Tom Whipple is the science editor at The Times. He covers
everything from archaeology to zoology. He writes news, features,
reviews and commentary across the paper, as well as appearing
regularly on Times Radio. He joined the paper in 2006, shortly
after graduating with a degree in mathematics.
During the course of his job he has visited the tunnels below Cern
and the top of Mont Blanc above it. He has seen the inside of the
world's hottest sauna and the world's most irradiated nature
reserve. He has interviewed Stephen Hawking and Jedward. He has
been arrested in three different countries.
As well as The Times, he has written for the Guardian and The
Economist. He was named science journalist of the year for his
coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many histories claim without justification that their particular
area of study changed the course of the Second World War. Whipple's
deeply researched and engagingly written account of the secret
science of radar is, by contrast, a genuine contender.
*The Times*
The struggle for electronic supremacy, the so-called battle of the
beams, is enthrallingly recreated by Tom Whipple in a book that has
the pace and style of a well-crafted thriller.
*Mail on Sunday*
The gripping true story of a war fought in the shadows. From
critical strategic decisions made in Whitehall to daring special
forces operations behind enemy lines, Tom Whipple has vividly
brought to life a scientific arms race that would determine the
outcome of the war. Chock full of memorable characters and written
with all the drama and pace of a Robert Harris thriller, The Battle
of the Beams reminds us that both brains and brawn were required to
stay ahead of a sophisticated and dangerous enemy. Not all heroes
wear capes. Some wear lab coats.
*Rowland White, author of Mosquito*
Told with humour, the science is easy to understand in this tribute
to a war without weapons.
*Sun*
Decoding the science in a digestible way for readers, The Battle of
the Beams is a fantastic way into to a less discussed period of
World War Two history.
*Britain at War*
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