Popular science Books

Book SynopsisTwenty years after Stephen Hawking's 9-million-copy selling A Brief History of Time, pioneering theoretical physicist Sean Carroll takes our investigation into the nature of time to the next level. You can't unscramble an egg and you can't remember the future. But what if time doesn't (or didn't!) always go in the same direction? Carroll's paradigm-shifting research suggests that other universes experience time running in the opposite direction to our own. Exploring subjects from entropy and quantum mechanics to time travel and the meaning of life, Carroll presents a dazzling new view of how we came to exist.Trade Review'Forget Stephen Hawking's Brief History: this mind-blowing book is the real deal... Fascinating.' * Times Higher Education, Book of the Week *'Carroll's insight will intrigue anyone... Most enjoyable.' * BBC Focus *

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Book SynopsisOne of the most illuminating, useful and exciting books ever published in the mathematical field Taking only a modicum of knowledge for granted, Lancelot Hogben leads readers of this famous book through the whole course from simple arithmetic to calculus. His illuminating explanation is addressed to the person who wants to understand the place of mathematics in modern civilization but who has been intimidated by its supposed difficulty. Mathematics is the language of size, shape, and order – a language Hogben shows one can both master and enjoy.Trade Review'It makes alive the contents of the elements of mathematics' Albert Einstein'Deals with maths in a way that they never taught us at school' Daily Express'If only I had been brought up on this book, the sense and meaning of mathematics would have been made clear to me... The book combines utmost brilliance with extraordinarily good common sense' A. L. Rowse'A great book of first-class importance' H. G. Wells

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY AWARD 2022A SUNDAY TIMES BEST PAPERBACK OF 2023 A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKA FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022: HEALTH AND WELLBEINGA WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: POPULAR SCIENCE---People who believe ageing brings wisdom live longer.Lucky charms really do improve an athlete's performance.Taking a placebo, even when you know it is a placebo, can still improve your health.Welcome to The Expectation Effect.David Robson takes us on a tour of the cutting-edge research happening right now that suggests our expectations shape our experience. Of course, you can't just think yourself thinner, happier or fitter, but using this book you can reframe many different facets of your life. These easy-to-use skills will help you on your way to becoming the person you want to be, living the life you want to live.Trade ReviewThis book is entertaining, eye-opening, extremely useful and best of all, evidence-based -- CLAUDIA HAMMONDAs David Robson makes plain in this compelling book, the way we think about the world can profoundly shape how we navigate it. Based in science and packed with smart advice, The Expectation Effect will expand your mind - and maybe even extend your life -- DANIEL H. PINKMind-changing science . . . One of Robson's many strengths as a chronicler of science is to take what might seem familiar and show - to his own evident excitement, as well - just how much deeper the rabbit hole goes . . . Compelling -- OLIVER BURKEMAN * * Guardian * *This is an utterly riveting and transformative book. You can't afford not to read it! -- NIGELLA LAWSONA revelatory pop-science book on the idea that it's not so much what happens to us as what we expect to happen that determines our health and wellbeing * * Guardian * *Intriguing . . . Extraordinary stories of the brain and its power to control the body * * Sunday Times * *I have not been able to stop thinking about it . . . Jaw-dropping . . . So many studies in the book left me speechless -- PANDORA SYKES * * Doing It Right * *Already threatening to be book of the year - visionary, original and exciting -- WILL STORRInteresting . . . Robson marshals a huge range of diverse evidence here and describes it very well. I learned a lot and enjoyed the book hugely -- TIM HARFORDAn intriguing account of the role of expectation (and perception in general) in a wide panorama of experience. Beautifully written, science-based and a gripping read. I loved it! -- DR MITHU STORONI, author of STRESS-PROOF

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Book SynopsisA biological and cultural biography of the ubiquitous yet mystical seashell.Seashells, stretching from the deep past into the present day, are touchstones leading into fascinating realms of the natural world and cutting-edge science. In Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells, marine biologist Helen Scales shows how seashells have been sculpted by the fundamental rules of mathematics and evolution; how they gave us color, gems, food, and new medicines. The science and natural history of shells are woven into a compelling narrative, revealing their cultural importance and the ways they have been used by humans over the millennia, even as a source of mind-bending drugs. After surviving multiple mass extinctions millions of years ago, mollusks and their shells still face an onslaught of anthropocentric challenges, including climate change and corrosive oceans. But rather than dwelling on all that is lost, Scales emphasizes that Trade ReviewA rewarding glimpse of another world, filled with strange and reclusive creatures ... There is rich detail in all directions. One does not know what will come next. Often the descriptions made me see shafts of sunlight underwater, irradiating extraordinary places and creatures. That is just what the book does itself. * The Guardian *... punctures assumptions with the power of a cone snail dart. * The Spectator *Splendid ... Scales clearly loves snails - she has done an elegant, excellent job of explaining her passion ... she is a most able modern champion of molluscs. * New Scientist *Scales is a charming raconteur with boundless enthusiasm and an eye for detail that make her subject glow with life. Combining biology, history and ecology, this is nature writing at its most engaging. * Sunday Express *The stories in Spirals in Time – which range from slaves being bought for bags of shells in west Africa in the 1770s to ground-breaking medical uses of cone-snail venom – are gripping and unimaginable. * The Telegraph *Helen Scales ... takes us on a fascinating journey into the strange and captivating world of mollusks. Carefully researched and entertaining throughout ... Scales's book is relentlessly interesting. * Science *...an informed introduction to this fascinating group. The author's enthusiasm shines through the prose...This is an ideal book for a summer holiday, and beach finds will take on a new dimension because of it. * Times Literary Supplement *With the soul of a poet and a talent for finding the most intriguing trivia about familiar seaside sights, marine biologist Scales turns the mundane into the magical. * Discover *Table of Contents1. Meet the shell-makers 2. How to build a shell 3. Sex, death and gems 4. Shell food 5. A mollusc called home 6. Spinning shell stories 7. Flight of the argonauts 8. Treasure hunting 9. Bright ideas 10. The sea butterfly effect

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Book Synopsis20 years later The Music of the Primes is still a groundbreaking popular science book. This new edition features updates from the author and a foreword by actor and director, Simon McBurney. In 1859, the German mathematician Bernhard Riemann presented a paper to the Berlin Academy which would change the history of mathematics. The subject was the strange and enigmatic prime numbers. At the heart of the presentation was an idea, a hypothesis, that Riemann had not yet proved but which has come to obsess mathematicians for the last 150 years. No one knows if he ever found the proof; on his death his housekeeper burnt all the personal papers. Today, the hypothesis is considered by many the holy grail of mathematics but has significance far beyond maths. At the of the heart of the enigma is a prize much larger than just intellectual glory; not only is there a $1 million reward for the person who can crack it but also is the key to all banking and e-commerce security. It is the idea that brings together many other areas of science and has ramifications within Quantum Mechanics, Chaos Theory and the future of computing. In 'The Music of the Primes', one of Britain's leading mathematicians, Marcus du Sautoy, recounts the history of these elusive numbers. It is a story of eccentric and brilliant men, last minute escapes from death, strange journeys, dangerous ideas and the unquenchable thirst for knowledge that drove some men mad and others to unparalleled glory. du Sautoy also tells a coruscating history of Mathematics. Combining in-depth knowledge as a practitioner in the field with narrative flair, this book will become a classic of popular science writing and will rank alongside 'Chaos' and 'Fermat's Last Theorem' within the genre. The Riemann Hypothesis:• Compared to Fermat's Last Theorem, the Hypothesis is mathematicians’ real Holy Grail• Is the only problem from Hilbert's 1900 Centenary Problems that was unproved in the 20th century and now has a $1 million reward for the person who cracks it.• The Hypothesis is the key to all Internet and e-commerce securityTrade Review'Du Sautoy is a contagious enthusiast, a populist with a staunch faith in the public's intelligence…he has uncovered a wealth of intriguing anecdotes that he has woven into a compelling narrative.' Observer 'He laces the ideas with history, anecdote and personalia – an entertaining mix that renders an austere subject palatable…valiant and ingenious…Even those with a mathematical allergy can enjoy du Sautoy's depictions of his cast of characters' The Times 'He brings hugely enjoyable writing, full of zest and passion, to the most fundamental questions in the pursuit of true knowledge.' Sunday Times 'A mesmerising journey into the world of mathematics and its mysteries.' Daily Mail 'A brilliant storyteller.' Independent

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Book SynopsisFINALIST for the Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books“This book shows that chemistry is not just relevant to life; it’s really, really interesting.”—Foreword Reviews, STARRED reviewA perfect book for readers of The Physics of Everyday Things and Storm in a TeacupHave you ever wondered why your alarm clock sends you spiraling? Or how toothpaste works on your teeth? Why do cakes and cookies sometimes turn out dry? (Hint: you may not be adding enough sugar.) In Chemistry for Breakfast, award-winning chemist and science communicator Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim reveals the amazing chemistry behind everyday things (like baking and toothpaste) and not-so-everyday things (like space travel). With a relatable, funny, and conversational style, she explains essential chemical processes everyone should know—and turns the ordinary into extraordinary.Over the course of a single day, Mai shows

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Book Synopsis‘Jauhar weaves his own personal and family story into his history of the heart…very effectively… This gives a certain dramatic tension to the book, as it tells the fascinating and rather wonderful history of cardiology.’ –Henry Marsh, New Statesman A Mail on Sunday Book of the Year The heart lies at the centre of life. For cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar it is an obsession. In this fascinating history he interweaves gripping scenes from the operating theatre with the moving tale of his family’s history of heart problems – from the death of his grandfather to the ominous signs of how he himself might die. Jauhar looks at the pioneers who risked patients’ lives and their own careers, and confronts the limits of medical technology, arguing that how we live is more important than any device or drug we may invent. Heart is the all-encompassing story of the engine of life.Trade Review‘A book of unusual depth and richness about a subject that concerns us all…Heart: A history is elegantly conceived and still more elegantly executed…Sandeep Jauhar writes with a vital, pulsating energy.’ * TLS *‘Jauhar weaves his own personal and family story into his history of the heart…very effectively… This gives a certain dramatic tension to the book, as it tells the fascinating and rather wonderful history of cardiology.’ * Henry Marsh, New Statesman *‘[An] absorbing book about the vital organ that keeps us alive.’ * Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year 2018 *‘This is a vital book. A charming, honest and unflinching exploration of a most fascinating organ: the heart. Cardiologist and author Sandeep Jauhar beautifully weaves medical research with philosophy, science with personal stories – of patients and doctors, including his very own. The depth of his knowledge is remarkable but the breadth of his compassion even more so.’ -- Elif Shafak, Chair, 2019 Wellcome Book Prize‘A moving narrative echoing to the beat of “this organ, prime mover and citadel”.’ * Nature *‘Gripping… Jauhar hooks the reader of Heart from the first few pages… Most chapters launch with a riveting scene… Fun facts are sprinkled throughout… Heart is chock-full of absorbing tales that infuse fresh air into a topic that is often relegated to textbooks or metaphors about pumps, plumbing, or love.’ * New York Times Book Review *‘Dr. Jauhar expertly weaves little-known tales from medical history into his own personal and professional experiences to create a richly detailed book about the human heart. Thoroughly engrossing and full of historical gems.’ -- Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art‘Jauhar…is our trusty guide through a compelling story about what makes each and every one of us tick… Both primer and ode, Heart is a fascinating education for those of us who harbour this most hallowed organ but know little about it.’ * Washington Post *‘Sandeep Jauhar writes with the eye of a doctor and the heart of a poet. His latest book, Heart: A History, is a superb tribute to our most vital organ.’ -- Marilyn Yalom, Stanford University, author of The Amorous Heart: An Unconventional History of Love‘Part-memoir, part-history of his medical specialty, Heart links the physical organ with the emotional one.’ * Spectator *‘The cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar has become a Dante of modern medicine… Heart: A History is something of a “Paradiso,” pointing to the field’s brightest and noblest stars while recognizing just how much darkness is still left in the firmament… Poignant and chattily erudite.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘Cardiologist Jauhar moves beautifully between “dual tracks” of “learning about the heart…but also what was in my heart,”… Covering enough physiology to make scientific details easily understood, Jauhar emphasizes how brave, desperate, and sometimes foolhardy experiments led to important developments, such as the heart-lung machine… Jauhar is thoughtful, self-reflective, and profoundly respectful of doctors and patients alike; readers will respond by opening their own hearts a little bit, to both grief and wonder.’ * Publisher’s Weekly, starred review *‘In Heart: A History, Sandeep Jauhar, one of the most talented physician-writers of our era, takes us on an enlightening, uplifting journey through the major milestones and advances of heart disease – while at the same time anchoring his intimate, personal experiences.’ -- Eric Topol, Scripps Research Institute, author of The Patient Will See You Now

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Book Synopsis'A must-read for all athletes, from the professional to the weekend warrior.' - Wall Street JournalThe New York Times Bestselling account of the new frontier of sports recovery science, which shows what we should and shouldn't be doing between exercising to achieve maximum performance.All athletes, from Olympians to weekend warriors, must find the balance between training and recovery to maximize the benefits of workouts and reach optimal performance. For the longest time, coaches and training manuals have emphasized training above all else. However, science shows that recovery is a crucial component of exercise training and it may even be the most important one.Good to Go is the first definitive account of this new frontier in sports and exercise science. Christie Ashwanden takes you on a first-person tour through the science of exercise recovery, from ice baths and cryogenic freezing chambers to the science behind Usain Bolt’s love of chicken nuggets and Tom Brady’s recovery pyjamas.Full of eye-opening revelations, Aschwanden takes us on an invigorating journey through the science and potions of sports recovery and debunks the junk to give a clear picture of what we should actually be doing to achieve peak performance.Trade ReviewOne of the best science writers in the world . . . Good to Go is the definitive tour through a bewildering jungle of scientific (and pseudo-scientific) claims that comprise a multi-billion dollar recovery industry. -- David Epstein, bestselling author of The Sports Gene and RangeThe most important book about training you’ll read this year -- Alex Hutchinson, bestselling author of EndureThis authoritative, delightful, and much-needed book slices through the hype around athletic recovery -- Ed Yong, bestselling author of I Contain MultitudesDeeply researched and artfully written. . . a must-read for all athletes, from the professional to the weekend warrior * Wall Street Journal *Immensely enjoyable and relatable examination of the science of recovery . . . a tour de force of great science journalism -- Nate Silver, bestselling author of The Signal and the NoiseHow to best adapt to and benefit from training is still fraught with confusion . . . Christie Aschwanden offers much-needed clarity * Runner's World *Fascinating! Christie Aschwanden makes the mind-boggling world of sports recovery a hilarious adventure, and she mixes science with stories that everyone can relate to -- Jessie Diggins, member of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team and 2018 Olympic Gold MedalistAppealing to more than just gym rats and weekend warriors. It’s for anyone who wonders how scientific studies happen, and how they influence the claims on products found in grocery stores and athletic stores alike * Science News *Table of ContentsIntroduction - Introduction: Introduction Chapter - 1: Just-So Science Chapter - 2: Be Like Mike Chapter - 3: The Perfect Fuel Chapter - 4: The Cold War Chapter - 5: Flushing the Blood Chapter - 6: Calming the Senses Chapter - 7: The Rest Cure Chapter - 8: Selling Snake Oil Chapter - 9: Losing Your Zoom Chapter - 10: The Magic Metric Chapter - 11: Hurts So Good Section - Conclusion: Conclusion Acknowledgements - Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements Section - Notes: Notes Index - Index: Index

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONShe Has Her Mother’s Laugh presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. As the technology for studying genes became cheaper, millions of people ordered genetic tests to link themselves to missing parents, to distant ancestors, to ethnic identities . . .But, award-winning science writer Carl Zimmer argues, heredity isn’t just about genes that pass from parent to child. Heredity continues within our own bodies, as a single cell gives rise to trillions of cells that make up our bodies. We say we inherit genes from our ancestors but we inherit other things that matter as much or more to our lives, from microbes to technologies we use to make life more comfortable. We need a new definition of what heredity is and, through Carl Zimmer’s lucid exposition and storytelling, this resounding tour de force delivers it.Weaving together historical and current scientific research, his own experience with his two daughters, and the kind of original reporting expected of one of the world’s best science journalists, Zimmer ultimately unpacks urgent bioethical quandaries arising from new biomedical technologies, but also long-standing presumptions about who we really are and what we can pass on to future generations.Trade ReviewBeautifully written . . . [A] grand and sweeping book. * The Times *Nuanced, entertaining and balances eloquent story-telling with well-researched science . . . Anyone interested in their path through history, and what they may hand on, will find much to excite them. -- Book of the Week * New Scientist *Fascinating . . . Absorbing . . . Deftly persuasive. * Observer *She Has Her Mother’s Laugh is packed full of learning, and years of work . . . The book offers clear insights into a fast-moving area, and asks big questions. Scientists can eradicate diseases, alter DNA and change human heredity. Should they? What could be at stake if they get it wrong? * Guardian *This is cutting-edge stuff that could be heavy-going except that it is written by Carl Zimmer, one of our best science journalists . . . He makes complex topics accessible with his sparkling storytelling and beautiful writing . . . If you want to . . . know where the DNA revolution is headed, you can’t do better than this book, which is a joy to read. * Evening Standard *She Has Her Mother's Laugh is a masterpiece – a career-best work from one of the world's premier science writers, on a topic that literally touches every person on the planet. -- Ed Yong, author of I Contain MultitudesZimmer is a born story-teller. Or is he an inherited story-teller? The inspiring and heartbreaking stories in She Has Her Mother's Laugh build a fundamentally new perspective on what previous generations have delivered to us, and what we can pass along. An outstanding book and great accomplishment. -- Daniel Levitin, author of This is Your Brain on Music and The Organized MindExtraordinary . . . This book is Zimmer at his best: obliterating misconceptions about science with gentle prose. * New York Review of Books *Expansive, engrossing, and often enlightening. * Wired *Why do children look like their parents and siblings, but still differ from one another? . . . Engrossing . . . Zimmer’s book is an excellent way to get up to speed. * Washington Post *She Has Her Mother’s Laugh is at once far-ranging, imaginative, and totally relevant. Carl Zimmer makes the complex science of heredity read like a novel, and explains why the subject has been–and always will be–so vexed. -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Pulitzer Prize winner The Sixth ExtinctionShe Has Her Mother’s Laugh is a superb guide to a subject that is only becoming more important. Along the way, it explains some remarkably complicated science with equally remarkable clarity–a totally impressive job all around. -- Charles C. Mann, author of New York Times bestseller 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before ColumbusNo one unravels the mysteries of science as brilliantly and compellingly as Carl Zimmer, and he has proven it again with She Has Her Mother’s Laugh—a sweeping, magisterial book that illuminates the very nature of who we are. -- David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author, award-winning staff writer at The New Yorker, and author of The Lost City of ZA thoroughly enchanting tour of big questions, oddball ideas, and dazzling accomplishments of researchers searching to explain, manipulate, and alter inheritance. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *A magnificent work . . . Journalist Zimmer masterfully blends exciting storytelling with first-rate science reporting. His book is as engrossing as it is enlightening. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *11 Fantastic Science Books to Binge Over the Holidays -- The Year in Review, 2018 * Wired *Table of ContentsUnit - Part I: A Stroke on the Cheek Chapter - 1: The Light Trifle of His Substance Chapter - 2: Traveling Across the Face of Time Chapter - 3: This Race Should End with Them Chapter - 4: Attagirl Unit - Part II: Wayward DNA Chapter - 5: An Evening’s Revelry Chapter - 6: The Sleeping Branches Chapter - 7: Individual Z Chapter - 8: Mongrels Chapter - 9: Nine Foot High Complete Chapter - 10: Ed and Fred Unit - Part III: Other Channels Chapter - 11: Ex Ovo Omnia Chapter - 12: Witches’- Broom Chapter - 13: Chimeras Unit - Part IV: Other Channels Chapter - 14: You, My Friend, Are a Wonderland Chapter - 15: Flowering Monsters Chapter - 16: The Teachable Ape Unit - Part V: The Sun Chariot Chapter - 17: Yet Did He Greatly Dare Chapter - 18: Orphaned at Conception Chapter - 19: The Planet’s Heirs

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Book Synopsis'Groundbreaking' OBSERVER 'Blows assumptions about abusive relationships out of the water' CAITLIN MORAN 'Offers a strategy for intervention that would save lives' INDEPENDENT Every four days in the UK, a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner – and in the past year, domestic abuse has become an epidemic. For thirty years, Jane Monckton Smith has been fighting to change this. A former police officer and internationally renowned professor of public protection, she has developed her ground-breaking research into an eight-stage homicide timeline, laying out identifiable stages in which coercive relationships can escalate to violence and murder. Drawing on disciplines including psychology, sociology and law, Monckton Smith talks to victims, their families and killers to piece together the hows and whys of abuse – while shining a searching light onto the society and media that allow it to thrive.Trade ReviewBlow assumptions about relationships out of the water . . . A game-changer -- Caitlin MoranShocking, frank, and very, very necessary. -- Sam BakerA powerful book that offers a strategy for intervention that would save lives * The Independent *

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Book SynopsisTHE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CANNABIS AND YOUR HEALTHUnderpinned by his two-year research trial in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, involving up to 20,000 patients, which will create Europe's largest body of evidence on the plant's medicinal qualities - Professor David Nutt and his team of scientists will break the mould on the way we use Cannabis for our health in the future.In David's first ground-breaking book on the subject, he will cover its impact of all areas of the body and the brain and its effective use for treatment of illness from chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and PTSD, to anxiety and depression. This is the essential knowledge that cuts through the noise and give us evidence-based information that will change people's lives.

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Book SynopsisA leading scientist and an award-winning cartoonist team up to provide a complete, up-to-date course in college-level chemistry, covering the history of the scientific field, as well as such topics as physical and organic chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, physics as chemistry, electrochemistry, and more.

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Book SynopsisIn For the Love of Physics, beloved MIT professor Walter Lewin, whose riveting physics lectures made him a YouTube super-star, takes readers on a remarkably fun, inventive, and often wacky journey that brings the joys of physics to life.“For the Love of Physics captures Walter Lewin’s extraordinary intellect, passion for physics, and brilliance as a teacher”—Bill Gates. For more than thirty years as a renowned professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lewin’s lectures made physics not only accessible but fun, whether putting his head in the path of a wrecking ball, supercharging himself with three hundred thousand volts of electricity, or demonstrating why the sky is blue and clouds are white. In For the Love of Physics, Lewin takes readers on a marvelous journey, opening our eyes as never before to the wonders of physics and its amazing ability to reveal the beauty and power embedded in ou

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Top Ten BestsellerHave you ever wondered if a severed head retains consciousness long enough to see what happened to it? Or whether your dog would run to fetch help, if you fell down a disused mineshaft? And what would happen if you were to give an elephant the largest ever single dose of LSD? The chances are that someone, somewhere has conducted a scientific experiment to find out... 'Excellent accounts of some of the most important and interesting experiments in biology and psychology' Simon Singh If left to their own devices, would babies instinctively choose a well-balanced diet? Discover the secret of how to sleep on planes Which really tastes better in a blind tasting - Coke or Pepsi?

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Book SynopsisA lively argument from an award-winning journalist proving that the key to reversing America’s health crisis lies in the overlooked link between nutrition and flavor: “The Dorito Effect is one of the most important health and food books I have read” (Dr. David B. Agus, New York Times bestselling author).We are in the grip of a food crisis. Obesity has become a leading cause of preventable death, after only smoking. For nearly half a century we’ve been trying to pin the blame somewhere—fat, carbs, sugar, wheat, high-fructose corn syrup. But that search has been in vain, because the food problem that’s killing us is not a nutrient problem. It’s a behavioral problem, and it’s caused by the changing flavor of the food we eat. Ever since the 1940s, with the rise of industrialized food production, we have been gradually leeching the taste out of what we grow. Simultaneously, we have taken great leaps forwardTrade Review"Illuminating and radical." * The New York Times Book Review *“Mark Schatzker’s book comes at a time when healthful eating and sustainability are increasingly on everyone’s minds. The Dorito Effect is a quick, engaging read that examines the essential role that flavor plays in the way we eat today. As a chef, I know that people want to eat delicious food, but Schatzker goes further and investigates how we engage with flavor to address the growing health crisis.” -- Daniel Boulud, Chef/Owner, The Dinex Group“Mark Schatzker has done something monumental in The Dorito Effect, he explained how the American food industry has interfered with our body's conversation with itself. The use of flavor to change this conversation is one of the major reasons for the decline in the American diet leading to major health issues. The Dorito Effect is one of the most important health and food books I have read.” -- David B. Agus, M.D., author of The End of Illness and A Short Guide to a Long Life“In The Dorito Effect Mark Schatzker explores a novel - and to my mind, key – theory to explain our increasing consumption of the low-quality food that is undermining health. Modern food production has made much of what we eat flavorless, and a multibillion dollar flavor industry has stepped in to fool our senses, leaving us unsatisfied and craving more and more. I strongly agree with his advice to go back to eating real food.” -- Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. New York Times bestselling author of Healthy Aging"I don't know when this much science has been this fun to read. Brilliant." -- Joel Salatin, author of Folks, This Ain't Normal and farmer at Polyface Farm"After decades of conflict over sugar, carbs and fat, this extremely well researched book journeys to the heart of the food problem—flavor—and delivers the perfect solution." -- Dr. Richard Bazinet, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto"If you want to understand why the future of healthy eating is delicious eating, read this book." -- Howard Moskowitz, inventor of Prego Extra Chunky Spaghetti Sauce and food industry legend“Mark Schatzker knows food. He is dedicated to quality and is always looking for the best ingredients. This is an important book that tells us why good food is so essential for everyone.” -- Bonnie Stern, bestselling author of HeartSmart Cooking for Family and Friends"A sobering account of humanity’s attempt to overcome modern food blandness with flavor compounds, at the expense of nutritional integrity. Schatzker's engaging chronicle of how naturally occurring food flavor is as an evolutionary tuned sensory marker of nutritional value is bound to give consumers and scientists a new perspective on judging food quality and health effects." -- Dr. Ameer Taha, Department of Food Science and Technology, UC Davis"This book is important, possibly life altering for anyone who eats!! In The Dorito Effect, Schatzker gets to the heart of where our relationship with food has gone wrong. Through lively storytelling and proficiency he points out the many issues we are facing and that the solution is right in front of us." -- Jonathan Gushue, Principal, Gushue Hospitality Inc.“Entertaining storytelling… After reading this engaging book, readers may wonder with every bite of food if what they are tasting is real.” * Kirkus Reviews *"Schatzker dishesup a 5 star serving!” * The Washington Post *

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Book Synopsis'Each part of your body will be working perfectly as a harmonious whole. You will even find lines disappearing, weight normalizing, and posture straightening.' -- Louise L. HayIn Love Your Body, Louise L. Hay brings you 54 affirmation treatments designed to help you achieve a beautiful, healthy, happy body. If you find yourself challenged by a particular part of your body, use the appropriate affirmations daily until you achieve positive results.Trade ReviewHer teachings of positive thinking and powerful life-enhancing affirmations have helped millions of people to improve their lives and has made her a legend in her own lifetime. Kindred Spirit Magazine

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Book SynopsisWhat do traffic jams, stock market crashes, and wars have in common? They are all explained using complexity, an unsolved puzzle that many researchers believe is the key to predicting – and ultimately solving—everything from terrorist attacks and pandemic viruses right down to rush hour traffic congestion. Complexity is considered by many to be the single most important scientific development since general relativity and it promises to make sense of no less than the very heart of the Universe. Using it, scientists can find order emerging from seemingly random interactions of all kinds, from something as simple as flipping coins through to more challenging problems such as the patterns in modern jazz, the growth of cancer tumours, and predicting shopping habits.Trade Review"Johnson's book fills a long-overdue need for an engaging semipopular book about complexity science, one that is also strong on the underlying scientific and theoretical concepts." "Highly recommended." * Choice *"Neil Johnson has provided a readable account of the science of complexity" * Oxford Times *

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Book SynopsisSignature in the Cell is a defining work in the discussion of life''s origins and the question of whether life is a product of unthinking matter or of an intelligent mind. For those who disagree with ID, the powerful case Meyer presents cannot be ignored in any honest debate. For those who may be sympathetic to ID, on the fence, or merely curious, this book is an engaging, eye-opening, and often eye-popping read'' '' American Spectator Named one of the top books of 2009 by the Times Literary Supplement (London), this controversial and compelling book from Dr. Stephen C. Meyer presents a convincing new case for intelligent design (ID), based on revolutionary discoveries in science and DNA. Along the way, Meyer argues that Charles Darwin''s theory of evolution as expounded in The Origin of Species did not, in fact, refute ID. If you enjoyed Francis Collins''s The Language of God, you''ll find much to ponder''about evolution, DNA, and intelligent design''in Signature in the Cell.

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Book SynopsisA ''difficult'' subject so simply taught - brilliant book'' - Amazon 5 star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''This is a great refresher book! Lots of worked out examples, great explanations [and] hundreds of practice problems and solutions'' - Amazon 5 star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''This book has been very helpful for my calculus class, I recommend it to anyone that needs extra help, or just feel like learning something new.'' - Amazon 5 star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Calculus: A Complete Introduction is the most comprehensive yet easy-to-use introduction to using calculus. Written by a leading expert, this book will help you if you are studying for an important exam or essay, or if you simply want to improve your knowledge. The book covers all areas of calculus, including functions, gradients, rates of change, differentiation, exponential and logarithm

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2018Bestselling author Simon Winchester writes a magnificent history of the pioneering engineers who developed precision machinery to allow us to see as far as the moon and as close as the Higgs boson.Precision is the key to everything. It is an integral, unchallenged and essential component of our modern social, mercantile, scientific, mechanical and intellectual landscapes. The items we value in our daily lives a camera, phone, computer, bicycle, car, a dishwasher perhaps all sport components that fit together with precision and operate with near perfection. We also assume that the more precise a device the better it is. And yet whilst we live lives peppered and larded with precision, we are not, when we come to think about it, entirely sure what precision is, or what it means. How and when did it begin to build the modern world?Simon Winchester seeks to answer these questions through stories of precision's pioneers. Exactly takeTrade Review‘Winchester’s latest is a rollicking work of pop science that entertains and informs’ Publishers Weekly (starred review) ‘Winchester makes a convincing case … ‘Exactly’ succeeds resoundingly in making us think more deeply about the everyday objects we take for granted. It challenges us to reflect on our progress as humans and what has made it possible. It is interesting, informative, exciting and emotional, and for anyone with even some curiosity about what makes the machines of our world work as well as they do, it’s a real treat’ New York Times ‘Simon Winchester’s new book is a tale of many triumphs … His delight in words cannot be bridled, so that even “Exactly,” which is, after all, a nonfiction treatment of technology, brims with amusing and rare nouns such as bagatelle, bijoux, cynosure, seraglio and susurrus. These whir smoothly alongside the argot of the machine shop … Mr. Winchester covers more than 200 years of fine-tuning in this work, and corrals a large cast of eccentric individuals’ Wall Street Journal ‘An ingenious argument that the dazzling advances that produced the scientific revolution, the industrial revolution, and the revolutions that followed owe their success to a single engineering element: precision … An enthusiastic popular-science tour of technological marvels … readers will love the ride’ Kirkus ‘Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people’ Booklist (starred review)

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Book SynopsisA highly contentious, very readable and totally up-to-the-minute investigation of women’s natural relationship with modern technology, an association which, Plant argues, will trigger a new sexual revolution. Zeros and Ones is an intelligent, provocative and accessible investigation of the intersection between women, feminism, machines and in particular, information technology. Arguing that the computer is rewriting the old conceptions of man and his world, it suggests that the telecoms revolution is also a sexual revolution which undermines the fundamental assumptions crucial to patriarchal culture. Historical, contemporary and future developments in telecommunications and in IT are interwoven with the past, present and future of feminism, women and sexual difference, and a wealth of connections, parallels and affinities between machines and women are uncovered as a result. Challenging the belief that man was ever in control of either his own agency, the planet, or his machines, this book argues it is seriously undermined by the new scientific paradigms emergent from theories of chaos, complexity and connectionism, all of which suggest that the old distinctions between man, woman, nature and technology need to be radically reassessed.

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Book SynopsisEverything you've always wanted to know about poisons but have been too afraid to ask

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Book SynopsisA charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery, “one of our finest chroniclers of the natural world” (The New York Times). For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery—whose The Soul of an Octopus was a National Book Award finalist—has kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality (outgoing or shy, loud or quiet, reckless or cautious) and connects with Sy in her own way. In this short, delightful book, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures: only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run, and peck; relationships are important to them and the average chicken can recognize more than one hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least twenty-four distinct calls. V

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Book Synopsis***AS SEEN ON THIS MORNING***DISCOVER THE SCIENCE OF EATING FOR A LIFETIME OF HEALTHAn essential nutrition and lifestyle guide across the lifespan. A fascinating DIY guide to food and health read it!' Dr Tim Spector, author of Spoon Fed and Food for LifeThis book contains the most critical answers to nutrition that we've all been searching for. A must read' Steven Bartlett''Truly amazing and completely transformative' Davina McCall----A SCIENCE-BACKED NUTRITION GUIDE FOR ALL LIFE STAGESIn Every Body Should Know This, medical scientist and Head Nutritionist at ZOE, Dr Federica Amati explores the real science behind nutrition. By following her advice, you will learn how to eat for best health at each life stage and discover what every body should know, such as . . .- The truth surrounding superfoods and ultra-processed foods- Why nutrition plays a crucial role from before conception to senior years- How food choices can support longevity- Targeted tips for good health at each life stageWith this book, you will gain insights into what foods work for the bodies and minds of you and your loved ones, and implement clear, nutritional strategies backed by the latest scientific research for men, women and children.Because when it comes to food, one size does not fit all.----''A definitive guide on not just what to eat, but when and why'' Daily Telegraph''So good, so informative. There''s so much incredible stuff in here'' Cat Deeley and Ben Shepherd, This MorningAn easy to implement and practical guide to nutritional science!' Dr Karan Rajan, author of This Book Will Save Your LifeFederica offers a novel framework for thinking about nutrition and points to the lifestyle factors that do make a difference in protecting and enhancing our long-term health. This is a book you shouldn't miss' Dr Sarah Berry

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Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*Why does your foot hit the brake pedal before you are conscious of danger ahead?* *Why is it so difficult to keep a secret?* *How is it possible to get angry at yourself: who, exactly, is mad at whom?* In this sparkling and provocative book, renowned neuroscientist David Eagleman navigates the depths of the subconscious brain. Taking in brain damage, plane spotting, dating, drugs, beauty, infidelity, synaesthesia, criminal law, artificial intelligence and visual illusions, INCOGNITO is a thrilling subsurface exploration of the mind and all its contradictions.Trade ReviewThe Malcolm Gladwell of brain science * * Independent * *[An] entertaining and truly brainy front-line report from the neuroscience labs... I guarantee it'll change the way you think of yourself * * Mail on Sunday * *Incognito is a fascinating book that will not so much turn your mind upside down as flip it right-side up. You'll never hear the phase "You don't know what you're doing!" in the same way again * * Time Out * *Breezy, fun, optimistic and full of the latest research * * The Sunday Times * *Original and provocative... A smart, captivating book that will give you a prefrontal workout * * Nature * *A shining example of lucid and easy-to-grasp science writing * * Independent on Sunday * ****** I was completely immersed. Eagleman writes well and has brought together great stories from the wild shores of neuroresearch, taking a field that is enormously complex and creating a clear path through it... A book that will stay with you -- Michael Mosley, author of THE FAST DIET * * BBC Focus * *A fun read by a smart person for smart people... It will attract a new generation to ponder their inner workings * * New Scientist * *Eagleman engagingly sums up recent discoveries about the unconscious processes that dominate our mental life. . . . [He] is the kind of guy who really does make being a neuroscientist look like fun * * New York Times * *A dream to read... I couldn't resist telling people about a couple of things I read here -- Brian Clegg * * Popular Science * *Witty, bright, sharp and unexpected... as surprising a book as I've read for years. Every story is a new Heaven -- Brian EnoReaders may discover much to appreciate - not least the lives they are living now... quirky, occasionally unsettling... never short of new new ideas, all of them rolled out with style -- Nicholas Tucker * * Independent * *Eagleman provides an excellent overview of the workings of our most vital organ -- Ian Critchley * * Sunday Times * *A well-written popular science book, with a clear narrative, friendly explanations that respect both the lay-reader's intelligence and their ignorance, and a plethora of weird facts that make you nudge the person next to you and say 'Listen to this!' -- Brandon Robshaw * * Independent on Sunday * *Contains startling revelations. . . beginning with the awesome and shadowy power of the subconscious * * The Times * *You will learn a great deal that is fascinating from Incognito * * Guardian * *A popularizer of impressive gusto . . . [Eagleman] aims, grandly, to do for the study of the mind what Copernicus did for the study of the stars. . . Incognito proposes a grand new account of the relationship between consciousness and the brain. It is full of dazzling ideas, as it is chockablock with facts and instances * * New York Observer * *A bold argument, and perhaps just the beginning of the debate * * Sunday Herald * *Eagleman's style is accessible and easily understood * * Press Association * *A fascinating and engaging look at the nature of consciousness... Eagleman brings a concise prose style, historical research and the latest scientific thinking to a book that will have you re-examining the nature of personality and identity * * Big Issue * *Lyrical, unpretentious, always compelling * * Sunday Telegraph * *Eagleman explains scientific ideas with exemplary clarity * * Spectator * *He has a gift for communicating complicated ideas in an accessible and friendly way - Brian Cox with an American accent * * Seven, Sunday Telegraph * *Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness * * The New York Times * *Appealing and persuasive * * Wall Street Journal * *Your mind is an elaborate trick, and mastermind David Eagleman explains how the trick works with great lucidity and amazement. Your mind will thank you * * Wired * *

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Book Synopsis'Beautifully written and researched.' - Isabella Tree, author of WildingThe physical world is infinitely complex, yet most of us are able to find our way around it. We can walk through unfamiliar streets while maintaining a sense of direction, take shortcuts along paths we have never used and remember for many years places we have visited only once. These are remarkable achievements.In Wayfinding, Michael Bond explores how we do it: how our brains make the ‘cognitive maps’ that keep us orientated, even in places that we don’t know. He considers how we relate to places, and asks how our understanding of the world around us affects our psychology and behaviour.The way we think about physical space has been crucial to our evolution: the ability to navigate over large distances in prehistoric times gave Homo sapiens an advantage over the rest of the human family. Children are instinctive explorers, developing a spatial understanding as they roam. And yet today few of us make use of the wayfaring skills that we inherited from our nomadic ancestors. Most of us have little idea what we may be losing.Bond seeks an answer to the question of why some of us are so much better at finding our way than others. He also tackles the controversial subject of sex differences in navigation, and finally tries to understand why being lost can be such a devastating psychological experience.For readers of writers as different as Robert Macfarlane and Oliver Sacks, Wayfinding is a book that can change our sense of ourselves.'A fascinating excursion into the very nature of exploration. Absorbing stuff.' – explorer Benedict AllenTrade ReviewFascinating . . . Bond offers stories of phenomenal feats of navigation . . . Ultimately, “we are spatial beings” and Wayfinding skilfully and at times movingly makes the case for how deeply that is true. * Sunday Times *In this fascinating book about our gift for what Michael Bond calls wayfinding, he makes a compelling case that our ancient abilities to get from A to B aren’t just a matter of geography. * New Statesman *Michael Bond’s fascinating, incisive account of how the human brain evolved to keep us orientated throws up intriguing questions about how we live today . . . Beautifully written and researched; I hugely enjoyed this book. -- Isabella Tree, author of WildingTo understand anything, we first need to put it in some sort of order. A sense of direction is essential to the development of intelligence. Does this mean our world of automated travel and route-dictating apps is making us stupid? Michael Bond investigates in Wayfinding. * New Scientist *One of the most fascinating books I have read for a long while, not least because of how it opens up so many other subjects. * Scotsman *I hope this book will inspire people to explore and experiment with [their navigational] abilities, for if they do, they will be in for a wonderful surprise. -- Robin Knox-JohnstonAn excellently researched popular science book which explains how people — including experienced travellers — get lost, and why some individuals have superior navigational skills than others. * Spectator *A fascinating excursion into the very nature of exploration. Absorbing stuff. -- Benedict Allen

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Book Synopsis‘Intimate and thoughtful… Exciting… [A] sweeping evolutionary history.’ Science The author of the bestselling Your Inner Fish gives us a brilliant, up-to-date account of the great transformations in the history of life on Earth. This is a story full of surprises. If you think that feathers arose to help animals fly, or lungs to help them walk on land, you’d be in good company. You’d also be entirely wrong. Neil Shubin delves deep into the mystery of life, the ongoing revolutions in our understanding of how we got here, and brings us closer to answering one of the great questions – was life on earth inevitable…or was it all an accident?Trade Review‘Neil Shubin’s book is one that completely changed my understanding of evolution… The things I learned from this book stayed with me – I’m still dropping facts into conversation.’ * BBC Science Focus, BOOK OF THE YEAR *‘Neil Shubin shows himself to be a natural storyteller and a gifted scientific communicator.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘A rollicking ride…light of touch, anecdote-rich and funny, and yet…still feels satisfyingly informative... What’s not to love?’ -- Dr Tori Herridge, BBC Wildlife'Neil Shubin provides an up-to-date and utterly engrossing account of the latest thinking on the great transformations in evolution… Frequently funny and always eloquent, Shubin’s power as a science communicator is to make you fall in love with evolutionary biology all over again.’ -- Leon Vlieger * The Inquisitive Biologist *'Neil Shubin is one of the most accomplished writers on evolution and the history of life, and this book is a worthy successor to its predecessors.' -- Richard Fortey, author of Life, The Earth and Fossils'Another winner from Dr. Shubin, who skillfully and thoughtfully steers us through the incredibly fascinating world of DNA and fossils. Dr. Shubin’s clear and engaging writing rewards us with a deeper understanding of how all life on our planet is interconnected. Steeped in the paradigm of evolutionary theory, he inspires us to think more deeply about our connectedness with the natural world. Charles Darwin would applaud Dr. Shubin’s clear explanations and insightful rendering of the incontrovertible evidence for the evolution of all life on planet Earth.' -- Donald Johanson, paleoanthropologist and discoverer of LUCY‘A welcome new exploration of the evolution of human and animal life on Earth… Shubin explores it with his characteristic enthusiasm and clarity… A fascinating wild ride through the mechanics of evolution.’ -- Kirkus (starred review)'Neil Shubin has been one of my favourite science communicators ever since I took his undergraduate anatomy course. In this ambitious and readable book, Shubin blends his own research, epic tales from the history of science, and the latest discoveries in palaeontology and genetics to tackle some of the biggest mysteries of evolution. This is an engrossing account from a scientific storyteller at the height of his talents.' -- Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh palaeontologist and author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs‘Shubin’s … exhilarating excursion into the ways of evolution… Shubin isn’t the most prolific popular-science writer, but he is one of the best.’ -- Booklist (starred review)‘Enjoyable… Eloquent… This superb primer brings the intellectual excitement of the scientific endeavor to life in a way that both educates and entertains.’ * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *'Through tales of remarkable creatures, and some even more remarkable people who study them, Neil Shubin unravels the mystery at the heart of evolution — how nature invents. From bacteria to brains, fish lungs to ballistic salamander tongues, Shubin decodes the surprising origins of the marvelous gadgets that have driven the riot of life’s diversity.' -- Sean B. Carroll, author of The Serengeti Rules and Brave Genius

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Book SynopsisCells are the basis of all life in the universe. Our bodies are made up of billions of them: an incredibly complex society that governs everything, from movement to memory and imagination. When we age, it is because our cells slow down; when we get ill, it is because our cells mutate or stop working.In How We Live and Why we Die, Wolpert provides a clear explanation of the science that underpins our lives. He explains how our bodies function and how we derived from a single cell - the embryo. He examines the science behind the topics that are much discussed but rarely understood - stem-cell research, cloning, DNA - and explains how all life evolved from just one cell. Lively and passionate, How We Live and Why we Die is an accessible guide to understanding the human body and, essentially, life itself.

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Book SynopsisIn The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins crystallized the gene''s eye view of evolution developed by W.D. Hamilton and others. The book provoked widespread and heated debate. Written in part as a response, The Extended Phenotype gave a deeper clarification of the central concept of the gene as the unit of selection; but it did much more besides. In it, Dawkins extended the gene''s eye view to argue that the genes that sit within an organism have an influence that reaches out beyond the visible traits in that body - the phenotype - to the wider environment, which can include other individuals. So, for instance, the genes of the beaver drive it to gather twigs to produce the substantial physical structure of a dam; and the genes of the cuckoo chick produce effects that manipulate the behaviour of the host bird, making it nurture the intruder as one of its own. This notion of the extended phenotype has proved to be highly influential in the way we understand evolution and the natural world. It represents a key scientific contribution to evolutionary biology, and it continues to play an important role in research in the life sciences.The Extended Phenotype is a conceptually deep book that forms important reading for biologists and students. But Dawkins'' clear exposition is accessible to all who are prepared to put in a little effort.Oxford Landmark Science books are ''must-read'' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.Trade ReviewThe Extended Phenotype is a sequel to The Selfish Gene ... he writes so clearly it could be understood by anyone prepared to make the effort * John Maynard Smith, LRB *This entertaining and thought-provoking book is an excellent illustration of why the study of evolution is in such an exciting ferment these days. * Science *Table of ContentsAFTERWORD BY DANIEL DENNETT; GLOSSARY; AUTHOR INDEX; SUBJECT INDEX

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME PRIZEALL IN THE MIND? - Can meditation fend off dementia? - Can the smell of lavender affect the immune system? - Can your thoughts ease physical pain? In Cure, award-winning science writer Jo Marchant travels the world to meet the physicians, patients and researchers on the cutting edge of mind-body medicine, asking how the brain can heal the body and how we can all make changes to keep ourselves healthier.Trade ReviewShould be compulsory reading for all young doctors * * NEW SCIENTIST * *[Marchant] surveys with grace what we think we know, and what we would like to know, about the mysterious and troubling relationship between our minds and our bodies * * GUARDIAN * *A revved-up, research-packed explication of the use of mind in medicine * * NATURE * *Turns the mind-body debate on its head * * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT * *A well-researched page-turner . . . may very well lead to widespread changes in the ways we practice medicine * * NEW YORK POST * *A diligent and useful work that makes the case for 'holistic' medicine while warning against the snake-oil salesmen who have annexed that word for profit * * SUNDAY TIMES * *This is popular science writing at its very best . . . I would recommend this book to anybody who has a mind and a body -- HENRY MARSH * * author of DO NO HARM: STORIES OF LIFE, DEATH, AND BRAIN SURGERY * *Marchant is a skeptical, evidence-based reporter - one with a background in microbiology, no less - which makes for a fascinating juxtaposition against some of the alternative treatments she discusses * * NEW YORK MAGAZINE * *A thought-provoking exploration of how the mind affects the body and can be harnessed to help treat physical illness, by an award-winning science journalist * * ECONOMIST, Book of the Year * *A rewarding read that seeks to separate the wishful and emotion-driven from the scientifically tested * * WASHINGTON POST * *Marchant writes this with sparkling clarity and authority . . . much food for thought * * NUDGE * *This is an important book, and one that will challenge those dismissive of efforts to investigate how our thoughts, emotions and beliefs might directly influence our physical wellbeing . . . intriguing and trailblazing * * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD * *A powerful and critically needed conceptual bridge for those who are frustrated with pseudoscientific explanations of alternative therapies but intrigued by the mind's potential power to both cause and treat chronic, stress-related conditions * * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * *Cure represents a journey in the best sense of the word: a vivid, compassionate, generous exploration of the role of the human mind in both health and illness -- DEBORAH BLUMOptimistic . . . [and] empowering * * MAIL ON SUNDAY * *Marchant makes her case so cogently that it is hard to disagree * * INDEPENDENT * *Thought-provoking . . . Ms Marchant's book makes a convincing case * * ECONOMIST * *

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Book SynopsisRay Kurzweil, one of the world's leading AI researchers, innovators and futurists, offers a provocative exploration of the most important project in human-machine civilisation: reverse-engineering the brain to understand precisely how it works and using that knowledge to create even more intelligent machines.Trade Review'Kurzweil's vision of our super-enhanced future is completely sane and calmly reasoned, and his book should nicely smooth the path for the earth's robot overlords, who, it turns out, will be us' New York Times'Kurzweil foresees a disease-free world where no one ages and artificial brains make machines human-like - and he is not one to get things wrong' Daily Telegraph'Ray Kurzweil is the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence' Bill Gates'Kurzweil knows a lot about new technology and he knows how to make it sound fun. He is dazzling in his enthusiasm for things to come, and has a grasp of the exciting developments pulsing through the intersection of science and technology' Financial Times

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Book SynopsisInternationally renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Lawrence Krauss offers provocative, revelatory answers to the biggest philosophical questions: Where did our universe come from? Why does anything exist? And how is it all going to end? ''Why is there something rather than nothing?'' is the question atheists and scientists are always asked,and until now there has not been a satisfying scientific answer. Today, exciting scientific advances provide new insight into this cosmological mystery: not only cansomething arise from nothing, but something willalwaysarise from nothing. A mind-bending trip back to the beginning of the beginning, A Universe from Nothingauthoritatively presents the most recent evidence that explains how our universe evolved - and the implications for how it''s going to end. It will provoke, challenge, and delight readers to look at the most basic underpinnings of existence in a whole new way. In the words of Richard Dawkins: this could potentially

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Book SynopsisWhy does Nature use the same special patterns over and over again? What are the main families of natural design? How are they formed? Did the ancient Chinese really study this subtle and elegant subject? In this beautiful book, illustrated by the author, a new perception of organic pattern, 'Li', is presented for the first time in the West. Essential reading for designers, artists, philosophers and natural scientists. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

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Book SynopsisHow does a Venus flytrap know when to snap shut? Can an orchid get jet lag? Does a tomato plant feel pain when you pluck a fruit from its vines? And does your favourite fern care whether you play Bach or the Beatles? Combining cutting-edge research with lively storytelling, biologist Daniel Chamovitz explores how plants experience our shared Earth – through sight, smell, touch, hearing, memory, and even awareness. Whether you are a green thumb, a science buff, a vegetarian, or simply a nature lover, this rare inside look at the life of plants will surprise and delight.Trade Review"By comparing human senses to the abilities of plants to adapt to their surroundings, the author provides a fascinating and logical explanation of how plants survive despite the inability to move from one site to another. Backed by new research on plant biology, this is an intriguing look at a plant's consciousness." * Scientific American *"This is great" * The Times *

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Book Synopsis''Science has never had an advocate quite like David Deutsch ... A computational physicist on a par with his touchstones Alan Turing and Richard Feynman, and a philosopher in the line of his greatest hero, Karl Popper. His arguments are so clear that to read him is to experience the thrill of the highest level of discourse available on this planet and to understand it'' Peter Forbes, IndependentIn our search for truth, how far have we advanced? This uniquely human quest for good explanations has driven amazing improvements in everything from scientific understanding and technology to politics, moral values and human welfare. But will progress end, either in catastrophe or completion - or will it continue infinitely?In this profound and seminal book, David Deutsch explores the furthest reaches of our current understanding, taking in the Infinity Hotel, supernovae and the nature of optimism, to instill in all of us a wonder at what we have achieved - and the fact that this is only the beginning of humanity''s infinite possibility.''This is Deutsch at his most ambitious, seeking to understand the implications of our scientific explanations of the world ... I enthusiastically recommend this rich, wide-ranging and elegantly written exposition of the unique insights of one of our most original intellectuals'' Michael Berry, Times Higher Education Supplement ''Bold ... profound ... provocative and persuasive'' Economist''David Deutsch may well go down in history as one of the great scientists of our age'' ScotsmanTrade ReviewExperience the thrill of the highest level of discourse available on this planet ... This is the great Life, the Universe and Everything book for our time * Independent *Bold ... profound ... provocative and persuasive. * The Economist *Science has never had an advocate quite like David Deutsch. He is a computational physicist on a par with his touchstones Alan Turing and Richard Feynman, and also a philosopher in the line of his greatest hero, Karl Popper. His arguments are so clear that to read him is to experience the thrill of the highest level of discourse available on this planet and to understand it. -- Peter Forbes * The Independent *This is Deutsch at his most ambitious, seeking to understand the implications of our scientific explanations of the world ... I enthusiastically recommend this rich, wide-ranging and elegantly written exposition of the unique insights of one of our most original intellectuals. -- Michael Berry * Times Higher Education Supplement *David Deutsch...may well go down in history as one of the great scientists of our age. -- Andrew Crumey * The Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisTwo Groundbreaking Scientists and Their Conflicting Visions of the Future of Our Planet'Does the earth’s finite carrying capacity mean economic growth has to stop? That momentous question is the subject of Charles Mann’s brilliant book.' Wall Street JournalIn forty years, the population of the Earth will reach ten billion. Can our world support so many people? What kind of world will it be? In this unique, original and important book, Charles C. Mann illuminates the four great challenges we face – food, water, energy, climate change – through an exploration of the crucial work and wide-ranging influence of two little-known twentieth-century scientists, Norman Borlaug and William Vogt.Vogt (the Prophet) was the intellectual forefather of the environmental movement, and believed that in our using more than the planet has to give, our prosperity will bring us to ruin. Borlaug’s research in the 1950s led to the development of modern high-yield crops that have saved millions from starvation. The Wizard of Mann’s title, he believed that science will continue to rise to the challenges we face.Mann tells the stories of these scientists and their crucial influence on today’s debates as his story ranges from Mexico to India, across continents and oceans and from the past and the present to the future. Brilliantly original in concept, wryly observant and deeply researched, The Wizard and the Prophet is essential reading for readers of Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens or Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel, for anyone interested in how we got here and in the future of our species.Trade ReviewMann’s storytelling skills are unmatched . . . [He] provides detail enough, and simplicity enough, that anyone who is struggling with these puzzles will be enlightened and informed. And entertained, which, given the subject matter, is no small feat. * New York Times *Does the earth’s finite carrying capacity mean economic growth has to stop? That momentous question is the subject of Charles Mann’s brilliant book . . . A treasure house of knowledge . . . Indispensable. * Wall Street Journal *Prophets say we must reduce consumption, Wizards say we must find more efficient means of production. This intense and carefully-researched book presents a balanced, scholarly and calm exploration of society’s most pressing problems. -- Ten Of The Best Books About Climate Change, Conservation And The Environment of 2018 * Forbes *Masterful . . . Mann’s most spectacular accomplishment is to take no sides . . . An insightful, highly significant account that makes no predictions but lays out the critical environmental problems already us. * Kirkus starred review *This unique, encompassing, clarifying, engrossing, inquisitive, and caring work of multifaceted research, synthesis and analysis humanizes the challenges and contradictions of modern environmentalism and and our struggle towards a viable future. * Booklist starred review *Fascinating . . . Mann offers a sympathetic, nuanced way to understand one of the fundamental debates of our time: How will 10 billion humans live sustainably on Earth, when our demands for energy and food are growing? -- Annalee Newitz, editor, Ars Technica11 Fantastic Science Books to Binge Over the Holidays. -- The Year in Review, 2018 * Wired *

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Book SynopsisAlan Weisman is an award-winning journalist and the author of several books, including the global bestseller The World Without Us, which has been translated into 34 international languages and was nominated for numerous awards. His writing has appeared in Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, The Los Angeles Times Magazine and many other places. Alan has worked on all seven continent and reported from 58 countries, and lives in western Massachusetts.Trade ReviewCompelling ... jammed packed with fascinating "what ifs" * Guardian *A powerful vision of a possible future for the earth * Sunday Times *A fascinating nonfiction eco-thriller * The New York Times Book Review *Drawing from hundreds of interviews with engineers, scientists and archaeologists, it unfolds like a thriller -- Cal Flyn * Guardian Best Books about the Post-Human Earth *One of the grandest thought experiments of our time, a tremendous feat of imaginative reporting! * Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy *Flesh-creepingly good fun . . . Food for thought * Independent *A wonderful idea... a hugely enjoyable and thought-provoking book... Terrific * Evening Standard *The imaginative power of The World Without Us is compulsive and nearly hypnotic--make sure you have time to be kidnapped into Alan Weisman's alternative world before you sit down with the book, because you won't soon return. This is a text that has a chance to change people, and so make a real difference for the planet * Charles Wohlforth, author of L.A. Times Book Prize-winning The Whale and the Supercomputer *An exacting account of the processes by which things fall apart. The scope is breathtaking...the clarity and lyricism of the writing itself left me with repeated gasps of recognition about the human condition. I believe it will be a classic * Dennis Covington, author of National Book Award finalist Salvation on Sand Mountain *The book boasts an amazingly imaginative conceit that manages to tap into underlying fears and subtly inspire us to consider our interaction with the planet * The Washington Post *Alan Weisman offers us a sketch of where we stand as a species that is both illuminating and terrifying. His tone is conversational and his affection for both Earth and humanity transparent * Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams *Fascinating, mordant, deeply intelligent, and beautifully written, The World Without Us depicts the spectacle of humanity's impact on the planet Earth in tragically poignant terms that go far beyond the dry dictates of science. This is a very important book for a species playing games with its own destiny * James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency *Marvellous...the first environmentalist not to preach, but to present us with the sober, humbling facts ... so intricate is his web of evidence, so seductive his argument, that he doesn't need to preach ... The effect of The World Without Us is a little like reading Pliny the Elder's history of the world: a sense of nature as the caster of spells and marvels, but with ourselves not as wide-eyed observers, nor as villains somehow separate from nature, but simply as resourceful and blundering * Daily Telegraph *This is not a book about the end of the world but about an imagined beginning ...The results of this huge thought-experiment are both fascinating and surprising. Fascinating for what they tell us about the impermanence of the works of man, and surprising for the simple reason that it soon becomes clear that our world would carry on regardless, indifferent to our demise * Daily Mail *Weisman's gripping fantasy will make most readers hope that at least some of us can stick around long enough to see how it all turns out * New York Times *Engrossing * New York Magazine *An idea that is so lateral and clever, so powerfully evocative and masterfully executed that the only appropriate response is fervent envy * New Statesman *A wonderful idea ... a hugely enjoyable and thought-provoking book * Scotsman *Fascinating, absorbing * Good Book Guide *A quick, absorbing read - a summer beach book with brains * Bloomberg *If you can stomach only one end-of-the world-as-we-know it story this summer, none is more audacious or interesting than Alan Weisman's The World Without Us * The Boston Globe *

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Book Synopsis'From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins'A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are . . . this book really shines . . . Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge, this is the story of you, not just from conception onwards but from the millions of years of evolution that have shaped the way we are today' Adam Rutherford***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE***Alice Roberts takes you on the most incredible journey, revealing your path from a single cell to a complex embryo to a living, breathing, thinking person. It's a story that connects us with our distant ancestors and an extraordinary, unlikely chain of events that shaped human development and left a mark on all of us. Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embroyos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before. Trade ReviewAlice Roberts tells us about the most amazing story on the planet - the creation of the human animal. Nothing is more extraordinary and her guided tour of the human body takes us on a fascinating journey of self-discovery -- Desmond MorrisA masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are ... Roberts skilfully and knowledgeably weaves embryology, genetics, anatomy, evolution and zoology to tell the incredible story of the human body ... It is in comparative anatomy that this book really shines ... Roberts's anatomical expertise is seductive ... Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory -- Adam Rutherford * Observer *Roberts's engagingly personal style connects you to your ancestors, to your own personal beginnings as a single cell and, in a most attractive way, to herself as an author of great charm. From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself -- Richard DawkinsA brilliant account of how a single cell transforms itself into a living, breathing, thinking person. The book exudes physicality, it is like having an intellectual massage of every muscle in your body - afterwards you are keenly aware of your body and feel like a different person -- Mark Miodownik * author of The Genius of Invention *The biggest gap in biology is that between DNA . . . and living creatures . . . Alice Roberts has set out to find it. With wit and enthusiasm, she succeeds -- Steve Jones * Geneticist and author of The Single Helix *'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge' Adam Rutherford. * Adam Rutherford *'Her guided tour of the human body takes us on a fascinating journey of self-discovery' Desmond Morris. * Desmond Morris *'Alice Roberts's engagingly personal style connects you to your ancestors, to your own beginnings as a single cell ... You emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins. * Richard Dawkins *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Royal Society Science Book.'Exhilaratingly whizzes through billions of years . . . Gee is a marvellously engaging writer' - The TimesFor billions of years, Earth was an inhospitably alien place – covered with churning seas, slowly crafting its landscape through volcanic eruptions, the atmosphere in a constant state of chemical flux. And yet, despite facing literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter, life has been extinguished and picked itself up to evolve again.From that first foray to the spread of early hominids who later became Homo sapiens, life has persisted, undaunted. A (Very) Short History of Life: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters is an enlightening story of survival, of persistence, illuminating the delicate balance within which life has always existed, and continues to exist today. It is our planet like you’ve never seen it before.Dr Henry Gee presents creatures from ‘gregarious’ bacteria populating the seas to duelling dinosaurs in the Triassic period, to magnificent mammals with the future in their grasp. Life’s evolutionary steps – from the development of a digestive system to the awe of creatures taking to the skies in flight – are conveyed with an up-close intimacy.'Henry Gee makes the kaleidoscopically changing canvas of life understandable and exciting.' – Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and SteelTrade ReviewA scintillating, fast-paced waltz through four billion years of evolution, from one of our leading science writers . . . His poetic prose animates the history of life, from the first bacteria to trilobites to dinosaurs to us. -- Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh paleontologist and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the DinosaursExhilaratingly whizzes through billions of years . . . Gee is a marvellously engaging writer, juggling humour, precision, polemic and poetry to enrich his impossibly telescoped account . . . [making] clear sense out of very complex narratives * The Times *This is now the best book available about the huge changes in our planet and its living creatures, over the billions of years of the Earth’s existence . . . Henry Gee makes this kaleidoscopically changing canvas of life understandable and exciting. Who will enjoy reading this book? Everybody! -- Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and SteelHenry Gee’s whistle-stop account of the story of life (and death — lots of death) on Earth is both fun and informative. Even better, it goes beyond the natural human inclination to see ourselves as special and puts us in our proper place in the cosmic scheme of things -- John GribbinDon’t miss this delightful, concise, sweeping masterpiece! Gee brilliantly condenses the entire, improbable, astonishing history of life on earth — all 5 billion years - into a charming, zippy and scientifically accurate yarn. -- Daniel E. Lieberman, Professor of Biological Sciences, Harvard University'Gee's prose is so infectiously enthusiastic, and his tone so accessible, that you'll find yourself racing through as if you were reading a novel - and you'll never find yourself scrambling for a good fact to wheel out at an awkward pause in conversation again.' * Reader's Digest *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“An excellent addition to anyone’s bee library.”—Adrian Waring, Bee Craft “Anyone deeply interested in natural history will ignore this mad little volume at their peril.”—Simon Ings, New Scientist“Highly engaging.”—Gard W. Otis, American Entomologist“A must have book for all beekeepers and bee lovers.”—Scott Shalaway, Youngstown Vindicator“Delightful.”—Harvard Magazine“Following the Wild Bees just might give readers an intellectually (and physically) stimulating new outdoor activity.”—The Scientist“Seeley’s passion for the social insects blazes as he quotes historical accounts by Henry David Thoreau and describes the intricacies of the chase.”—Barbara Kiser, Nature

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Book Synopsis‘Life-changing' DAVINA McCALL'A must-read' DR RUPY AUJLA'Fascinating' NIGELLA LAWSON**AS SEEN ON THE ONE SHOW**Empowering and practical, Food for Life is nothing less than a new approach to how to eat - for our health and the health of the planet.Food is our greatest ally for good health, but the question of what to eat in the age of ultra-processed food has never seemed so complicated.Drawing on cutting-edge research and personal insights, Professor Tim Spector offers clear answers in this definitive, easy-to-follow guide to the new science of eating well.‘No fads, no nonsense, just practical, science-based advice on how to eat well’ Daily Mail, Books of the Year'A rigorously academic book that welcomes the layperson with open arms' The Times** A THE TIMES and SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR**** WINNER OF THE FORTNUM & MASON SPECIAL AWARD **Go with your gut. Join the food revolution.**PRE-ORDER THE FOOD FOR LIFE COOKBOOK, COMING OCTOBER 2024, NOW**Trade ReviewTim Spector makes healthy eating exhilarating, empowering and achievable. -- Hugh Fearnley-WhittingstallA brilliant deep-dive into how food affects our wellbeing – and more importantly, what we can do about it. Enlightening and empowering -- Liz EarleSpector writes as a food lover... Every person's ideal diet is different, and should be based on sensible choices from a position of knowledge. Food for Life is a feast of that knowledge... A valuable reference book to keep on a kitchen shelf. * Guardian *The nutrition revolution is well underway and Tim Spector is one of the visionaries leading the way. His writing is illuminating and so incredibly timely. -- Yotam Ottolenghi - praise for SPOON-FED[A] weighty and detailed guide to modern living... [Spector] explains how to boost your microbiome and tailor your diet. * Sunday Times, *Books of the Year* *No fads, no nonsense, just practical, science-based advice on how to eat well. * Daily Mail, *Books of the Year* *Food for Life is a fascinating tour d'horizon, deftly drawing on recent research... Wellwritten [and] informative. * Literary Review *Tim Spector has been exploding the myths around food and health for years... Here he continues the demolition job in a rigorously academic book that welcomes the layperson with open arms. * The Times, *Books of the Year* *Tim's book is a revelation. With his years of experience and engaging writing, he navigates the fascinating and complicated relationship between food and health. A must-read for anyone seeking a respected and trustworthy guide through the murky world of nutrition -- Dr RupyA life-changing book -- Davina McCall

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Book SynopsisA scientific and globetrotting exploration of the physics experiments changing the ways we understand our universe bringing the science of cosmology down to earth.Trade Review'A remarkable narrative that combines fundamental physics with high adventure' New Scientist'A travelogue that celebrates the blood, sweat and tears that drive our understanding of the universe' Guardian'Clean, elegant prose, humming with interest' Robert MacFarlane, author of The Wild Places'An accomplished and timely overview of modern cosmology and particle astrophysics' Nature'An excellent book. The author has a great knack of making difficult subjects comprehensible. I thoroughly enjoyed it' Sir Patrick Moore'Ananthaswamy displays a writer's touch for the fascinating detail... whether he is in an abandoned iron mine in Minnesota's Mesabi Range or the frigid Siberian expanse of Lake Baikal, he finds intrepid physicists and explains to us why these weird places are the only locations on the planet where these experiments could be done' Washington Post'Quite simply, the ultimate physics-adventure travelogue... as an adventure story and a fly-on-the-wall account of remote places that most of us will never visit, The Edge of Physics is brilliant' Physics World'A grand tour of modern day cosmology's sacred places... evocative... engaging... refreshing... a taste of science in the heroic mode' Sky At Night magazine'Smoothly weaves together the stories of people who help push science forward, from principal investigators to research institute gardeners, with exquisitely clear explanations of the questions they hope to solve - and why some research can be done only at the edge of the world' Science News'While Ananthaswamy... focuses heavily on the science, The Edge of Physics reads like a travel-adventure story or a work of fiction' Failure Magazine'From the top of Hawaii's Mauna Kea to Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider and more, Ananthaswamy paints a vivid picture of scientific investigations in harsh working conditions... even for readers who don't know a neutrino from Adam, these interesting tales of human endeavor make The Edge of Physics a trip worth taking' The BookPage'A stirring, scenic narrative... Ananthaswamy journeys to several geographically and scientifically extreme outposts, and returns not only with engaging portraits of the men and women who work there, but also a vibrant glimpse of how cutting-edge research is actually performed. Part history lesson, part travelogue, part adventure story, The Edge of Physics is a wonder-steeped page-turner' Seed Magazine'Physicists are trying to understand the furthest reaches of space and the furthest extremes of matter and energy. To do it, they have to trek to some of the furthest places on Earth from deep underground, to forbidding mountains, to the cold of Antarctica. Anil Anathaswamy takes us on a thrilling ride around the globe and around the cosmos, to reveal the real work that goes into understanding our universe' Sean Carroll, Caltech physicist and author of From Eternity to Here'Ananthaswamy's juxtaposition of extreme travel and extreme science offers a genuinely novel route into the story of modern cosmology... A well written and genuinely accessible tale of what it takes to push past the edge of human knowledge' Thomas Levenson, author of Newton and the Counterfeiter

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