a century where/when

[joham]

The world was about to enter a century of science where (/when?) many people wouldn't understand anything and none would understand everything.

This sentence is taken from Bill Bryson's A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING. Could I ask whether native speakers could also possibly use 'when' in place of 'where'? And if we delete the 'of science', then can both 'where' and 'when' be possible?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Finicky]

The world was about to enter a century of science where (/when?) many people wouldn't understand anything and none would understand everything.

This sentence is taken from Bill Bryson's A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING.

Good book! Hopefully you will enjoy it too. I already read it from cover to cover.

Could I ask whether native speakers could also possibly use 'when' in place of 'where'? And if we delete the 'of science', then can both 'where' and 'when' be possible?

Normally we enter somewhere. 'of science' does not interfere with anything.