What really happens at the most fundamental levels of nature? Physicist and CERN contributor Tom Whyntie here conducts a mind-expanding tour at the frontier of our scientific knowledge, showing how particle physicists are now using theory and experiment to probe our very concept of what is real. Whyntie takes us from the earliest history of atomic theory through to supersymmetry, micro-black holes, dark matter, the Higgs boson, and the possibly mythical graviton, with photo-collage illustrations from Oliver Pugh throughout.