pages, he ends on positive note: Even though humans are 'inherently bad news for other living things' we are a species that can make a "considered difference" because in large part we can 'not only enjoy our existence but are also able to appreciate it and make it better'. Bryson is insightful and often humorous at the same time.

Even if you are not into science or technology, you will 'love' this book. Bill Bryson's writing style is incredible and charming, as usual....