What are the motifs in A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson?

The stereotype of a scientist is an asocial, boring "math geek" with poor interpersonal skills who leads a mundane life. Bryson does much to dispel this myth by including brief but fascinating sketches detailing the personalities of some of the hundreds of remarkably gifted scientists in his book. Some of the scientists profiled seem interesting, charming, abrasive, or utterly insane, but few are boring.