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Book SynopsisSteve Jones's highly acclaimed, double prize-winning, bestselling first book is now fully revised to cover all the new genetic breakthroughs from GM food to Dolly the sheep.'An essential sightseer's guide to our own genetic terrain.' Peter Tallack, Sunday Telegraph'Superb and stimulatingan exhilarating trip around the double spiral of DNA, a rush of gravity-defying concepts and wild swerves of the scientific imagination.' J.G. Ballard, Daily Telegraph'Not so much divination as demystification An attempt to bring genetics and evolution more into the public domain. If, for instance, you ever wondered just what genetic engineering is about, here is as good a place as any to discover. Few have Jones's ability to communicate a difficult idea with such humour, clarity, precision and ease.' Laurence Hurst, Times Higher ; Sensitive to the social issues raised by genetics yet Jones's interest reaches beyond contemporary social issues to the human past, to what genetics can and cannot tell us ab

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Book SynopsisA cutting-edge science book in the style of Fermat's Last Theorem' and Chaos' from an exciting and accessible new voice in popular science writing.Bio-inspiration is a form of engineering but not in the conventional sense. Extending beyond our established and preconceived notions, scientists, architects and engineers are looking at imitating nature by manufacturing ''wet'' materials such as spider silk or the surface of the gecko''s foot.The amazing power of the gecko''s foot has long been known it can climb a vertical glass wall and even walk upside down on the ceiling but no ideas could be harnessed from it because its mechanism could not be seen with the power of optical microscopes. Recently however the secret was solved by a team of scientists in Oregon who established that the mechanism really is dry, and that it does not involve suction, capillary action or anything else the lay person might imagine. Each foot has half a million bristles and each bristle ramifies into hundredsTrade Review‘[Forbes has] An easy style and an innocence of jargon, and he treads softly on his scientists’ dreams. Forbes prefers the term “bio-inspiration” to “biomimetics”. The aim is not slavishly to imitate nature, but to learn from it to develop our own solutions to engineering problems. And he is surely right to pounce now, before inspiration turns to perspiration. He has succeeded splendidly.’ Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Independent ‘The book is a witty blend of anecdote and analysis.’ Rita Carter, Daily Mail ‘[Forbes] provides an illuminating discussion of the evolution of visual systems and the emergence of contemporary understandings of the nature of light.’ Dr Brendan Kelly, Sunday Business Post

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Book SynopsisOur understanding of the British Palaeolithic and Mesolithic has changed dramatically over the last three decades, and yet not since H. J. Fleure's A Natural History of Man in Britain (1951) has the New Naturalist Library included a volume focused on the study of early humans and their environment.In this long overdue new book, distinguished archaeologist Nick Ashton uncovers the most recent findings, following the remarkable survival and discovery of bones, stone tools and footprints which allow us to paint a picture of the first human visitors to this remote peninsula of north-west Europe.As part of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project and subsequent research, Ashton is involved in an unrivalled collaborative effort involving archaeologists, palaeontologists, and earth scientists at different British institutes, including the Natural History Museum and the British Museum. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the book explores the latest discoveries such as footprints at HaTrade Review‘[An] insightful study’ Nature ‘Early Humans packs in a huge amount of data, yet its research anecdotes, clear style and light humour make it accessible to a wide readership – ideal for students and researchers, but equally to be enjoyed by anyone curious about our extraordinary story on the edge of the early human world.’ British Archaeology ‘Well-designed … the images and illustrations are crisp andcolourful … the professional, the amateur and the dilettante alike will find something of interest from Early Humans, and will learn a great deal about Britain’s Ice Age past.’ Antiquity Praise for the New Naturalist series: ‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent

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Book SynopsisThe evolution of dogs and the forces that drove its amazing transformation from a fierce wild carnivore, the wolf, to the astonishing range of comparatively docile domesticated dogs that we know today.Sykes paints a vivid picture of the dog as an ancient and essential ally. While undoubtedly it was the mastery of fire, language and agriculture that propelled Homo sapiens from a scarce, medium-sized primate to the position we enjoy today, Sykes crucially credits a fourth element for this success: the transformation of the wolf into the multi-purpose helpmate that is the dog. Drawing upon archaeology, history and genetics, Sykes shows how humans evolved to become the dominant species on Earth, but only with the help of our canine companions.Trade ReviewPraise for The Wolf Within: ‘Fascinating’ The Times ‘Bryan Sykes belongs to the elite band of geneticists who can make their dizzying science at least partially clear to the layman’ Literary Review ‘Scientifically inclined dog lovers will find this a trove of information and provocation’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Rich with details about how humans have studied and shaped dog evolution … Sykes also has a gift for rendering complex concepts, such as mitochondrial DNA or genetic microsatellites, accessible to lay readers’ Publishers Weekly ‘Reading this is like having your own personal geneticist explain complex research papers in a way that is both comprehensible and fascinating. Heavily peppered with references to scientific papers that have documented the research on dog genetics, this also serves as a wealth of further reading material. Rich in accessible analogies that deftly explain complex scientific concepts, this is a must-read for anybody who has wondered about the origins of humans’ best friend’ Library Journal ‘In prose both scientific and poetic, geneticist and author Sykes, self-described as “not a dog person” but curious about the parallel evolution of dog and human, takes us through the archaeological, paleontological, behavioral, and genetic evidence pinpointing the transformation of wolf to dog … Woven throughout are possible answers to why humans are so in love with their dogs, making for a warmly engaging popular-science read’ Booklist Praise for Professor Bryan Sykes: ‘A terrific book, written with humour and humanity’ Sunday Times ‘An engrossing, bubbly read, a boy's own adventure in scientific storytelling that fairly bounces along … a thumping good read’ Observer ‘Sykes's wonderfully clear book should be compulsory reading for politicians … an eye-opening guide to the new branch of science that is changing the human race's view of itself’ Literary Review

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2022 Marsh Book of the Year AwardA long-awaited volume in the New Naturalist series examining the trees of Britain.Trees are immensely valuable. They give shape to our lives with wood, the material that makes our homes, our books, our belongings; they nourish us with the air we breathe and the fruits we eat; and they sustain us, with their shade and the comfort of their presence. They are also fascinating they are the biggest and oldest living organisms on the planet and are essential components of many of the landscapes of Britain. Trees have been vital in determining the ecology of our planet as well as the development of human cultures and communities, yet how much do we really understand about them?How do trees live? How do they fit into their environments? Why are they so important to ecosystems on earth, and to us? And what does the future hold for trees? Can they solve the problems of climate change by absorbing enough carbon dioxide, and would we run out of oxygeTrade Review‘Wow, what a book. Perfect or almost perfect.’ Mark Cocker ‘It was a pleasure to look through the pages and find a wide range of informative and legible photographs, diagrams and graphs, all of which scored highly in terms of conveying information and looking attractive … I recommend this book as a good read and a valuable addition to your bookshelves. It does just what New Naturalists should do and it is very clearly written.’ Mark Avery ‘It is so full of pertinent and useful information that it has taken days to get through its comprehensive, well-written and informative text. With so much emphasis now given to woods, forests and forestry, it is astonishing how little most ecologists and foresters actually know about trees as individuals – we are nearly all, I suspect, cheerfully ignorant of the biology of trees! With the publication of Peter Thomas’s excellent New Naturalist edition, however, there is no longer any excuse to remain unaware of these organisms and their complex life histories … Trees is very well illustrated, with both diagrams and photographs presented in an engaging and useful fashion … An excellent and comprehensive book, and highly recommended for all those professionally involved in trees, concerned about trees, or wishing simply to understand more about trees.’ Jonathan Spencer, British Wildlife magazine ‘Anyone with the slightest interest in trees should buy and read this book. But be warned; you will find it impossible to put down. In fact even if you think you have no interest in trees, read it anyway, and you may discover that you do.’ Ken Thompson, The Niche magazine ‘The New Naturalist Series has the stated aim “to interest the general reader in the wildlife of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists”, and here they have produced a book of great beauty and tangible quality.’ The Linnean

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2022 Marsh Book of the Year AwardA long-awaited volume in the New Naturalist series examining the trees of Britain.Trees are immensely valuable. They give shape to our lives with wood, the material that makes our homes, our books, our belongings; they nourish us with the air we breathe and the fruits we eat; and they sustain us, with their shade and the comfort of their presence. They are also fascinating they are the biggest and oldest living organisms on the planet and are essential components of many of the landscapes of Britain. Trees have been vital in determining the ecology of our planet as well as the development of human cultures and communities, yet how much do we really understand about them?How do trees live? How do they fit into their environments? Why are they so important to ecosystems on earth, and to us? And what does the future hold for trees? Can they solve the problems of climate change by absorbing enough carbon dioxide, and would we run out of oxygen if all the world's trees disappeared? Do trees really talk to each other? There is much to learn about these silent giants.Ecologist Peter Thomas explores all these questions and many more, delving into the often hidden life of trees, using examples from around the world, from common trees to the unusual and bizarre. This comprehensive introduction to all aspects of tree biology and ecology presents the latest scientific and botanical discoveries and explores the wonders and mysteries of trees.Trade Review‘Wow, what a book. Perfect or almost perfect.’ Mark Cocker ‘It was a pleasure to look through the pages and find a wide range of informative and legible photographs, diagrams and graphs, all of which scored highly in terms of conveying information and looking attractive … I recommend this book as a good read and a valuable addition to your bookshelves. It does just what New Naturalists should do and it is very clearly written.’ Mark Avery ‘It is so full of pertinent and useful information that it has taken days to get through its comprehensive, well-written and informative text. With so much emphasis now given to woods, forests and forestry, it is astonishing how little most ecologists and foresters actually know about trees as individuals – we are nearly all, I suspect, cheerfully ignorant of the biology of trees! With the publication of Peter Thomas’s excellent New Naturalist edition, however, there is no longer any excuse to remain unaware of these organisms and their complex life histories … Trees is very well illustrated, with both diagrams and photographs presented in an engaging and useful fashion … An excellent and comprehensive book, and highly recommended for all those professionally involved in trees, concerned about trees, or wishing simply to understand more about trees.’ Jonathan Spencer, British Wildlife magazine ‘Anyone with the slightest interest in trees should buy and read this book. But be warned; you will find it impossible to put down. In fact even if you think you have no interest in trees, read it anyway, and you may discover that you do.’ Ken Thompson, The Niche magazine ‘The New Naturalist Series has the stated aim “to interest the general reader in the wildlife of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists”, and here they have produced a book of great beauty and tangible quality.’ The Linnean

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Book SynopsisA cutting-edge examination of what it means to be human and to have a ''self'' in the face of new scientific developments in genetic editing, cloning and neural downloading.After seeing his own cells used to grow clumps of new neurons essentially mini-brains Philip Ball begins to examine the concepts of identity and consciousness. Delving into humanity''s deep evolutionary past to look at how complex creatures like us emerged from single-celled life, he offers a new perspective on how humans think about ourselves.In an age when we are increasingly encouraged to regard the ''self'' as an abstract sequence of genetic information, or as a pattern of neural activity that might be ''downloaded'' to a computer, he return us to the body to flesh and blood and anchors a conception of personhood in this unique and ephemeral mortal coil. How to Build a Human brings us back to ourselves but in doing so, it challenges old preconceptions and values. It asks us to rethink how we exist in the woTrade ReviewPraise for How to Grow a Human‘This is a deeply engaging crash course. Ball’s description of cellular organelles and their functions, in particular, is an impressive feat. And his sense of wonder at biological processes is palpable: passages on the intricacies of cell plasticity had me (with my doctorate in molecular biology) exclaiming, “That is incredible!”’Nature ‘Philip Ball weaves a compelling story of bodily creation … Highly readable and impeccably informed by research, How to Grow a Human revels in scientific possibility and confronts the social and ethical implications, while intelligently acknowledging what is as yet unknown’ The Lancet ‘[This] winding romp through advances in cell biology pushes readers to ponder the boundaries of life … The book offers a provocative, meandering take on the progression of groundbreaking biotechnological capabilities … absorbing ambitious and expansive … Ball’s look at the state of human-facing cutting edge bioscience is a thought-provoking read’ Science Praise for Philip Ball'Ball's book towers above the competition with its erudition, balance, and attention to detail… This is the most accessible, comprehensive, and provocative investigation of the science of music – and its limits – yet to be written.'Globe and Mail 'Excellent, smartly written'Financial Times ‘Ball is an exceptionally talented writer who manages to combine accessibility and thoroughness in razor-sharp prose’ Physics World 'Lucid and impressive'Prospect

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Book SynopsisA funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTHThere may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders.Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee's evolutionary ancestors flying 100 million years earlier and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A bee, ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner argues, is just a wasp that has forgotten how to hunt.For readers of Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Gospel of Eels, this is a book to upturn your expectations about one overlooked animal and the wider architecture of our natural world.With endless surprises, this book might teach you about the wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig, about stinging wasps, about parasitic wasps, about wasps that turn cockroaches into living zoTrade Review‘Sumner's tale is thrilling, warm and scholarly in equal measure, and brilliantly repairs the reputation of wasps – most beautiful and wonderful as they truly are’Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue with a Racist ‘A book I never knew I needed that is an absolute delight to read … Finally, a cure for our irrational fear of this unfairly demonised insect … A book that draws us in to the strange beauty of what we so often run away from’Robin Ince ‘If you’ve ever wondered “why do wasps exist?” you must read this book. There is so much more to them than you ever imagined. A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps’Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth ‘I thought I knew about wasps – I was wrong … A tremendously good read that left me buzzing with excitement and reminded me why I became an entomologist’George McGavin ‘Sometimes the most perfect books are those that shine a light on surprising, neglected subjects. Endless Forms is just such a book. Summer writes lucidly and entertainingly about this most fascinating of creatures’Will Storr ‘You also shouldn’t miss Endless Forms … which explains why you shouldn’t, on any account, go squashing these remarkable creatures to a pulp … [A] marvellous, revelatory natural history’Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice ‘Contains splendidly vivid descriptions of modern techniques of entomological heredity and genomics, as well as insect-scale neuroscience … it would be a tetchy soul who did not begrudgingly admire them a bit more’Telegraph ‘Sumner’s vivid enthusiasm for wasps is contagious … with every animated description of the daily lives of a wasp family, my prejudices melt away’Guardian ‘Sumner is an exuberant guide to the world of wasps and may even persuade you not to whack the next one you find in your kitchen’Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisA funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTHThere may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders.Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee's evolutionary ancestors flying 100 million years earlier and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A bee, ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner argues, is just a wasp that has forgotten how to hunt.For readers of Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Gospel of Eels, this is a book to upturn your expectations about one overlooked animal and the wider architecture of our natural world.With endless surprises, this book might teach you about the wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig, about stinging wasps, about parasitic wasps, about wasps that turn cockroaches into living zoTrade Review‘Sumner's tale is thrilling, warm and scholarly in equal measure, and brilliantly repairs the reputation of wasps – most beautiful and wonderful as they truly are’Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue with a Racist ‘A book I never knew I needed that is an absolute delight to read … Finally, a cure for our irrational fear of this unfairly demonised insect … A book that draws us in to the strange beauty of what we so often run away from’Robin Ince ‘If you’ve ever wondered “why do wasps exist?” you must read this book. There is so much more to them than you ever imagined. A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps’Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth ‘I thought I knew about wasps – I was wrong … A tremendously good read that left me buzzing with excitement and reminded me why I became an entomologist’George McGavin ‘Sometimes the most perfect books are those that shine a light on surprising, neglected subjects. Endless Forms is just such a book. Summer writes lucidly and entertainingly about this most fascinating of creatures’Will Storr ‘You also shouldn’t miss Endless Forms … which explains why you shouldn’t, on any account, go squashing these remarkable creatures to a pulp … [A] marvellous, revelatory natural history’Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice ‘Contains splendidly vivid descriptions of modern techniques of entomological heredity and genomics, as well as insect-scale neuroscience … it would be a tetchy soul who did not begrudgingly admire them a bit more’Telegraph ‘Sumner’s vivid enthusiasm for wasps is contagious … with every animated description of the daily lives of a wasp family, my prejudices melt away’Guardian ‘Sumner is an exuberant guide to the world of wasps and may even persuade you not to whack the next one you find in your kitchen’Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisAt only nineteen years old Vitalik Buterinpublished a visionary paper outlining the ideas behindwhat would become Ethereum. He proposed to take whatBitcoin did for currency â to end the central control ofgovernments and corporations â and apply it to societyas a whole. Now, less than a decade later, Ethereumis the second-most-valuable cryptocurrency and hasopened the gates for the extraordinary new world ofNFT artworks, virtual real estate in the metaverse anddecentralised autonomous organisations. The essays in Proof of Stake reveal Buterin as a lively,creative thinker, relentlessly curious and adventurousin exploring the fascinating social, economic and politicalpossibilities of his invention, and will guide futuregenerations of Ethereumâs community of radicalsand builders.

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Book SynopsisIncludes military, scientific, commercial, and infrastructure disasters such as: The Lead water pipes of Rome; Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse; Edison's electrical folly; Betamax; Concorde crash; Hubble - A $2 billion telescope that didn't work; the Mars probe failures due to simple math mistakes; Cold Fusion; and, Ford Pinto.

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Book SynopsisFocuses on one of the controversial of subjects: consciousness. This title illuminates questions such as: what happens in our minds when we're driving and we suddenly realise that we don't remember the last few miles and how do we remember images and aromas from our past so vividly, and why do we often recreate them so differently in our dreams.

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Book SynopsisIn Brain Wars, acclaimed neuroscientist Mario Beauregard reveals compelling new evidence set to provoke a major shift in our understanding of the mind-body debate: research showing that the mind and consciousness are transmitted and filtered through the brain—but are not generated by it.Following his boundary-breaking neuroscience book The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul, coauthored with Denyse O’Leary, Brain Wars makes a powerful and provocative case against the widely held view equating human beings to complex biological computers.Like Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Beauregard believes that consciousness is more than simply a physical process that takes place in the brain. And here, he presents the evidence to prove it. Brain Wars will revolutionize the way we think about thinking forever.

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Book SynopsisCovers the scientific inquiry-from biochemistry, physics, and astronomy, to genetics, evolutionary theory, and cognition. This title provides a comprehensive overview of the 2012 year's scientific developments.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for This Idea Must Die: "Take a look. No matter who you are, you are bound to find something that will drive you crazy." -- New York Times "Garrulous and argumentative. ... Brockman's formula is tried and tested. Better still, it shows no sign of getting old." -- New Scientist "This Idea Must Die is an excellent gathering of thoughts, rants and lamentations to add to your book list." -- Forbes "Discern[s] the zeitgeist of ideas with which some of our era's greatest minds are tussling. ... Profound. ... Provocative. ... Mind-stretching." -- Brain Pickings "Fascinating. ... Thought-provoking." -- Science News "A fascinating smorgasbord of 175 short essays about every field and facet of research." -- Science News "Brockman succeeds in presenting scientific work that will appeal to a variety of readers, no matter their background." -- Publishers Weekly Praise for Edge: "Physics, statistics, robotics, linguistics, medicine-all are zestfully scrutinized in this exuberant, mind-blowing gathering of innovative thinkers." -- Booklist "An epicenter of bleeding-edge insight across science, technology, and beyond." -- Atlantic Monthly "The brightest minds in the known universe." -- Vanity Fair "A forum for the world's most brilliant minds." -- The Observer (UK) "A provocative and informative compilation." -- Library Journal

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Book SynopsisThat we say we don’t want rude politicians, but we vote for them anyway? Or that rude language can sway a jury in a criminal case? Adam Grant author of Originals, Give and Take, Option B*This book was originally published under the title, I Can’t Believe You Just Said That.Trade ReviewA brilliant book -- Jon RonsonA very funny and wise book about the blatant rudeness that surrounds us. Danny Wallace on top form -- Matt HaigA meaty cry for human decency, wrapped in a deliciously hilarious hot dog bun. I plan to read it again and then force-feed it to my neighbour, my mother, and my college roommate. If you care about people and enjoy a good laugh, I politely encourage you to read this book. Immediately. -- Adam Grant, author of 'Originals'Hilarious * GQ *Danny Wallace, author, actor, and comedian, wrote the rudeness manifesto itself. * VICE.com *His [Danny Wallace’s] research on the psychology of rudeness can give us key insights as to what's going on right now and what we can do to become more empathetic * Psychology Today *A brilliant book -- Jon RonsonA very funny and wise book about the blatant rudeness that surrounds us. Danny Wallace on top form * Matt Haig *A meaty cry for human decency, wrapped in a deliciously hilarious hot dog bun. I plan to read it again and then force-feed it to my neighbour, my mother, and my college roommate. If you care about people and enjoy a good laugh, I politely encourage you to read this book. Immediately. -- Adam Grant, author of 'Originals'Hilarious * GQ *

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Book SynopsisPo Bronson and Ashley Merryman's New York Magazine articles on the science of children have won the magazine journalism award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications. Their articles for Time Magazine have won the award for outstanding journalism from the Council on Contemporary Families. Bronson has authored five books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller What Should I Do With My Life?Trade ReviewAn explosive new book... Many of the findings in Nurtureshock are not what we parents expect or want to hear, but we have to hear it * Daily Mail *A wake-up call for parents... the Freakonomics of child-rearing... a fantastic read * Good Morning America *The least touchy-feely [parenting book] ever... hard to put down and easy to take seriously. * A.V. Club,The Onion *

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Book SynopsisIf you have ever wondered why women always bite your head off or why one guy gets all the girls, if you have ever pondered why some men bring you balloons while others leave you their genitals, then Dr Tatiana''s Sex Advice to All Creation is the book for you. It explains all this and much more. It discloses the best time to have a sex change, how to have a virgin birth, when to seduce your sisters or eat your lover. Quirky and brilliant, it takes as its starting point all creatures great and small worried about their bizarre sex lives, and the letters they write to the wise Dr Tatiana, the only agony aunt in all creation with a prodigious knowledge of both natural history and evolutionary biology.Trade ReviewDarwin titillated 18th-century London with his poem 'The Loves of Plants.' He never knew the half of it. Dr. Tatiana knows how the other half loves, and it's much kinkier than anybody imagined. Never has science seemed more like daytime TV -- Matt Ridley, author of The Red QueenPerhaps the most original advice manual ever written... Judson has pulled off the rarest coup: a science book that's actually fun to read * New Republic *Funny and blissfully original... Dr. Tatiana's science is first-rate * The Economist *Captivating... An evolutionary biologist with interesting and amusing things to tell us * Wall Street Journal *Eye-popping, filthy and funny * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisAn intelligently provocative book about Darwin's other' theory discusses the curious ways in which sexual attraction has influenced the evolution of the human mind.Many aspects of the human mind remain mysterious. While Darwinian natural selection can explain the evolution of most life on earth, it has never seemed fully adequate to explain the aspects of our minds that seem most uniquely and profoundly human - art, morality, consciousness, creativity and language. Yet these aspects of human nature need not remain evolutionary mysteries. Until fairly recently most biologists have ignored or rejected Darwin''s claims for the other great force of evolution - sexual selection through mate choice, which favours traits simply because they prove attractive to the opposite sex. But over recent years biologists have taken up Darwin''s insights into how the reproduction of the sexiest is as much a focus of evolution as the survival of the fittest.WitTrade ReviewIntriguing... The discussion of the mind as a mechanism of attracting mates is fascinating * Washington Post Book World *A refined, an intellectually ingenious, and a very civilised discussion of the possible importance of sexual selection for mental evolution -- John Constable, Cambridge University * Psychology, Evolution, and Gender *Entertaining and wide-ranging * Nerve *Flies in the face of evolutionary orthodoxy - proposed by Stephen Jay Gould and others - which suggests that cultures evolve on their own, separate from the evolution of the human mind * Observer *Thoughtful, witty and vividly written -- Richard Dawkins

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Book Synopsis''Compulsively readable...Green threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for holes'' New York TimesIn this international bestseller, Columbia University professor Brian Greene provides, in layman's terms, a comprehensive demystification of string theory. Greene, one of the world''s leading string theorists, peels away layers of the unknown, through introducing concepts from quantum mechanics to general relativity, to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions. Accessible and enlightening, Greene''s inimitable blend of expert scientific insight and literary ingenuity makes The Elegant Universe an exhilarating read that brings us closer to understanding how our magnificent universe works. Utterly absorbing...a brilliant achievement. An accessible, equationless account of strings' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewDevelops one fresh new insight after another... In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat * New York Times Book Review *Utterly absorbing...a brilliant achievement. An accessible, equationless account of strings, explaining why they are generating so much excitement among their devotees. Greene's achievement is to make us feel at home in the chillingly abstract world of strings and to convince us that we must take it seriously * Sunday Telegraph *As rewarding as it gets... A thrilling ride through a lovely landscape... A compelling human saga * Los Angeles Times Book Review *Compulsively readable...Green threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for holes * New York *[A] tour-de-force of science writing...peels away layers of detail and reveals the stunning essence of cutting-edge physics -- Shing-Tung Yau, Harvard University; Fields Medalist, winner of the National Medal of Science

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Book Synopsis'A book of big questions, and big answers' Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe?Trade ReviewThe most absorbing account on offer of the emergence of a world divided between have and have-nots... Never before put together so coherently, with such a combination of expertise, charm and compassion * The Times *A book of remarkable scope... One of the most important and readable works on the human past * Nature *A prodigious, convincing work, conceived on a grand scale * Observer *This is the book that turned me from a historian of medieval warfare into a student of humankind -- Yuval Noah Harari * Week *Fascinating, coherent, compassionate and completely accessible * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisHave you ever had a premonition, the feeling of being watched, or a telepathic experience? Renowned biologist Rupert Sheldrake explores the intricacies of the mind and discovers that our perceptive abilities are stronger than many of us could have imagined.Trade ReviewYou will certainly never take the miracle of the senses for granted again -- Dr James Le Fanu * The Tablet *Sheldrake uses many case studies, along with scientific theory, to support his research, and the result is, quite literally, mind-expanding * The Good Book Guide *Dr Rupert Sheldrake continues to chart a new course in our understanding ...The application of this understanding has the potential to heal our world -- Deepak Chopra, M.D.[Sheldrake's] genius lies in his taking well-attested anecdotal phenomena like telepathy, the sense of being stared at and anticipating alarm calls, then puts them to the scientific test. In doing so his work not only extends - indeed stretches - the mind, it extends science in a new and creative direction. * David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network Review *

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Book SynopsisA delight. Popular science doesn't come much better than this' IndependentEverything you might want to know about infinity - in history and all the way to today''s cutting-edge science.Infinity is surely the strangest idea that humans have ever had. Where did it come from and what is it telling us about our Universe? Can there actually be infinities? Can you do an infinite number of things in a finite amount of time? Is the Universe infinite?Infinity is also the place where things happen that don''t. What is it like to live in a Universe where nothing is original, where you can live forever, where anything that can be done, is done, over and over again?These are some of the deep questions that the idea of the infinite pushes us to ask. Throughout history, the infinite has been a dangerous concept. Many have lost their lives, their careers, or their freedom for talking about it. The Infinite Book will take yoTrade ReviewA delight. Popular science doesn't come much better than this * Independent *Barrow brings his charm and wit to provide an account that is highly engaging * Nature *Science writing at its best. A cutting-edge scientist and a proven writer tackles a subject of infinite fascination. As page-turning as a detective story * Good Book Guide *If you enjoy a good intellectual wrestle, this book is for you * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisRoger Penrose is one the world's foremost theoretical physicists, and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020. He has won numerous other prizes, including the Albert Einstein Medal, for his fundamental contributions to general relativity and cosmology. He is the bestselling author of The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe and Cycles of Time: An Extraordinary New View of the Universe. His other books include Fashion, Faith and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe, The Emperor's New Mind, Shadows of the Mind and, with Stephen Hawking, The Nature of Space and Time. He is the Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics Emeritus at the University of Oxford, and lives in Oxford.Trade ReviewPenrose is truly one of the world's leading mathematical physicists * Scotland on Sunday *Science needs more people like Penrose, willing and able to point out the flaws in fashionable models from a position of authority, and to signpost alternative roads to follow * Independent *A genuinely new idea about the origins of the universe that, although untested, seems to hold together theoretically and must be taken seriously given Penrose's status -- Doug Johnstone * Scotsman *Cycles of Time can be highly recommended as an example of how cosmologists are now thinking the unthinkable by trying to look back beyond the Big Bang and forward beyond the death of our universe * Literary Review *Cycles of Time is as uncondescending in style and as impenetrable in content as his previous books. Which is not to say that there are not, as before, many pleasures to be had along the way * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisColour in art - as in life - is both inspiring and uplifting, but where does it come from? How have artists found new hues, and how have these influenced their work? Beginning with the ancients - when just a handful of pigments made up the artist''s palette - and charting the discoveries and developments that have led to the many splendoured rainbow of modern paints, Bright Earth brings the story of colour spectacularly alive. Packed with anecdotes about lucky accidents and hapless misfortunes in the quests for new colours, it provides an entertaining and fascinating new perspective on the science of art.Trade ReviewBrilliant...in every sense. Ball's book is the volume that has been missing from my library * Guardian *Brings the mysterious subject of colour wonderfully alive. Quite literally an eye-opener * Economist *A succinct and elegantly structured new survey of Western painting. Ball pitches his learning just right between academic history and a highly readable series of anecdotes and biographical sketches * Daily Mail *Full of fascinating vignettes. Philip Ball writes engagingly on complicated topics * Sunday Telegraph *Scattered with attractive particles, sparkles with redolent names... A solid, well-researched compendium of information * TLS *

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR''A magnificent, compelling and insightful voyage to the frontier of knowledge from a great writer with a deep understanding.'' Brian CoxWhat is the universe really made of? How do we know? Follow the map of the invisible to find out...Over the last sixty years, scientists around the world have worked together to explore the fundamental constituents of matter, and the forces that govern their behaviour. The result, so far, is the Standard Model' of elementary particles: a theoretical map of the basic building blocks of the universe. With the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, the map as we know it was completed, but also extended into strange new territory.A Map of the Invisible is an explorer's guide to the Standard Model and the extraordinary realms of particle physics. After shrinking us down to the size of a sub-atomic particle, pioneering physicist Jon Butterworth takes us on boTrade ReviewA magnificent, compelling and insightful voyage to the frontier of knowledge from a great writer with a deep understanding. -- Brian CoxYearning for a late holiday? Bosonia, the Isle of Leptons and farthest Antimatter beckon in this bracing voyage into particle physics, captained by experimental physicist Jon Butterworth. Ever an original writer, he maps the territory of the standard model and beyond, elucidating in turn wave–particle duality, the quantum field and the subatomic realm, all the way to ripples in space-time and the hunt for the Higgs boson (which, as a veteran of the Large Hadron Collider at Europe's physics lab CERN, he navigates expertly). Sea legs achieved, you're ready for wilder shores, such as the Dirac–Milne universe. * Nature *

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Book SynopsisSunday Times Science Book of the Year 2011.We are poised on the edge of discovery in particle physics (the study of the smallest objects we know of) and cosmology (the study of the largest), and when these breakthroughs come, they will revolutionise what we think we know about the universe, and the modern world.Lisa Randall guides us through the latest ideas, charting the thrilling progress we have made in understanding the universe from Galileo and Newton to Einstein and the Large Hadron Collider and the search for the Higgs boson. Yet it''s about more than just physics - Randall explains how we decide what questions to ask; how risk, beauty, creativity and truth play a role in scientific thinking; and how answering the big questions will ultimately tell us who we are and where we came from.Trade ReviewLisa Randall is hugely gifted... Full of passion and jaw-dropping facts... Fascinating -- Doug Johnstone * Independent on Sunday *An impressive study...essential reading for anyone interested in science -- Christopher Potter * Sunday Times *Dazzling ideas... Read this book today to understand the science of tomorrow -- Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor and author of How the Mind WorksScience has a battle for hearts and minds on its hands... How good it feels to have Lisa Randall's unusual blend of top flight science, clarity, and charm on our side -- Richard Dawkins, author of The God DelusionIn this fascinating book, Lisa Randall, professor of theoretical physics at Harvard, explains the experimental research at the LHC and the theories that try to anticipate what they will find -- Manjit Kumar * Independent *

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Book SynopsisWhy have all human cultures - today and throughout history - made music? Why does music excite such rich emotion? How do we make sense of musical sound? These are questions that have, until recently, remained mysterious. Now The Music Instinct explores how the latest research in music psychology and brain science is piecing together the puzzle of how our minds understand and respond to music. Ranging from Bach fugues to nursery rhymes to heavy rock, Philip Ball interweaves philosophy, mathematics, history and neurology to reveal why music moves us in so many ways. Without requiring any specialist knowledge, The Music Instinct will both deepen your appreciation of the music you love, and open doors to music that once seemed alien, dull or daunting, offering a passionate plea for the importance of music in education and in everyday life.''You''ll never listen to music the same way again'' - IndependentTrade ReviewWonderful account of why music matters... one of the finest and most versatile of current non-fiction writers * Sunday Times *Exemplary... In contemplating the mysteries of music we are also contemplating the mystery of ourselves... Ball, thankfully, doesn't try to provide any easy answers, but rather sends the reader back to the music a better listener * Observer *This is a truly fascinating and eye-opening account of a phenomenon so commonplace we barely think about it, yet one which is also mind-bogglingly complicated. Once you've read The Music Instinct, you'll never listed to music the same way again * Independent *A musical experience in itself...his love of the subject is abundantly evident.. His mastery of many scientific disciplines is a delight * Daily Telegraph *Impressively engaging...it will be the rare music lover that does not come away without having learned many interesting things * Guardian *

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