Physics of the Impossible (2008) is a work of popular science, also known as pop-sci, a nonfiction genre that presents scientific information in an accessible format to appeal to a general audience. Popular science media aims to entertain as well as educate, typically through the use of informal language, humor, and simple explanations of complex subjects. Scientific communicators use many different media to disseminate popular science content, including TV shows, blogs, books, and podcasts. Often, a piece of popular science media centers on a topic relevant to current affairs or presents information through an attention-grabbing lens. Kaku’s work references many popular works of science fiction, a genre that has many of the same themes and much the same target audience as popular science.

Since the 18th century, when scientific advancements and improvements in further education led to an increasing knowledge gap between scientists and the general public, most scientific papers presenting cutting-edge research have been inaccessible to the general public. Concurrently, however, as technologies such as combustion engines, radios, and eventually the internet were developed and increasingly incorporated into everyday life, public interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has grown. Popular science bridges the gap between the scientific community and laypeople, appealing to an interested but generally uninformed readership. Kaku is one of the most successful contemporary popular science authors and presenters in the field of physics. Alongside other popular science figureheads like Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos (1980), Pale Blue Dot (1994), The Demon Haunted World (1996), and Bill Nye, he uses communication skills and in-depth knowledge of the subject matter to educate.

Kaku’s book Physics of the Impossible was published in 2008, at the tail end of the digital revolution, a period lasting from the late 1960s through the early 2000s. In this era, digital technology has replaced analog technology in systems worldwide. The early internet and popularization of devices like personal computers and mobile phones enabled unprecedented global connectivity, ushering in a third industrial revolution and information age that irrevocably changed human society worldwide.

However, even as digital technology becomes increasingly accessible, the complex scientific principles governing that technology become increasingly unclear to the layperson. Modern science is a complex and incredibly specialized field, progressing on so many fronts that keeping abreast of developments across all research areas is overwhelming even to professionals. Such barriers often inhibit public engagement with scientific research, but given the transformative impact of technological advances since the mid-20th century, STEM subjects have increasingly occupied a prominent position in the public consciousness.

Within decades, technological feats that people previously considered impossible have become commonplace, feeding public interest in cutting-edge science, futurism, and advanced technologies. Popular science publications and media play an important role in satisfying the contemporary cultural fascination with science and in bridging the gap between professional scientists and the wider public. Science fiction has remained a hugely popular and profitable genre, and books such as H. G. Wells’s The Country of the Blind (1904), The War of the Worlds (1898), The Invisible Man (1897) and Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot (1950), Foundation (1951), Robot Dreams (1986), have become cultural touchstones alongside billion-dollar movie/television franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars.