Popular science Books

Book Synopsis'Real science can be far stranger than science fiction, and much more satisfying'Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?Is there other intelligent life in the universe?Throughout his extraordinary career, Stephen Hawking expanded our understanding of the universe and unravelled some of its greatest mysteries. Will Artificial Intelligence Outsmart Us? considers the threat of artificial super-intelligence - as well as the likelihood of intelligent life beyond our planet.'Modest, profound and sometimes very funny' Sunday TimesBrief Answers, Big Questions: this stunning paperback series offers electrifying essays from one of the greatest minds of our age, taken from the original text of the No. 1 bestselling Brief Answers to the Big Questions.

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Book Synopsis“[This] book will convince you that forgetting helps you remember and distractions can make you more creative.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of TED’s WorkLife podcast“Illuminating, and a joy to read, [Scatterbrain] offers … a refreshingly accessible and relatable take on the brain’s inner workings that should appeal to both science buffs and casual readers.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)In this mind-bending book, an esteemed neuroscientist explains why perfectionism is pointless—and argues that mistakes, missteps, and flaws are the keys to success.Remember that time you screwed up simple math or forgot the name of your favorite song? What if someone told you that such embarrassing “brain farts” are actually secret weapons, proof of your superiority to computers and AI?In Scatterbrain, we learn that boredom awakens the muse, distractions spark creativity, and misjudging time creates valuable memories, among other benefits of our faulty minds. Throughout, award-winning neuroscientist Henning Beck’s hilarious asides and brain-boosting advice make for delightful reading of the most cutting-edge neuroscience our brains will (maybe never) remember.Trade Review“Illuminating, and a joy to read, [Scatterbrain] offers, in comparison to other recent neuroscience titles, a refreshingly accessible and relatable take on the brain’s inner workings that should appeal to both science buffs and casual readers.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)“Scatterbrain is the perfect explanation for one’s great achievements and an excellent excuse for those frequent mishaps.”—The Psychologist“There are so many fascinating nuggets of information in this book… All in all, a romp of a read.”—Human Givens Journal“Being scatterbrained has long been seen as a disadvantage, but as a neuroscientist, Henning Beck knows better. His engaging book will convince you that forgetting helps you remember and distractions can make you more creative.”—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of TED's WorkLife podcast“Beck is definitely a scientist of the people and his approach ensures that all readers can glean something intriguing from this book's pages.”—Booklist“For anyone who has ever momentarily blanked on a name, choked under pressure, or kicked themselves for making a 'careless' mistake, you may now forgive yourself. With this insightful and accessible book, Beck humorously sledgehammers the notion that our brains are infallible.”—Zach Schonbrun, author of The Performance Cortex“In an era of continuous self-optimization, Scatterbrain by German neuroscientist Dr. Henning Beck offers novel insights on our often self-defeating pursuit of perfection, and provides a roadmap to more creative thinking and better decision-making to realize one’s full potential. A must-read!”—Sandra Navidi, Founder and CEO of BeyondGlobal and author of $uperHubs“Scatterbrain is a brilliant and engaging user’s guide to the brain, masterfully transforming discoveries from neuroscience into practical personal insights and disruptive corporate practice.”—Donald Hoffman, Professor of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, and author of The Case Against Reality“The brain is a messy, faulty wonder, and if we could all agree that perfection is not the mind’s ultimate goal, we would be much better off. Henning Beck shows us how to appreciate our imperfect brains—and is fine with readers straying from the page from time to time!”—Ylva Østby, author of Adventures in Memory

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Book SynopsisThe international bestseller that reveals the amazing mind of your favourite friend Is your dog purposefully disobeying you? Probably, and usually behind your back. Should you act like ‘top dog’ to maintain control? No, you’re better off displaying your friendliness – and not just to your dog. Which breed is the cleverest? That’s the wrong question to ask. These are just some of the extraordinary insights to be found in The Genius of Dogs – the seminal book on how dogs evolved their unique intelligence by award-winning scientist Dr Brian Hare. He shares more than two decades of startling discoveries about the mysteries of the dog mind and how you can use his groundbreaking work to build a better relationship with your own dog.Trade Review‘The definitive dog book of our time by the researcher who started a revolution.’ -- Daniel Levitin - James McGill Professor of Psychology, McGill University'Anyone who has ever owned a dog will testify to the intelligence that shines from them and this book provides all the proof needed that owners are right and sceptical scoffers are wrong… You'll love your pet even more, if that’s possible, once you've read this.' * Daily Mail *‘Thoroughly researched and written in the likeable voice of a brainy scientist sitting at your kitchen table, The Genius of Dogs is a fascinating look at what goes on between the ears of the animals we share our lives with. I found it entertaining, fast-moving, and filled with insights that gave me a new appreciation for the complex social intelligence of man’s best friend.’ * John Grogan - author of Marley & Me *‘A masterful account of the way science is revealing just how smart dogs can be. Fascinating and highly readable.’ * John Bradshaw - Foundation Director of the Anthrozoology Institute, University of Bristol, and autho *‘Deliciously enlightening.’ * BBC Wildlife Magazine *‘With the help of some wolves, Russian foxes, New Guinea singing dogs and a Labrador retriever named Oreo, Brian Hare tells us about his fascinating search for an understanding of how dogs think and communicate. This is a book that is well worth reading.’ * Stanley Coren - Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia, and author of How to Speak *'Excellent.' * BBC Focus *‘Based on Brian Hare’s game-changing research, The Genius of Dogs brilliantly explains the canine mind and in doing so illuminates the natural history of all intelligence. This book will captivate anyone interested in dog, ape or human mentality.’ * Richard Wrangham - Professor of Biological Anthropology, Harvard University, and author of Catching *‘You would be hard-pressed to find a more cheerful, optimistic and warm-hearted read. Difficult, too, to find another book about dogs touching not only on Darwin and Skinner, but also on Stalin. Even Justin Bieber gets a mention…’ * Spectator *‘This is the best book in existence, by far, for learning about the recent revolution in our understanding of the minds of dogs. And it’s fun, too.’ * Mike Tomasello - Co-Director, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology *‘Every dog-lover will enjoy this book; and those who, strangely, do not love dogs might come to see them in a new and more favourable light.’ * Mail on Sunday *‘The Genius of Dogs is fantastic. It makes it very clear that there are different kinds of intelligence. All dog lovers should read this book.’ * Temple Grandin - author of Animals in Translation *

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Book SynopsisHow is The Colour Code different to other books on colour? Well, the short answer is that it is a whole lot more fun - not least because it is extensively illustrated. We don't just get a story about Mummy Brown (the pigment made from Egyptian mummies), we see a painting created with pigments from the remains of French kings. We are reminded of the blue/gold dress that swept Twitter, view paintings by Mondrian (red ones sell for higher prices) and Van Eyck (he invented an enduring green), and inspect the red soles of Louboutin shoes. We see what lumps of Indian yellow look like, while reading what they are made of (strained cow's urine). We get to see the latest most vibrant pigment - YinMn Blue - and have a real estate agent's tour of Frank Sinatra's ranch (he was obsessed by orange). We see William Morris's arsenic-inflected wallpapers and hear about whether wallpaper killed Napoleon. We encounter the pink pussy hats worn on the Women's March and Elvis's pink jackets from Lansky's in Memphis, take in a history of the black dress from Audrey Hepburn to Princess Diana and a rare black chicken (even its eggs are black) from Indonesia. Featuring a cast of actors, artists, chemists, composers, dentists, dictators, fashion designers, film-makers, gods, musicians, mystics, physicists, poets, quacks, tigers and tycoons, The Colour Code will change the way we all perceive the spectrum - and see the world.Trade ReviewSuch fun. An illuminating story for every stitch in your wardrobe and pigment on your wall -- Simon Garfield, author * Just My Type *Fun ... If you want to know about football strips or national flags, why fire engines are red, why the Pope wears white or why the leader of the Tour de France has a yellow jersey you'll find the answer here -- Honor Clerk * Spectator *An entertaining, surprisingly informative piece of work that might even change the way we see the things around us -- Derek Parker * Weekend Australian *

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Book SynopsisTime travel is a familiar theme of science fiction, but is it really possible?Surprisingly, time travel is not forbidden by the laws of physics - and John Gribbin argues that if it is not impossible then it must be possible.Gribbin brilliantly illustrates the possibilities of time travel by comparing familiar themes from science fiction with their real-world scientific counterparts, including Einstein's theories of relativity, black holes, quantum physics, and the multiverse, illuminated by examples from the fictional tales of Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Carl Sagan and others.The result is an entertaining guide to some deep mysteries of the Universe which may leave you wondering whether time actually passes at all, and if it does, whether we are moving forwards or backwards. A must-read for science fiction fans and anyone intrigued by deep science.Trade ReviewThe yarn of time ravels into a rich tapestry of both science and speculation, under John Gribbin's deft hand. * David Brin, Hugo Award-winning science fiction writer, author of The Postman, the book that inspired the Kevin Costner movie *

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Notable Book of 2020 ‘Bracing and enlightening’ Science Culture is something exclusive to human beings, isn’t it? Not so, says intrepid researcher Carl Safina. Becoming Wild reveals the rich cultures that survive in some of Earth’s remaining wild places. By showing how sperm whales, scarlet macaws and chimpanzees teach and learn, Safina offers a fresh understanding of what is constantly going on beyond humanity, and how we’re all connected. ‘Becoming Wild demands that we wake up’ TelegraphTrade Review‘[A] bracing and enlightening book… Safina’s writing on the watery depths and its denizens is sublime… [challenging] us to be more acutely aware of species whose social lives have much to teach us.’ -- SCIENCE‘In this superbly articulate cri de coeur, Safina gives us a new way of looking at the natural world that is radically different.’ -- Washington Post‘Safina, the ecologist and author of many books about animal behavior, here delves into the world of chimpanzees, sperm whales and macaws to make a convincing argument that animals learn from one another and pass down culture in a way that will feel very familiar to us.’ * New York Times, 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2020 *‘A smorgasbord of compelling details . . . Becoming Wild could easily become a television series.’ * Fortean Times *‘Fascinating… [Becoming Wild] gives the reader a sense of being near these creatures and experiencing some of the most seductive environments on Earth… Safina’s prose achieves the elusive goal of being both informative and luminously evocative.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘Carl Safina combines his passion for the natural world with absorbing, sometimes breathtaking prose, transporting us into the intimate, nuanced worlds of some of the planet’s most charismatic beings.’ -- Jonathan Balcombe, author of What a Fish Knows‘Eloquent… This revelatory work sheds as much light on what it means to be human as it does on the nature of other species.’ -- Publishers Weekly‘Few readers will doubt that these magnificent creatures need urgent attention. Enthralling.’ -- Kirkus, starred review‘[Safina] turns the human view of animal cultures on its head… Becoming Wild demands that we wake up and realise that we are intrinsically linked to our other-than-human neighbours.’ * Telegraph *‘Dr. Safina is a terrific writer, majestic and puckish in equal measure.’ * New York Times *‘[Safina] is a font of research, his wonder contagious.’ * Elle *‘Safina puts forward several eye-opening and previously-overlooked implications of animal culture… a pleasure to read… another jewel in the crown of Safina’s work that packs fascinating field studies, interesting theoretical ideas, soul-searching questions, and probing reflections on human and animal nature into a book that is as profound as it is moving.’ * Inquisitive Biologist *

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Book SynopsisWe all do it - how to be a better liar, spot a charlatan and tell the difference between truth and fictionIn Born Liars, Ian Leslie takes the reader on an exhilarating tour of ideas that brings the latest news about deception back from the frontiers of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, and explores the role played by lies - both black and white - in our childhoods, our careers, and our health, as well as in advertising, politics, sport and war. Drawing on thinkers as varied as Augustine, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Joni Mitchell, the author argues that, far from being a bug in the human software, lying is central to who we are; that we cannot understand ourselves without first understanding the dynamics of deceit. After reading Born Liars you'll never think about lies - or life - in quite the same way again.

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Book SynopsisWe already use sound as a form of self-care, from self-soothing with music to immersing ourselves with the noises of nature to promote calm. This book is the natural next step for those looking to delve more deeply into the power of sound. Cutting through the noise, Farzana Ali digs deep into the science to explain its full therapeutic and restful potential. Alongside a link to a free digital sound recording that the reader can use as a basis for their own practices at home, the book offers discussions on: the different types of therapeutic sound, from vibroacoustic massage to soundscapes and creativity-fuelling sound baths the role of sound on the brain and why, for example, Himalayan bowls work the benefits of sound healing, from better sleep to pain management and reducing anxiety what connects sound healing to mindfulness and being in nature how sound healing works as a form of passive rest, making it ideal for the highly stressed Farzana shares practical tips and activities that can be used in everyday life, with advice on extra tools to use alongside sound healing, including active listening, art therapy, intention setting and breath work. Trade Review"This research-led guide offers a transformative journey into the empowering benefits of sound for holistic self-care. Ali's expertise, combined with a companion of sound healing recordings, makes it an invaluable asset for any holistic therapist aiming to elevate their practice through the therapeutic power of sound."— The Federation of Holistic Therapists

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. In The Art of Logic, Royal Society Science Book Prize nominee Eugenia Cheng shows how anyone can think like a mathematician - and see, argue and think better. Learn how to simplify complex decisions without over-simplifying them. Discover the power of analogies and the dangers of false equivalences. Find out how people construct misleading arguments, and how we can argue back. Eugenia Cheng teaches us how to find clarity without losing nuance, taking a careful scalpel to the complexities of politics, privilege, sexism and dozens of other real-world situations. Her Art of Logic is a practical and inspiring guide to decoding the modern world.Trade ReviewMind-expanding ... a meaningful contribution to creating a better society as well as happier conversations and relationships * Guardian *A mathematician's thought-provoking attempt to lay out the tools of rational argument -- Michael Brooks * New Statesman Books of the Year *With humour, grace, and a natural gift for making explanations seem fun, Eugenia Cheng has done it again. This is a book to savour, to consult, and to buy for all your friends. You'll think more clearly after reading this book, something that is unfortunately in short supply these days. I am buying several copies to send to heads of state. -- Daniel Levitin, bestselling author of The Organised Mind & A Field Guide to Lies and StatisticsIn an era awash with conflict, exploitation, tribalism and fake news, the "illuminating precision" offered by logic is important. Cheng harnesses the power of abstraction to explore real-life phenomena such as sexism and white privilege. She walks us through the grand terrain of logic, from axioms to proofs. And she reveals how to build arguments as long chains of logical implications - a "virtuosic and masterful" skill that, combined with intelligent emotional engagement, can cut through pervasive irrationality * Nature *A perceptive analysis of logic and its limitations ... Cheng is successful not only in helping readers think more clearly, but in helping them understand why others sometimes appear to be illogical. This book has the potential to help understanding and avoid confrontational arguments that serve only to entrench opposing views * Times Higher Education *Radical and liberating * Emerald Street *We're thankful that someone like Eugenia Cheng is here; someone to eloquently and efficiently expound on concepts like logic and truth at a time when their very basis seems to come under attack ... We're forever on the lookout for someone to make mathematics both fun and accessible, and it looks like we've found that person in Eugenia Cheng * How it Works Magazine *A concert pianist, mathematician, polyglot and YouTube star, Cheng has carved out quite a niche for herself ... she brings an ebullient enthusiasm that's infectious * Guardian *Witty, charming, and crystal clear. Eugenia Cheng's enthusiasm and carefully chosen metaphors and analogies carry us effortlessly through the mathematical landscape -- Ian StewartClear, clever and friendly -- Alex Bellos

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Book Synopsis'TIMELY' David Mitchell 'MOVING ... REMARKABLE' SUNDAY TIMES 'ONE OF THOSE RARE BOOKS I HADN'T REASLISED I'D BEEN WAITING FOR UNTIL I READ IT.' Owen Sheers 'OPEN-MINDED, THOUGHTFUL AND WISE... A LIBERATING BOOK' Colm Toibin In an age of polished TED talks and overconfident political oratory, success seems to depend upon charismatic public speaking. But what if hyper-fluency is not only unachievable but undesirable? Jonty Claypole spent fifteen years of his life in and out of extreme speech therapy. From sessions with child psychologists to lengthy stuttering boot camps and exposure therapies, he tried everything until finally being told the words he'd always feared: 'We can't cure your stutter.' Those words started him on a journey towards not only making peace with his stammer but learning to use it to his advantage. Here, Jonty argues that our obsession with fluency could be hindering, rather than helping, our creativity, authenticity and persuasiveness. Exploring other speech conditions, such as aphasia and Tourette's, and telling the stories of the 'creatively disfluent' - from Lewis Carroll to Kendrick Lamar - Jonty explains why it's time for us to stop making sense, get tongue tied and embrace the life-changing power of inarticulacy.Trade ReviewA moving study of stuttering...remarkable -- Helen Davies * Sunday Times *Words Fail Us is a deep dive into disfluency, exploring its history, its science, its politics and its profile in a fluency-obsessed world. Jonty Claypole's book is timely, thoughtful, rich in fact and personal anecdote, and looks to a more enlightened, speech-diverse future. -- David MitchellComprehensive, open-minded, thoughtful and wise ... a liberating book. -- Colm ToibinWords Fail Us is one of those rare books - a piece of writing and thinking I hadn't realised I'd been waiting for until I read it. In this thoughtful and moving exploration of disfluency Jonty Claypole has written both a wonderfully engaging study on the history, causes and societal perceptions of speech disorders and an acutely argued call to arms, not just for the wider acceptance of communication diversity but also for an embracing of the creativity and originality of thought it can inspire. -- Owen SheersHumane, thought-provoking, and rich in experiential detail. * Guardian *I would recommend [Words Fail Us] to any fluent person trying to understand the tribulations of disfluency, and to any disfluent person who feels that he or she is enduring them alone ... Kendrick Lamar, Lewis Carroll, Somerset Maugham and Henry James are just a few of the writers whose stammers Claypole believes enriched their work. In Words Fail Us he has given us another instance of this fine tradition. * The Times *Claypole, who has a stutter, argues that pathological "disfluencies" should instead be understood and - the more radical claim - celebrated. Claypole thinks it is no coincidence that some of the greatest verbal artists - Henry James, Kendrick Lamar - have struggled with speech. The book doubles as a polemic against fluency: by unlearning our reflexive reverence for it, we can appreciate our disfluencies, and the "diversity and innovation they bring to human thought and language". * New Statesman *Incredibly valuable, and a noteworthy addition to the bookshelves of any speech-language pathologist, graduate student, researcher, or human being who would like to broaden their perspective of the power of the full spectrum of language. * Journal of Fluency Disorders *

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Book Synopsis***20th Anniversary Edition - With a New Introduction***Cover note: Each copy of the anniversary edition of Climbing Mount Improbable features a unique shell. No two covers are exactly alike.How could such an intricate object as the human eye - so complex and so precise - have come about by chance? In this masterful piece of popular science, Richard Dawkins builds a powerful and carefully reasoned argument for evolutionary adaptation as the force behind all life on earth. The metaphor of ''Mount Improbable'' represents the combination of perfection and improbability that we find in the seemingly ''designed'' complexity of living things. And through it all runs the thread of DNA, the molecule of life, responsible for its own destiny on an unending pilgrimage through time. Evocative illustrations accompany Dawkins'' eloquent descriptions of astonishing adaptations in the living world.Trade ReviewA beautiful, barnstorming thunderclap of a book -- Michael White * Mail on Sunday *Mount Improbable is Dawkins's metaphor for natural selection: its peaks standing for evolution's most complex achievements ... a perfect, elegant riposte to a great deal of fuzzy thinking * Observer *One of the most gifted storytellers of our generation ... he writes like an angel * Scotland on Sunday *A cracking good book -- John Gribbin

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestselling manifesto for a twenty-first century understanding of human evolution and variation - and a weapon against scientific racismTrade ReviewA fascinating and timely refutation of the casual racism on the rise around the world. The ultimate anti-racism guide for data-lovers everywhere -- CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZFor centuries science has been used and abused by racists. This book wrests it from their grubby hands by showing that race is biologically meaningless and that modern genetic science is a racist's worst enemy. Along the way Adam Rutherford reveals that you are related to royalty, that every Nazi had Jewish ancestors and that you share no DNA with half your ancestors. A critical book on a critical issue -- DAVID OLUSOGANobody deals with challenging subjects more interestingly and compellingly than Adam Rutherford, and this may be his best book yet. This is a seriously important work -- BILL BRYSONA book that could save lives -- Kathryn Paige Harden * SPECTATOR *A fascinating debunking of racial pseudoscience . . . engaging and enlightening . . . equip[s] the reader with the scientific tools necessary to tackle questions concerning race, genes and ancestry -- Manjit Kumar * GUARDIAN *Characteristically far-reaching, insightful and brilliant, Adam Rutherford casts his net wide in a book that is as timely as it is invigorating and important -- PETER FRANKOPANRutherford, a geneticist, debunks racist pseudoscience, showing that everyone's ancestry is cosmopolitan in a stylish, punchy, myth-busting study * DAILY TELEGRAPH *[An] enthralling, illuminating book -- Francis Wheen * MAIL ON SUNDAY *A counter-blast to those who would use science to justify prejudice * NEW STATESMAN *Adam Rutherford is the perfect writer to arm you with evidence -- CLAUDIA HAMMONDThis fascinating, illuminating and original book on human evolution and development is essential reading in an age of false science, resurgent racism and conspiracy theory - and the perfect antidote to racial bigotryOne of the most pleasing observations offered by Adam Rutherford, a great communicator who knows how to simplify difficult concepts, is that the racist you are arguing with will themself be far from racially pure -- Julian Cole * I NEWSPAPER *Elucidating, enabling, and powerful in its simplicity, everyone should have a copy of this book * SUNDAY POST *Stylish and punchy -- Steven Poole * DAILY TELEGRAPH, Books of the Year *HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST smashes race myths that plague society -- Layal Liverpool * NEW SCIENTIST *Poignant . . . A timely weapon against the misuse of science to justify bigotry and casual racism * COSMOPOLITAN *Brilliant, succinct genetics for the uninitiatedAdam Rutherford is a master storytellerEnlightening and entertaining -- David Crawford * RADIO TIMES *Vital -- Ben East * OBSERVER *If teaching is what makes humans special, then Adam Rutherford is superhuman - a truly gifted transmitter of knowledge: lucid, enlightening, witty and delightfulDr Adam Rutherford has a gift for making complicated concepts simple -- Hannah Shaddock * RADIO TIMES *Admirable . . . The reader will be similarly enriched by the quick blood of this book * THE GLASGOW HERALD *Timely and accessible * THE BOOKSELLER, Editor's Choice *Not only shows what science really says about race, ancestry and genetics, but also helps us argue against the idea that certain people are biologically inferior and encourages informed conversations about race . . . This book's gift is to use science to talk about a pseudoscience -- Layal Liverpool * NEW SCIENTIST, Best Books of 2020 *How to Argue with a Racist is doubtlessly one of the most important reads of the year. But it's arguably the most interesting too . . . Engaging and thought-provoking throughout -- Thomas Ling * BBC SCIENCE FOCUS, Best Books of the Year *A remarkable telling of the shared ancestry of the human race. The book is a treasure trove filled with gems of knowledge from the field of genetics and what it knows about skin colour, intelligence, ancestry, athletic ability and racial superiority. The reader is provided the fascinating scientific weaponry to confidently take on questions about race, genes, ancestry. Ultimately, Rutherford's book is a challenge against the manipulation, misrepresentation, and abuse of science to justify hatred and prejudice * Big Think *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2022 WINNER OF THE GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS SPECIALIST SUBJECT AWARD 2022 FINALIST IN THE IACP AWARDS 2022 _________ 'I have nothing against gluten, but this book is just full of recipes I long to make' Nigella Lawson The only gluten-free baking book you'll ever need, with delicious recipes that work perfectly every single time. From proper crusty bread, pillowy soft cinnamon rolls and glorious layered cakes to fudgy brownies, incredibly flaky rough puff pastry and delicate patisserie – everything that once seemed impossible to make gluten-free can now be baked by you. Baked to Perfection begins with a thorough look at the gluten-free baking basics: how different gluten-free flours behave, which store-bought blends work best, and how to mix your own to suit your needs. Covering cakes, brownies, cookies, pastry and bread in turn, Katarina shares the best techniques for the recipes in that chapter, and each recipe is accompanied by expert tips, useful scientific explanations and occasional step-by-step photography to help you achieve gluten-free perfection. Recipes include classic bakes like super-moist chocolate cake, caramel apple pie and chocolate chip cookies, the softest, chewiest bread, including crusty artisan loaves, baguettes, brioche burger buns and soda bread, and mouth-watering showstoppers like toasted marshmallow brownies, coffee cream puffs and strawberries + cream tart.Trade ReviewI have nothing against gluten, but this book is just full of recipes I long to make -- Nigella LawsonGluten-free baking just got a whole lot easier! The knowledge that Katarina shares is indispensable -- Julie Jones, author of The Pastry SchoolBaked to Perfection contains all the recipes and scientific understanding you need to bake anything gluten-free, and for it to work perfectly every time. Katarina has produced a beautiful and inspiring book that makes me want to head for the kitchen and switch on the oven! A magnificent achievement -- Juliet Sear, author of The Cake Decorating BiblePart science lesson (the fun kind, honest) and part home economics, making the process of getting to grips with baking sans gluten approachable to home cooks who don’t have a science degree in their back pockets * independent.co.uk *Katarina Cermelj effortlessly combines her knowledge of both science and baking to demystify gluten-free baking once and for all -- Erin Jeanne McDowell, author of The Fearless Baker Put what you know about wheat-based baking aside, and let Katarina teach you the wonders of decadent cookies, flaky tartlets, and tender cakes that all happen to be baked without gluten -- Tessa Huff, author of LayeredA winning guide . . . Bakers who want to expand their gluten-free baking repertoire and really get into what's happening in the baking process won't want to miss this. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisWas there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries?These are just some of the questions considered in the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by the world renowned physicist - generally considered to have been one of the world''s greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.This new edition includes recent updates from Stephen Hawking with his latest thoughts about the No Boundary Proposal and offers new information about dark energy, the information paradox, eternal inflation, the microwave background radiation observations, and the discovery of gravitational waves. It was published in tandem with the app, Stephen Hawking''s Pocket Universe.Trade ReviewThis app/book version of Hawking's famous laymen book is just an amazing piece of learning. This makes much more accessible and understandable the complex and awesome topics dealt by Hawking as he explains how our universe works. I am just in awe at how creative he is to produce one of a kind e-book like this. The pace, illustrations and connections of topics within the book are so helpful and so appropriate for the new generation used to tweets and small bites of information. You can flip over some topics when you have some time, learn some amazing fact, and come back later which no rush or worry about how fast you are progressing through the book. Hope other books on complex topics are translated to this format. And I love the updates of the latest science since the publication of the original book. We have learned so much in the last decade that I agree with Hawking, it is an honour to live in this times. * Ribozyme *Master of the Universe... One scientist's courageous voyage to the frontiers of the Cosmos * Newsweek *This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe, while marvelling at his mind * The Sunday Times *He can explain the complexities of cosmological physics with an engaging combination of clarity and wit... His is a brain of extraordinary power * Observer *To follow such a fine mind as it exposes such great problems is an exciting experience * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe latest volume in The New York Times bestselling physics series explains Einstein''s masterpiece: the general theory of relativityHe taught us classical mechanics, quantum mechanics and special relativity. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind, assisted by a new collaborator, André Cabannes, returns to tackle Einstein''s general theory of relativity. Starting from the equivalence principle and covering the necessary mathematics of Riemannian spaces and tensor calculus, Susskind and Cabannes explain the link between gravity and geometry. They delve into black holes, establish Einstein field equations and solve them to describe gravity waves. The authors provide vivid explanations that, to borrow a phrase from Einstein himself, are as simple as possible (but no simpler).An approachable yet rigorous introduction to one of the most important topics in physics, General Relativity is a must-read for anyone who wants a deeper knowledge of the universe''s real structure.

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Book Synopsis'It's rare for a book to make you see the world differently, but this ... does exactly that on almost every page' Guardian Standard histories of technology give tired accounts of the usual inventions, inventors, and dates, framing technology as the inevitable march of progress. They split history into ages - electrification, motorisation, and computerisation - and rarely ask whether anyone bothered to use these inventions at the time. Shock of the Old is not one of those histories. I Letters exist alongside emails and outlasted telegrams; we still make physical books and magazines despite the rise of the Internet - a belated rise considering that the technologies that made it possible was invented in 1965, and bookshops thrive despite Amazon. More horses were used in the Second World War than any other war in history and propeller planes continue to take off from the same runways as jets. Shock of the Old forces us to reassess the significance of old inventions such as corrugated iron and sewing machines and rethink the relative importance we place on the invention of something new, its application, and its widespread adoption. It challenges the idea that we live in an era of ever increasing change and, interweaving political, economic and cultural history, teaches us to think critically about technology.Trade Reviewhe eviscerates our obsession with novelty... * The Sunday Times *newfangled things are sexy, but how significant are they?...Edgerton provides a corrective by emphasising some of the overlooked technologies that affect the lives of many. * Newsweek *David Edgerton's The Shock of the Old is a book I can use. I can take it in two hands and bash it over the heads of every techno-nerd, computer geek and neophiliac futurologist I meet. -- Simon Jenkins * Guardian *...iconoclastic and thought-provoking book...he makes a strong case that accords with what Virgil identified around 25BC as a definitive human characteristic. Our lives consist of semper cedentia retro: always going forwards backwards. * The Times *It's rare for a book to make you see the world differently, but this alternative history does exactly that on almost every page. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThe story of a man's obsession with whales, which takes him on a personal, historical and biographical journey from his childhood to his fascination with Moby-Dick and his excursions whale-watching.All his life, Philip Hoare has been obsessed by whales, from the gigantic skeletons in London's Natural History Museum to adult encounters with the wild animals themselves. Whales have a mythical quality they seem to elide with dark fantasies of sea-serpents and antediluvian monsters that swim in our collective unconscious.In Leviathan', Philip Hoare seeks to locate and identify this obsession. What impelled Melville to write Moby-Dick'? After his book in 1851, no one saw whales in quite the same way again.This book is an investigation into what we know little about dark, shadowy creatures who swim below the depths, only to surface in a spray of spume. More than the story of the whale, it is also the story of our own obsessions.Trade Review‘This singular, magnificent book inspires both awe and shame – awe of the whales, shame of the human species that has tried to destroy them. In the end, Hoare’s virtuosic sympathy for his subject makes you believe in the better angels of our nature.’ Alex Ross, bestselling author of ‘The Rest is Noise’ ‘This history of man’s dealings with whales is respectful, even mystical.’ Daily Mail ‘A scintillating, scattershot, blunderbuss of a book. Throughout the book, Hoare’s unbridled enthusiasm for his subject is infectious…this thoroughly engaging, rigorously researched and often revelatory book is a joy to read and one which Melville, surely, would have appreciated.’ Independent on Sunday ‘So compelling and all-encompassing that it cast a spell on me that endured for days after I had done turning its beautifully illustrated pages…This is the book he was born to write, a classic of its kind…What poetry there is here and what a balm for the soul.’ Observer ‘Enjoyable trawl through the history, literature and lore of whales…As well as being a showcase for descriptive prose of great beauty, “Leviathan” is full of fascinating facts.’ Guardian ‘An elegant writer with a sharp eye for quirky detail…A lyrical and timely reminder of what we have to lose if we don't change our greedy ways.’ Mail on Sunday ‘In Hoare's hands, whales are almost limitlessly strange and interesting.’ Sunday Times ‘Hoare’s idiosyncratic mingling of autobiography, anthropology and archaeology has reached its zenith…an enthralling volume. Hoare has the skill and humility to make this work, to him, great art and the Leviathan are both inexplicable, unknowable forces from the deep, wherein lies their wonder.’ Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisBringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson, bestselling author ofAstrophysics for People in a Hurry,shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our timewar, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, race, and tribalismin a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all.In a time when our political and cultural perspectives feel more divisive than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin engines of enlightenmenta cosmic perspective and the rationality of science.After thinking deeply about how a scientist views the world and about what Earth looks like from space, Tyson has found that terrestrial thoughts change as our brain resets and recalibrates life''s priorities, along with the actions we might take in response. As a result, no outlook on culture, society, or civilisation remains untouched.InStarry Messenger, Tyson reveals just how human the enterprise of science is. Far from a cold, unfeeling undertaking, scientific methods, tools, and discoveries have shaped modern civilisation and created the landscape we''ve built for ourselves on which to live, work, and play. Tyson shows how an infusion of science and rational thinking renders worldviews deeper and more informed than ever beforeand exposes unfounded perspectives and unjustified emotions.With crystalline prose and an abundance of evidence,Starry Messengerwalks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From lessons on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, ten surprising, brilliant, and beautiful truths of human society, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.

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Book SynopsisThe Trouble with Physics is a groundbreaking account of the state of modern physics: of how we got from Einstein and Relativity through quantum mechanics to the strange and bizarre predictions of string theory, full of unseen dimensions and multiple universes.Lee Smolin not only provides a brilliant layman''s overview of current research as we attempt to build a ''theory of everything'', but also questions many of the assumptions that lie behind string theory. In doing so, he describes some of the daring, outlandish ideas that will propel research in years to come.

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Book Synopsis** WINNER OF THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE 2021 **''Beautiful, evocative, authoritative.'' Professor Brian Cox''Important reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity.' Yuval Noah HarariKindred is the definitive guide to the Neanderthals. Since their discovery more than 160 years ago, Neanderthals have metamorphosed from the losers of the human family tree to A-list hominins.Rebecca Wragg Sykes uses her experience at the cutting edge of Palaeolithic research to share our new understanding of Neanderthals, shoving aside clichés of rag-clad brutes in an icy wasteland. She reveals them to be curious, clever connoisseurs of their world, technologically inventive and ecologically adaptable. Above all, they were successful survivors for more than 300,000 years, during times of massive climatic upheaval.Much of what defines us was also in Neanderthals, and their DNA is still inside us. PlTrade ReviewImportant reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity. - Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens * The New York Times *Beautiful, evocative, authoritative. Kindred is a beautifully written exploration of our fast-developing understanding of Neanderthals and their culture and a compelling insight into how modern science is revealing the secrets of an extinct species who, for 350 thousand years before Homo Sapiens became dominant, inhabited a world “as wide and rich as the Roman Empire.” -- Professor Brian Cox, Physicist and TV presenterRebecca Wragg-Sykes's fact-packed but highly readable book puts us right with a superbly authoritative guided tour of much new evidence. It's tempting to say, "If you read only one book about the Neanderthals, read this one" -- except that if the next 20 years provide as many revelations about our ancestors as the past 20 have done, she will need to produce just as weighty a second volume. -- Richard Morrison * The Times *Blending cutting-edge science with lyrical storytelling, Rebecca Wragg Sykes paints a detailed portrait of our enigmatic relatives. -- Professor Alice Roberts, anatomist, author and broadcasterWritten with such pleasing, elegant prose, Kindred is a captivating ode to the subtle complexities of palaeoanthropology – the thrill of discovery, the frustrating gaps in the evidence, the tantalising question marks hovering above our favourite ideas. Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes balances admirable scientific caution with her joyous enthusiasm, and the result is a generous, enthralling history of how we first came to know our ancient cousins, and how we’re still getting to know them today. -- Greg Jenner, historian and author‘Kindred is a thrillingly full account of what we currently know about the Neanderthals… Wragg Sykes' project is to write about Neanderthals as an end in themselves, not as a failed version of humanity.’ * London Review of Books *Rebecca Wragg Sykes’s book paints a vivid portrait of our adaptable ancient relatives ... immersive. -- Josie Glausiusz * Nature *Kindred is a tour de force. A rich and beautiful synthesis of all that is known about Neanderthal biology and culture, it should be required reading for anyone interested in the history of humanity. -- Dr Tori Herridge, palaeontologist and TV presenter‘The knowledge condensed here is certainly impressive … Rebecca Wragg Sykes has studied their landscapes, territories and tools and emerges as an expert and enthusiastic character witness for Neanderthals and their way of life. Neanderthals probably didn’t have PR, but they do now.’ * Guardian *Wragg Sykes paints a fascinating picture of a field transformed almost beyond recognition over the past 30 years. -- Simon Ings * New Scientist *Current, compelling, well researched, beautifully written and poetical, Kindred is like no other book you've read on Neanderthals. -- Professor Lee. R. Berger, University of WitwatersrandTable of ContentsA Note on Names Introduction Chapter 1: The First Face Chapter 2: The River Fells the Tree Chapter 3: Bodies Growing Chapter 4: Bodies Living Chapter 5: Ice and Fire Chapter 6: The Rocks Remain Chapter 7: Material World Chapter 8: Eat and Live Chapter 9: Chez Neanderthal Chapter 10: Into the Land Chapter 11: Beautiful Things Chapter 12: Minds Inside Chapter 13: Many Ways to Die Chapter 14: Time Travellers in the Blood Chapter 15: Denouements Chapter 16: Immortal Beloved Epilogue Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisMicrocosmos is a remarkable photo-journey into everyday life through spectacular microscopic images. This new edition lifts the book to breathtaking realms. The extraordinary images, produced with the latest microphotography technologies, are displayed on more readerfriendly larger page layouts. Most of the 205 full-colour photographs were taken using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which allows us to see our world as never before. Each page features a single image, a remarkable close-up that reveals form, shape and colour in incredible detail. The book is divided into six chapters that cover: Microorganisms, Botany, The human body, Zoology, Minerals, Technology. Every photograph is accompanied by an informative caption that describes the image, how it was captured and the number of magnifications. With the stunning production values of its full-colour photographs and its clearly written text, Microcosmos provides a fascinating journey of discovery for every reader.

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Gut by Giulia Enders Eating is the most pleasurable, gross, necessary, unspeakable biological process we undertake. But very few of us realise what strange wet miracles of science operate inside us after every meal – let alone have pondered the results (of the research). How have physicists made crisps crispier? What do laundry detergent and saliva have in common? Was self-styled ‘nutritional economist’ Horace Fletcher right to persuade millions of people that chewing a bite of shallot seven hundred times would yield double the vitamins? In her trademark, laugh-out-loud style, Mary Roach breaks bread with spit connoisseurs, beer and pet-food tasters, stomach slugs, potato crisp engineers, enema exorcists, rectum-examining prison guards, competitive hot dog eaters, Elvis' doctor, and many more as she investigates the beginning, and the end, of our food.Trade Review‘A wonderful nonfiction read…The journalism is gripping and the writing is intensely funny. If biology had been like this at school, my life would have taken a different path’. -- Viv Groskop * Observer, Hidden Gems of 2016 *‘The funniest book [of the year] by far... almost every page made me laugh out loud.’ * Sunday Times, Best Science Books of 2013 *‘Witty, illuminating and at times astonishing.’ * Mail on Sunday *‘Witty [and] enjoyable’ * Independent on Sunday *‘The best kind of lavatory reading… exhaustive and irreverent’ * Sunday Telegraph, paperback review *‘Mary Roach is a science writer who looks very closely at normal things — and close up, lots of things look weird or horrifying… The bit you will talk about most is how prisoners hide things up their bottoms’ * Evening Standard *'Far away her funniest and most sparkling book' * New York Times *‘Engrossingly gross’ * Scotsman *'The best kind of lavatory reading' * Sunday Telegraph *'Insightful, sharp science writing that will have you snorting with laughter is Mary Roach's speciality' * New Scientist *‘Disgustingly good... Roach takes a superbly witty prod at our innards.’ * The Times *'Roach writes clearly, with gallows humour...compelling' * Evening Standard *'A wonderful read' * BBC Focus *'Joyously funny and intrepidly smart' * Saga *

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Book SynopsisDoes the light just go out and that's that - the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness, persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?"Mary Roach trains her considerable humour and curiosity on the human soul, seeking answers from a varied and fascinating crew of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die.Along the way she encounters electromagnetic hauntings, out-of-body experiences, ghosts and lawsuits: Mary Roach sifts and weighs the evidence in her hilarious, inimitable style.Trade ReviewSurprising and highly enjoyable. Mary Roach is a wonderfully dry, funny, trustworthy tour guide. * * Jon Ronson * *Very funny, and the dottier examples of human resistance to the idea of terminal mortality make fascinating reading. -- Salley Vickers * * The Times * *A perfect balance of objectivity and cynicism * * Herald * *Those who subscribe to the lazy cliché that Americans have no sense of irony should read Six Feet Over and think again . . . this book is full of fascinating nuggets . . . a funny and informative read. * * Independent on Sunday * *There is something irresistible about the cheerfully scatological, cheekily skeptical Mary Roach . . . she delivers precisely what she promises: an informative, diverting romp through a subject that cannot help but captivate. -- Emily Stokes * * Observer Review * *

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Book Synopsis“Outstanding … among the most important books about whisky ever written.” Charles MacLean BRINGING TOGETHER LANDSCAPES, geology, history, people and their whisky, and addressing the key role of peatlands in mitigating climate change, Peat and Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond is a love letter to Scotland and the unique substance that forms part of the DNA of Scotch whisky. Through epic journeys around Scotland and back in time, Mike Billett dives deep into the science and stories of ancient peatlands and bogs, capturing the spirit of places where whisky has been distilled for centuries. He sheds light on how peat imparts its distinctive aroma and flavour to the world’s finest single malts. He looks back to tradition and heritage, as well as forward to a future in which the dark matter will remain part of the recipe for liquid gold, while at the same time becoming an increasingly precious living sponge for atmospheric carbon. He takes us to places where the bond between peat and whisky is growing around the world. Whether you’re a whisky connoisseur, a lover of Scotland’s environment and beautiful landscapes, an armchair traveller or a history buff, this unforgettable book will deepen your appreciation for the land itself and help you to understand the profound connection between peat and the unmistakable character of uisge beatha, the water of life.Trade Review'A unique work … a journey through ancient peatlands … Billett reveals the special relationship peat has had with the Scotch whisky industry … essential reading for anyone with an interest in whisky.' -- Neil Wilson, whisky historian

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2020 British Psychological Society Popular Science PrizeWinner of the 2018 Royal Society Science Book Prize.........................................................................................Up to the minute brain science from a world class scientist. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore explains how the adolescent brain transforms as it develops and shapes the adults we become. 'Beautifully written with clarity, expertise and honesty about the most important subject for all of us. I couldn't put it down.' - Professor Robert Winston Drawing upon her cutting-edge research Professor Blakemore explores:· What makes the adolescent brain different? · Why does an easy child become a challenging teenager? · What drives the excessive risk-taking and the need for intense friendships common to teenagers? · Why it is that many mental illnesses - depression, addiction, schizophrenia - begin during these formative years.And she shows that while adolescence is a period of vulnerability, it is also a time of enormous creativity and opportunity.Trade ReviewThe best science writing helps us to look at ourselves and our world in new ways, and does this by combining compelling storytelling with scientific depth and detail. This book not only has all of these qualities, but also has something to offer every reader - whether you are a teenager, parent of a teenager, or just interested in understanding your former teenage self. -- Professor Brian CoxCompletely captivating ... Blakemore explains the science behind teenage behaviour in a lucid and engaging way, deconstructs the myths that surround it, offers new insight into how we should treat teenagers, and reflects on how our new knowledge might usefully influence policy decisions. …This is truly a book that everyone should read. -- Professor Dame Frances Ashcroft, chair of Royal Society Prize judges and professor of physiology at OxfordAbsolutely fascinating -- Louise Minchin * BBC Breakfast *An engaging and interesting book, written comprehensibly for a non-specialist audience. You will understand your children and your former selves better for reading it and you will bust a few myths as you go. * The Times *There are few people more qualified to explain [adolescence] than the author of this compelling book. What I enjoyed most about this book was the readability and personal style of the narrative. Blakemore manages to present a highly accessible account of the science, without ever compromising on detail or depth…there is almost a sense that the reader is in the lab, listening in on the discussions and taking part in the decisions….This book has something to offer everyone … Blakemore provides a unique and very up-to-date insight into the changes that occur during this intriguing period. -- Dr Catherine Loveday * The Psychologist *Refreshingly and reassuringly light and lucid in both tone and approach ...an enjoyable, accessible, and insightful book by an author at the top of her field. * The Lancet *A very readable book bringing together the up-to-date research about how the adolescent brain develops. This matters to both adolescents and parents but also should be read by everyone who looks after adolescents, be they teachers, doctors or psychologists. -- Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Department of HealthInventing Ourselves is a gripping celebration of the teenage brain. Essential reading for parents, teachers and teens.Sane, wise, myth busting, this book is a triumph and should be read by every parent and teacher but they should be warned. They’ll have to fight their teenagers to get this gripping book out of their hands. -- Dr Vivienne Parry OBEThe teenage brain is different, but in what way? This beautifully written book tells just how it influences and is influenced by the new challenging demands of a transformational phase of life. There is no sensationalism here. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore is a pioneer in the field and provides a meticulous account of what we know. -- Professors Uta & Chris FrithInventing Ourselves is an accessible introduction bothto neuroscience and experimental psychology, coveringbasic research techniques while providing an overview ofrecent studies of adolescence that will be of interest evento someone familiar with these fields. This balance is inlarge part due to the author’s ability to explain nuancedexperiments with an infectious enthusiasm that engagesthe reader’s curiosity. Blakemore approaches the topic witha sympathy and respect for the adolescents she works withthat is genuinely admirable. For anyone looking back ontheir teenage years, trying to raise a teenager, or workingwith adolescents, this book can help foster understandingabout why adolescents act the way they do and how webecome our adult selves. -- Robert Stirrups * Lancet Neurology *

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Book SynopsisIntroduction by Professor Stephen Hawking.When Edwin Hubble looked into his telescope in the 1920s, he was shocked to find that nearly all of the galaxies he could see through it were flying away from one another. If these galaxies had always been travelling, he reasoned, then they must, at some point, have been on top of one another. This discovery transformed the debate about one of the most fundamental questions of human existence - how did the universe begin?Every society has stories about the origin of the cosmos and its inhabitants, but now, with the power to peer into the early universe and deploy the knowledge gleaned from archaeology, geology, evolutionary biology and cosmology, we are closer than ever to understanding where it all came from. In The Origin of (almost) Everything, New Scientist explores the modern origin stories of everything from the Big Bang, meteorites and dark energy, to dinosaurs, civilisation, timekeeping, belly-butTrade ReviewImportant... The Origin of (Almost) Everything doesn't look like a typical science book. It's friendly and colourful. Its blocks of text and ample images, makes it read more like a magazine than textbook. Unravelling dozens of life's biggest mysteries, Lawton and Daniel's irreverent storytelling approach answers nagging questions that have inspired centuries of scientific inquiry... Like The Origin of (Almost) Everything suggests, the best science writing and illustrations don't just answer your questions - they compel you to ask more. * WIRED *

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Book SynopsisThe Infinite Monkey Cage, the legendary BBC Radio 4 programme, brings you this irreverent celebration of scientific marvels. Join us on a hectic leap through the grand and bizarre ideas conjured up by human imagination, from dark matter to consciousness via neutrinos and earthworms.Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince muse on multifaceted subjects involved in building a universe, with pearls of wisdom from leading scientists and comedians peppered throughout.Covering billions of concepts and conundrums, they tackle everything from the Big Bang to parallel universes, fierce creatures to extraterrestrial life, brain science to artificial intelligence. How to Build a Universe is an illuminating and inspirational celebration of science sometimes silly, sometimes astounding and very occasionally facetious.Trade ReviewPraise for the BBC Radio 4 programme The Infinite Monkey Cage: ‘A witty and irreverent look at the world according to science’ Independent Praise for Professor Brian Cox: ‘Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too.’ Guardian ‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things.’ Independent ‘Engaging, ambitious and creative.’ Guardian ‘Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena.’ Sunday Express

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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 SynopsisVilayanur S. Ramachandran is widely held to be the most exciting neuroscientist alive. Director of the Centre for the Brain at the University of California, San Diego, he has received many honours and awards. His previous book, the critically acclaimed Phantoms in the Brain, was the basis for a Channel Four TV series.Trade ReviewRamachandran is a latter-day Marco Polo -- Richard DawkinsA profoundly intriguing and compelling guide to the intricacies of the human brain. -- Oliver SachsExcellent ... I cannot imagine a better account of the sweep of contemporary neuroscience * Financial Times *A leader in his field and an ingenious and tireless researcher. This is the best book of its kind that I have come across * New York Review of Books *A masterpiece. The best of its kind and beautifully crafted. -- Allan Snyder, FRS, Director of the Centre for the Mind

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Book SynopsisOver the last forty years the philosophy of biology has emerged as an important sub-discipline of the philosophy of science. Covering some of science''s most divisive topics, such as philosophical issues in genetics, it also encompasses areas where modern biology has increasingly impinged on traditional philosophical questions, such as free will, essentialism, and nature vs nurture.In this Very Short Introduction Samir Okasha outlines the core issues with which contemporary philosophy of biology is engaged. Offering a whistle-stop tour of the history of biology, he explores key ideas and paradigm shifts throughout the centuries, including areas such as the theory of evolution by natural selection; the concepts of function and design; biological individuality; and the debate over adaptationism. Throughout Okasha makes clear the relevance of biology for understanding human beings, human society, and our place in the natural world, and the importance of engaging with these issues.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewOkasha writes beautifully and clearly, presenting and discussing the major contemporary ideas about evolution,adaptation, the species concept, genes, and evolutionary psychology in humans ... I venture to suggest that it should be mandatory reading for anyone contemplating -or having- a degree in biology. * Conservation Biology *Okasha's book will prove to be a very useful resource for introducing undergraduate students to the elements of philosophy of biology. * Joeri Witteveen and Sara Green, Metascience *In this accessible, beautifully and clearly written book, Samir Okasha presents some of the major topics in the Philosophy of Biology. The book illuminates the intimate relations between the science and the philosophy of biology, and is an excellent and solid basis for exploring the new theoretical frameworks and controversies that are emerging in this vibrant field. * Professor Eva Jablonka, Tel Aviv University *In this excellent addition to the Very Short Introduction series, Samir Okasha offers a lucid and concise account of one of the most vital fields in contemporary philosophy. This will be the best starting point for anyone interested in exploring philosophical reflection on the biological sciences. * Philip Kitcher, Columbia University *Table of Contents1: Why philosophy of biology? 2: Evolution and natural selection 3: Teleology, function, and purpose 4: Species and classification 5: Biological individuality 6: Genes 7: Biology, culture, and society Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisDELVE INTO THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR PRACTICE WITH THIS ESSENTIAL AND PRACTICAL GUIDE TO MEDITATION ''This is a book that really can change your life'' Arianna Huffington, author of the New York Times bestseller The Sleep RevolutionMeditation is fascinating, but often it feels elusive. How can simple exercises change your mental state? How can focussing your breathing lead to changes in your personality? For the first time, Harvard collaborators Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson share the science behind the practice. Drawing on cutting edge research and sweeping away common misconceptions, they show how to improve your technique, how smart practice can cultivate selflessness, equanimity, love and compassion, and even redesign our neural circuitry.Whether you''re a beginner or have meditated for years, bring mindfulness and meditation into your life with an essential read for the world we live in now. ''A happy synthesis of the authors'' remarkable careers.'' Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Mindfulness for BeginnersTrade ReviewThis is a book that really can change your life. Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson not only show the power of meditation, but also the smartest way to practice for the maximum possible benefit. The Science of Meditation is your roadmap to a more mindful, compassionate, fulfilling life - who doesn't want that? -- Arianna Huffington, author of the ‘New York Times’ best seller ‘The Sleep Revolution’A happy synthesis of the authors' remarkable careers, which grew from the intuition they shared as students that there was something deep and transformative about meditation, The Science of Meditation tells the story of what has been discovered since and why it matters critically at this moment on the planet -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of 'Full Catastrophe Living' and 'Mindfulness for Beginners'The definitive book on the science of meditation. Rigorously researched and deeply illuminating, The Science of Meditation is a must-read for anyone interested in the hidden potential of the human mind -- Daniel Gilbert, PhD, author of the New York Times bestseller 'Stumbling on Happiness'This exquisite duet between a down-to-earth science writer and path-breaking neuroscientist is a tour-de-force, revealing how training the mind can transform the brain and our sense of self, inspiring us to create a greater sense of well-being, meaning, and connection in our world. Bravo! -- Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., author of the ‘New York Times’ best sellers, ‘Mind’ and ‘Brainstorm’Here is a message that is both powerful and joyful. Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson reveal groundbreaking science showing how mindfulness and compassion practices can help each of us individually and thus the entire planet. One of the most exciting books I have read! -- Chade-Meng Tan, author of the 'New York Times' bestsellers, 'Joy on Demand' and 'Search Inside Yourself'In this engaging and well-researched book, Goleman and Davidson help us sort out the many claims now being made about the benefits of meditation. Drawing on their own long personal meditative experience and the ever increasing number of scientific studies, The Science of Meditation breaks new ground in illuminating the power of meditation to transform our lives -- Joseph Goldstein, author of 'Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening'A remarkable collaboration between two brilliant and courageous pioneers, The Science of Meditation shares the scientific basis and practical realities of the remarkable impact meditation has on altering the mind. As I have personally experienced, regular meditation practice brings compassion, calm, and clarity for all of us, from beginners to experienced practitioners -- Bill George, Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School; former Chair & CEO, Medtronic; and author of 'Discover Your True North'Impressive in its scope and depth, staggering in its implications -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD on 'Emotional Intelligence'Don't miss this smart and lively book by the world's foremost expert on emotion and the brain -- Daniel Gilbert, PhD on 'The Emotional Life of Your Brain'Goleman uses the emerging science of neuro-sociology to show how priming our brains for meaningful connectivity with others can make the world a better place . . . Fascinating * Sunday Telegraph on 'Social Intelligence' *Sure to provoke oodles of debate about declining attention spans in the young * Bookseller on 'Focus' *

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Book SynopsisNobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the twentieth century. The philosopher Karl Popper hailed it as a 'beautiful and important book' by 'a great man to whom I owe a personal debt for many exciting discussions'.Table of ContentsPreface; 1. The classical physicist's approach to the subject; 2. The hereditary mechanism; 3. Mutations; 4. The quantum-mechanical evidence; 5. Delbruck's model discussed and tested; 6. Order, disorder and entropy; 7. Is life based on the laws of physics?; Epilogue: on determinism and free will; Mind and Matter: 1. The physical basis of consciousness; 2. The future of understanding; 3. The principle of objectivation; 4. The arithmetical paradox: the oneness of mind; 5. Science and religion; 6. The mystery of the sensual qualities; Autobiographical sketches (translated from the German by Schrödinger's granddaughter Verena).

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Book SynopsisNeil Delamere: ''Smart, accessible and full of brilliant tidbits''Dave Moore: ''A delightful wander through the human body''Dylan Evans: ''Prepare to be genuinely astonished by the marvels of the human body.''Explore the intricate nature of our amazing anatomy...Scientist and ''Chaser'' Dr Darragh Ennis reveals everything about the human body in ten informative, bite-sized essays. We all have questions about our body that we really should know the answers to, so discover why blood is red, how our body defends itself, why we sleep, how hormones control everything we do and much, much more!A fascinating, illuminating and engaging read, it''s the perfect gift for anyone interested in biology, DNA or who just wants to learn more about the human body.

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Book SynopsisOUT NOW: the new book from the bestselling authors and hosts of the wildy popular ''The Skeptics Guide to the Universe''__________Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the ''60s, which didn''t anticipate the sexual revolution or women''s liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations.The best we can do is try to absorb from futurism''s checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.In The Skeptics'' Guide To The Future, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusi

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Book SynopsisWHAT IF... one man decided to answer all the unanswerable questions, using science.The Sunday Times-bestselling author and xkcd creator, Randall Munroe is here to provide the best answers yet to the important questions you probably never thought to ask.The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger.Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing.Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone''s freezer doors at the same time? Maybe it''s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics.Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-storey building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.Welcome (back) to the mind-blowing world of What If?Unfazed by absurdity, RandallTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR WHAT IF?Nerd royalty -- BEN GOLDACREBrilliant * Rolling Stone *With this book you're a kid with a chemistry set all over again...required reading for grown-ups * Register *Smart answers to silly questions: Randall Munroe reveals all * Guardian *PRAISE FOR WHAT IF? 2 Randall Munroe [is] the guru of absurd science questions . . . What If ?2 is stuffed with questions that are fanciful in the asking, but perfectly - and playfully - informative in the answering. The questions throughout are equal parts brilliant, gross, and wonderfully absurd and the answers are thorough, deeply researched, and great fun. Do you need any of this information? No. Are you happy - indeed, delighted - to have it? Almost certainly yes. Science isn't easy, but in Munroe's capablehands, it surely can be fun. -- Jeffrey Kluger * Time Magazine *One of my favourite books of the year. -- Tim Harford * Financial Times *Head-scratching . . . seemingly simple conundrums lead to the most fascinating of rabbit holes. * WIRED **Staff's Favourite Books of 2022* A dense litany of thoroughly researched explanations of intensely silly hypotheticals. Perfect if you enjoy it when stuffy figures of authority crack a smile. Or if you like it when black holes form. That happens a lot. * Newsweek *One of my favourite books of the year -- Tim Harford

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Book SynopsisThere are more than 100 billion brain cells in our heads, and every single one represents a fragment of thought and feeling. Each cell possesses a mysterious beauty, with branching, intricate patterns like shattered glass. Richard Wingate has been scrutinising them for decades, yet he is still gripped by the myriad of forms when he looks down the microscope. With absorbing lyricism and clarity, Wingate shows how each type of cell possesses its own personality and history, illustrating a milestone of scientific discovery and illuminating the stories of pioneering scientists like Santiago Ramon y Cajal and Francis Crick, and capturing their own fascinating shapes and patterns. Discover the ethereal world of the brain with this elegant little book - and find out how we all think and feel.Trade ReviewA lyrical love letter to the art and science of neuroanatomy. In elegant, evocative prose, Wingate tells the very human tales of the early explorers of the nervous system, highlighting the joy of discovery and the insights that can be had if you just really look. -- Kevin J. Mitchell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinFew books [...] convey so succinctly the combination of care, determination, obsessiveness and imagination that scientists in a field such as neuroscience require to make an advance in knowledge ... A short and exhilarating book * The Oldie *This book is a wonderful description of the cells that make up the brain and how the remarkable organ works ... The author conveys his passion for neuroscience in this volume, which will leave the reader enthralled and wanting more. -- Dr Arpan K Banerjee * Hektoen International *Beautiful, mysterious, and intricate * The Idler *

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Book SynopsisA SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 'A thrilling deep-dive through our evolutionary past, and a witty and learned commentary on why we are the way we are - and what wisdom we've lost along the way' Cal Flynn, author of Islands of Abandonment 'A wild ride: brave, outrageous, hilarious, helpful and urgent ... essential reading' Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Lives What kind of creature is a human? If we don't know what we are, how can we know how to act? Charles Foster sets out to understand what a human is, inhabiting the sensory worlds of humans at three pivotal moments in our history. Foster begins his quest with his son in a Derbyshire wood, trying to find a way of experiencing the world that recognises the deep expanse of time when we understood ourselves as hunter-gatherers, and when modern consciousness was first ignited. From there he travels to the Neolithic, a way of being defined by fences, farms, sky gods and slaughterhouses, and finally to the Enlightenment, when we decided that the universe was a machine and we were soulless cogs within it.Trade ReviewDazzling and, yes, eccentric ... Foster is a beautiful writer and an engaging companion throughout this ... wonderfully fun if entirely bonkers read -- Alex Preston * Observer *Being a Human: Adventures in Forty Thousand Years of Consciousness is not the book its subtitle would have us believe. It's a better one. It's a lesson in what to watch for in nature. It's a discourse on the sentience we may have had as early humans and that, over millennia, we've somehow roasted into a crisp. It's funny. It's moving. It's mind-expanding. It's a collection of thoughts to read again and again ... Foster is a writer of extraordinary ability -- Rebecca Coffey * Forbes *Foster's daringly imaginative exploration of alternative models of selfhood is an original and beneficial way of grappling with history ... There is an increasing awareness today of the limitations of individualist models of selfhood, which many consider the root cause of some of our most urgent crises. The kinds of new and old imaginaries that Foster explores here, empirically and otherwise, are precisely what we need to remind us that there are many alternatives to the "I, me, mine" mindset -- Anna Katharina Schaffner * TLS *Foster is an amiable narrator. He is self-deprecating, feminist, in awe of what the natural world has to teach him. His observations - that it is hard to say where humans stop and aurochs begin; that the great disaster of the Enlightenment was its reduction of the universe to a machine - align firmly with those of Donna Haraway and Amitav Ghosh in recalling us to the epic mysticism of existence. He is, I think, also an optimist, still hopeful for humanity, even if we are never again going to run around Derbyshire in a deerskin loincloth -- Rachel Andrews * Irish Times *Controversial, yet oddly compelling * Nature *A wonderful, wild, dazzling book. You will feel more human for having read it -- Tom Whyman * Literary Review *A wild ride: brave, outrageous, hilarious, helpful, and urgent. Foster has no time for decaying paradigms; he tunnels underneath their crumbling foundations with a pickaxe to help them on their way. Being a Human will deepen and expand your sense of self. Essential reading -- Merlin Sheldrake, author * Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, & Shape Our Futures *Being a Human is a work of shaggy genius. Its subject is gargantuan in scale; its humour has a reckless panache; its argument is brilliantly original and above all it is written with a matchless audacity of soul. It is one of the most important books I have ever read -- Jay Griffiths, author * Why Rebel? *This is the most wonderful book - deftly written, highly imaginative, and a delight to read - and its message is such that its importance simply cannot be overstated. It gives a devastatingly clear portrait of humanity as we have become, and of what we once had - and still could have - but instead are in the process of throwing away, perhaps forever -- Iain McGilchrist, author * The Master and his Emissary *I'll read anything Charles Foster writes, and this is his most ambitious book yet. It is a historical investigation, a short story collection, a humour primer, a sheaf scientific papers and a work of philosophy all rolled into one, with a side helping of religious ecstasy and badger shit. It will tell you many things you didn't know about who you are. You should read it -- Paul Kingsnorth, author * The Wake *Being a Human is one of the most original inquiries into the who, what, and why of human existence to appear in recent years. Charles Foster writes with inspiring brilliance, originality, and simplicity. I love this book. It should be widely read, for the benefit of all us humans -- Larry Dossey, author * One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters *A fascinating book of immense scope and proportions ... The evolution of the mind makes for a labyrinthine investigation worthy of Sherlock Holmes -- James Crowden, author * The Frozen River: Seeking Silence in the Himalaya *Monstrously great: book of the year from where I'm sitting. But I'm not sitting, I'm up and waving my arms about for the sustained achievement of this magical, brilliant thing. Being a Human contains a hundred things we desperately need to know. Hugely moving, filled with intelligence, it scurries between centuries with us between its teeth. Charles Foster has invoked a living presence in these pages, a contract with the uncanny. To know a thing about the future we need to retrace our steps into our old mind. We could start here -- Martin Shaw, author * Smoke Hole: Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass *What a mad, brilliant, mind-expanding book. Being a Human offers a thrilling deep dive through our evolutionary past, and a witty and learned commentary on why we are the way we are-and what wisdom we've lost along the way. Foster is a true modern polymath who writes with wit, humour and heart: I'll be pressing this book into other people's hands -- Cal Flyn, author * Islands of Abandonment *Charles Foster has created a book of immense, deeply felt intelligence. This book is a startling reset on our understanding of the journey of human thought. Approaching the question from a totally new perspective of lived experience, Foster shows us how we came to be the people we are, with the values we exert in the world. Not only are the revelations startling, but the metaphoric power of Foster's language is frequently astonishing. I wish I'd written this book, and that's my highest praise -- Carl Safina, author * Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace *Profound, erudite, provocative and funny, this outrageously brilliant and wise book is a challenge to the reductive materialism that dominates current understandings of the human animal-and the natural world. Foster draws on his empathy with the animist Palaeolithic to argue for a return to non-dogmatic forms of Enlightenment values that might take seriously the affective dimension of human nature and experience-to recover 'enchantment' and express the 'vertiginous wonder of the world' ... Wildly eccentric and ranging widely, but always in control -- Steve Ely, author * Englaland *Charles Foster has written the unwritable - gifting us a perspective-tumbling insight into other worlds. Being a Human is both challenging and entertaining. By the time you have finished reading it you will not look in the mirror and see quite the same person as before -- Hugh Warwick, author * Linescapes: Remapping and Reconnecting Britain's Fragmented Wildlife *Few of us have given much thought to the dazzling human journey from hunter-gatherer to now. In a 10,000 year odyssey fizzing with masterful revelation, Professor Foster makes us relive our nature-centric past, shows us how much we have lost and makes us startlingly aware of who we really are -- Sir John Lister-Kaye OBE, author * The Dun Cow Rib *More turned-down page corners than any other recent book on my shelves. A brilliant, inventive, and unsettling exploration of our glorious and broken nature. Foster's work shakes us out of dozy estrangement from our own humanity and welcomes us into the mysteries of belonging ... Its richness demands careful reading -- David George Haskell, Pulitzer finalist * The Forest Unseen *A daredevil read. Once again, Charles Foster has journeyed to places most of us wouldn't dare; and emerged with a book that is passionate and kind, deeply intelligent and uproariously funny -- Helen Jukes, author * A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings *How to enact a visceral archaeology of the human animal, not merely by ingesting and metabolizing the finest research, but by excavating the layers of one's own creaturely soul? Charles Foster journeys barefoot toward the tastes, textures, and rhythms that enveloped our early ancestors, the ecstasies and terrors that shivered the bones of our Paleolithic progenitors. Only someone fairly mad - possessed of a sensorial imagination verging on clairvoyance, an alarming appetite for physical duress, and an uncanny gift for wyrding his way into other shapes of sentience - would undertake such an impossible endeavor, dropping down and down into the depths within, spelunking in his soul's bone hollows, stirring up old, old ghosts in order to discover how thoroughly haunted our present existence really is -- David Abram, author * Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology *Charles Foster's writing is matchless. He approaches intellectual enquiry with heart, body and mind in that order - the only correct one. No-one else could tackle the whole of human evolution, the history and implications of our 'inadequate mutations' with such wit and elegance. Being a Human is both panoramic and intimate: an experiment in living, a manifesto, a brilliant synthesis, a conversation you'd have in a pub after hours of walking on a wind-scoured moor. Brace yourselves for a thrilling encounter with the other, with the marvellous, terrifying spectacle of the self. This book will leave you changed: both wiser and more bewildered. Which is to say more alive -- Helen Mort, author * Never Leave the Dog Behind: Our Love of Dogs and Mountains *An exhilarating book that asks all the big questions about our past, present and future, Being A Human contributes to the growing field of literature that tasks us with thinking, and behaving, like Earthlings. That Foster has managed to produce this clarion call for 'a vibrant scientific mysticism' whilst being funny and entertaining is little short of a marvel -- Gregory Norminton, author * The Devil's Highway *This made me feel good about being a Palaeolithic archaeologist; it's an exquisitely irreverent celebration of how best to be a human, and an exemplary lesson in the elemental nature we've so often left behind in lives that are, as Foster suggests, suffocatingly simple in relation to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. As a Palaeolithic specialist I am bound to agree with his thesis that the quality of life declined with the increasingly urban nature of early agricultural life, and plummeted significantly with the industrialisation that accompanied the enlightenment. Foster writes with a unique voice that is full of soul; a paean to our wild selves that could not come at a better time in Earth history. His central thesis - that we repurpose enlightenment scepticism and empiricism in order to rediscover the enchantment of our wilder selves is delivered with the observational panache and intelligence that is drawn from his own human nature, the wildness of nature, and the very wildness of academe. At times hilarious (check out page 105), at times revelatory, at all times with a prose red in tooth and claw, this is a glorious celebration of the shameful behaviour of humans. -- Paul B. Pettit, Professor of Palaeolithic ArchaeologyFoster is a wonderful prose stylist, and knows how to build a case and support it with plentiful detail. This powerful account is a remarkable achievement -- Starred review * Publishers Weekly *A spirited romp through human history ... This is a magpie book full of intriguing anthropological sketches ... Fits neatly into the growing library of modern British natural history writing, alongside the best of Nan Shepherd, Robert Macfarlane, and Roger Deakin -- Starred review * Kirkus *Foster is an amiable narrator. He is self-deprecating, feminist, in awe of what the natural world has to teach him. His observations ... align firmly with those of Donna Haraway and Amitav Ghosh in recalling us to the epic mysticism of existence * Irish Times *Clever, funny and wise ... Being a Human delivers mind-expanding revelation and glorious originality and colour ... This is my book of the year -- Patrick Barkham, author * The Butterfly Isles *Breathtaking ... Foster's writing style is deceptively modest and often funny ... buy copies as presents to yourself and your friends and donate at least one to a school library * Fortean Times *

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Book SynopsisOur understanding of ourselves and the cosmos has advanced immeasurably over the last five hundred years of modern science, yet many fundamental mysteries of existence persist. How did our Universe begin, if it even had a beginning? How big is it? What''s at the bottom of a black hole? How did life on Earth arise? Are we alone? Is time travel possible?These mysteries define the threshold of the unknown. To explore that threshold is to gain a deeper understanding of just how far science has progressed. In The Known Unknowns, bestselling popular science writer Lawrence Krauss explores science''s greatest known unknowns. Covering time, space, physical law, life and consciousness, Krauss introduces readers to the topics that will shape the state of science of the next few decades, and invites us to ponder and appreciate the universe in which we live.

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Book Synopsis'A must-read for all the people who loved Oliver Sacks's books. The ending made me cry' -- Temple Grandin"Dear Dr. Sacks . . . You asked me if I could imagine what the world would look like when viewed with two eyes. I told you that I thought I could . . . But, I was wrong."When Susan Barry first wrote to Oliver Sacks, she never expected a response, let alone the deep friendship that blossomed over ten years of letters.Sue, herself a neuroscientist, wrote to share an extraordinary development in her own medical history. Born with problems with her vision, Sue had been told she would never acquire the ability to see in 3D - and yet she did, a development at odds with decades of research. Within days, Oliver replied, "Your letter fills me with amazement and admiration."Sharing an interest in visual perception and a deep love of science, Sue and Oliver began writing back and forth, delving deeper into the mysteries of sight and marvelling at the adaptive capacity of the human body.But in a painful twist of fate, as Sue's vision improved, Oliver's declined, and his characteristic typed letters shifted to handwritten ones. Sue later recognised this to be an early sign of the cancer that ultimately ended his extraordinary life.A funny, fascinating, and intimate glimpse of the great Oliver Sacks, Dear Oliver is also a love letter to scientific inquiry, and a testimony to the power of friendship at any time in life.Trade Review'A must-read for all the people who loved Oliver Sacks's books. The ending made me cry' -- Temple Grandin'A charming book ... [Sacks' and Barry's] mutual wonder at the physical wonders of the universe is infectious. Their witty, affectionate puns made me laugh ... very moving' * The Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn The One, particle physicist Heinrich Päs presents a bold idea: fundamentally, everything in the universe is an aspect of one unified whole.This idea, called monism, has a rich 3,000-year history: Plato believed that 'all is one', but monism was later rejected as irrational and suppressed as a heresy by the medieval Church. Nevertheless, monism persisted, inspiring Enlightenment science and Romantic poetry. Päs shows how monism could inspire physics today, how it could slice through the intellectual stagnation that has bogged down progress in modern physics and help science achieve the 'grand theory of everything' that it has been chasing for decades. Blending physics, philosophy, and the history of ideas, The One is an epic, mind-expanding journey through millennia of human thought and into the nature of reality itself.Trade Review[A] heady mix of history, philosophy and cutting-edge theory that is fascinating, provocative ... stimulating and engrossing. * Wall Street Journal *The history is thoroughly researched, the physics is cutting edge and Päs's larger point resonates: much, or maybe all, of what we take for reality is an artifact of our limited perspectives. * Scientific American *"It has always been the dream of philosophers to have all matter built up from one fundamental type of particle," said Paul Dirac in 1930. With expert guidance from Heinrich Päs, in The One we glimpse the scale and grandeur of the dream in one of its modern forms: everything is quantum information. * Jim Baggott, author of Atomic and Quantum Reality *Usually we say the universe is made of particles, but Päs shows how quantum physics inverts that. The whole comes first, not the parts - the parts come from fragmenting the whole. I'll never see reality the same way again! * George Musser, author of Spooky Action at a Distance *Are we one with the universe? It is a question as old as mankind ... But Päs is ready for the challenge and delivers an original and fresh account of both the history and the science of monism. An enticing read for those who seek to understand their place in nature - and who does not? * Sabine Hossenfelder, physicist and author of Existential Physics *

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Book SynopsisA BEST BOOK OF 2023 FOR THE TELEGRAPH, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW SCIENTIST AND STYLIST A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST READ 2023Discover the next frontier of scientific understanding: your body's electrome.Every cell in your body - bones, skin, nerves, muscle - has a voltage, like a tiny battery. This bioelectricity is why your brain can send signals to your body, why it develops and how it heals itself.In We Are Electric, award-winning science writer Sally Adee explores the colourful history of bioelectricity and journeys into the remarkable future of the discipline, through today's laboratories where real-world medical applications are being developed.Trade ReviewAn entertaining account . . . Adee's enthusiasm is infectious and she conveys well the jaw-dropping scale and complexity of the "electrome" * * The Times * *We Are Electric is Adee's thrilling scientific detective story, a rich history that brings us up to date with the latest research * * New Scientist * *Excellent . . . Sally Adee has written an absorbing and fast-paced account of a field of research that could thus herald a whole new era of paradigm-shifting medicine * * New York Times * *This year's lightbulb moment * * Telegraph * *Adee explores the chemical and electrical ferment underpinning all growth and life, highlighting the pioneers and charlatans who discovered and exploited "bioelectricity", [she] also conjures electric medicine: a future of good health, regenerated tissue and (perhaps) extended life * * New Scientist * *A revelation . . . Has rich implications for how we heal and grow * * Daily Telegraph * *Adee writes as a reporter but also as an enthusiast . . . . A lively read * * Wall Street Journal * *This book blew my mind. We Are Electric is a thrilling read, and Sally Adee explains everything from the intricacies of our electric cells to the potential for new medical treatments - and brain-hacking - with a sparkling clarity -- MICHAEL BROOKS, author of 13 THINGS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSEThe 'ohmigod-that's-so-cool' moments come thick and fast as she brings the science up to date, investigating today's cutting edge and what the future may hold for bio-electric medicine. It's a vast and hugely exciting area of scientific research, shared with infectious enthusiasm, a real depth of knowledge and smart and funny turn of phrase. You'll never think of life in the same way again -- CAROLINE WILLIAMS, author of MOVE!: THE NEW SCIENCE OF BODY OVER MINDAs Sally Adee describes with great wit and insight, we are nothing without electricity: it's the stuff of life, and of death. This is such a thrilling, compelling and energising book - reading it I couldn't help picturing the author as Zeus, chucking lightning bolts at me. Such a timely book, too. The future is - I'm sorry, I can't help it - electrifying -- ROWAN HOOPER, author of SUPERHUMAN

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Book SynopsisWhat is 4% of 75?Can you calculate 60 + 60 x 0 + 1?Which is bigger, an 18-inch pizza or two 12-inch pizzas?Join award-winning maths presenter Kyle D Evans on an entertaining tour of viral maths problems that have gone wild on social media in recent years. From the infamous 'Hannah's sweets' exam question to percentages 'life-hacks', viral maths problems seem to capture the public's imagination without fail. In Maths Tricks to Blow Your Mind, Kyle presents over 50 viral maths problems with background information, explanations and solutions to similar problems, all in a humorous, accessible and inclusive manner. Want to dazzle and delight your friends and family? This book shows you how!Trade ReviewA chirpy guide to the most shared maths nuggets on the internet. -- Alex Bellos, author of ALEX'S ADVENTURES IN NUMBERLANDA cornucopia of numerical tricks and other quirky delights. I loved it. -- Tim Harford, author of HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD ADD UPWith wit and wisdom, Kyle Evans has compiled what is - literally - the most popular maths on the planet. And he's brought new insights and back stories to many old favourites. -- Rob Eastaway, author of MATHS ON THE BACK OF AN ENVELOPETable of Contentsi: Introduction 1: THIS ONE COOL MATHS TRICK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND: Maths tricks and 'life hacks' 2: IT WAS DIFFERENT IN MY DAY: Pre-internet viral maths 3: BACK TO SCHOOL: Viral exam questions and classroom conundrums 4: OUT OF ORDER: The trouble with BODMAS 5: BAD MATHS: When Facebook meets algebra 6: GET INTO SHAPE: Genius geometry problems vii: CONCLUSION: A better viral maths future? viii: Solutions

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Book SynopsisFor decades, the conventional wisdom of neuroscience held that the hardware of the brain is fixed - that we are stuck with what we were born with. But recent pioneering experiments in neuroplasticity reveal that the brain is capable not only of altering its structure but also of generating new neurons, even into old age. The brain can adapt, heal, renew itself after trauma and compensate for disability. In this groundbreaking book, highly respected science writer Sharon Begley documents how this fundamental paradigm shift is transforming both our understanding of the human mind and our approach to deep-seated emotional, cognitive and behavioural problems. These breakthroughs show that it is possible to reset our happiness meter, regain the use of limbs disabled by stroke, train the mind to break cycles of depression and OCD and reverse age-related changes in the brain.Trade ReviewThere are two great things about this book. One is that it shows us how nothing about our brains is set in stone. The other is that it is written by Sharon Begley, one of the best science writers around. This is a terrific book. -- Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don't Get UlcersIt is very seldom that a science in its infancy is so skilfully unpacked that it reads like a detective novel.Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Coming to Our Senses -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Coming to Our SensesBrilliant * Health Writer *

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize Bias affects us all, every day of our lives. It shapes how we see each other, and how we are seen in turn. It fuels discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, age, class and appearance. It robs organizations of talent, science of breakthroughs, politics of insight, individuals of their future and communities of justice. But what if bias is a habit that we can overcome? "Despite revolutions in our understanding of bias, we're still much better at documenting the problem than solving it. When it comes to prevention and cure, Jessica Nordell's powerful book is a breakthrough. With state-of-the-art science and gripping narratives, she reveals steps what individuals, groups, and institutions can take to fight prejudice" - Adam Grant, author of Think AgainTrade ReviewDespite revolutions in our understanding of bias, we're still much better at documenting the problem than solving it. When it comes to prevention and cure, Jessica Nordell's powerful book is a breakthrough. With state-of-the-art science and gripping narratives, she reveals steps what individuals, groups, and institutions can take to fight prejudice -- Adam Grant, author of Think AgainIn an age of snap judgements and empty moralizing, The End of Bias is a lifeboat. Jessica Nordell accompanies her incredible depth of research with the kind of attention to nuance, self-examination, and genuine compassion that marks the difference between information and wisdom. This book will not just want to make you be a better person - it will convince you that others can be too -- Jenny Odell, author of How To Do NothingFull of evidence-based interventions, The End of Bias demonstrates that change is possible. In need of some hope? Start here! -- Beverly Daniel Tatum, bestselling author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About RaceAn exhaustively researched, illuminating book on what leads to bias and how to avoid those pitfalls * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisFor decades, 98 per cent of our DNA was written off as 'junk' on the grounds that it did not code for proteins.From rare genetic diseases to Down's Syndrome, from viral infections to the ageing process, only now are the effects and the vital functions of these junk regions beginning to emerge. Scientists' rapidly growing knowledge of this often controversial field has already provided a successful cure for blindness and saved innocent people from death row via DNA fingerprinting, and looks set to revolutionise treatment for many medical conditions including obesity.From Nessa Carey, author of the acclaimed The Epigenetics Revolution, this is the first book for a general readership on a subject that may underpin the secrets of human complexity - even the very origins of life on earth.Trade ReviewA cutting-edge, exhaustive guide to the rapidly changing, ever-more mysterious genome * New Scientist *

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