As George Bernard Shaw said, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." Like other creative geniuses, scientists have achieved breakthroughs as a result of irrational motives -- notably the desire to best a rival. Revealing how each resulted in extraordinary discoveries, Michael White explores eight all-too-human rivalries over the past four centuries: ISAAC NEWTON vs. GOTTFRIED LEIBNIZANTOINE LAVOISIER vs. JOSEPH PRIESTLEYCHARLES DARWIN vs. RICHARD OWENTHOMAS EDISON vs. NIKOLA TESLATHE ALLIES vs. THE AXIS POWERSFRACIS CRICK and JAMES WATSON vs. LINUS PAULING vs. ROSALIND FRANKLIN and MAURICE WILKINSTHE UNITED STATES vs. THE SOVIET UNIONBILL GATES vs. LARRY ELLISON