Sciences

During the 1530s, rumours of a potentially revolutionary theory of how the heavens worked emanating from a small city in Poland began to spread throughout Europe. The architect of this theory was a Polish cleric named Nicolaus Copernicus. In around 1514 Copernicus had written and hand-copied an initial outline of his heliocentric theory, in which he placed the Sun, not the Earth, at the centre of our universe, with the planets, including the Earth, revolving about it. Titled his Commentariolus, it circulated among a very few astron... read more

An astonishing new scientific discovery called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the adult human brain is fixed and unchanging. It is, instead, able to change its own structure and function, even into old age. Psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge travelled around the US to meet the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity, and the people whose lives they've transformed. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole; a woman labelled retarded who cured her defic... read more

Do we have bigger brains than dolphins? Does your dog remember where it buried its bone? Why don't sheep laugh or gorillas lie? Why do we remember faces but not names?
In 21 short walks around the human brain, acclaimed psychologist Michael Corballis answers these and other questions by introducing us to what we've learned about the human mind in the last fifty years. Corballis leads us through behavioural experiments and neuroscience, cognitive theory and Darwinian evolution, puncturing a few hot-air balloons ("You only use... read more

'Six degrees of separation' is a cliche, as is 'it's a small world', both cliches of the language and cliches of everyone's experience. We all live in tightly bonded social networks, yet linked to vast numbers of other people more closely than we sometimes think. Only in recent years, however, have scientists begun to apply insights from the theoretical study of networks to understand forms of network as superficially different as social networks and electrical networks, computer networks and economic networks, and to show how comm... read more

The epic life story of the Atlantic Ocean from the bestselling author, Simon Winchester.In a narrative tour de force, Simon Winchester dramatises the life story of the Atlantic Ocean, from its birth in the farther recesses of geological time to its eventual extinction millions of years in the future. At the core of the book is the story of mankind's complex relationship with this immense sea, which stretches for 9,000 miles from pole to pole. The Atlantic has profoundly influenced the lives of those who have lived along its shores,... read more

Compelling, moving and often funny, Jane McCredie's writing accessibly illuminates the biological science of gender in all its complexity, while giving us a wonderfully personal introduction to people with a range of experiences of gender. Popular science at its best, this book uniquely explores all the factors that make a person a man or a woman. In doing this it opens up an important conversation to everyone, not just those with a specific interest in gender.

Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow enter the territory of Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins, with a remarkable new book. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Hawking have had a major impact on the loud and popular debate between ‘aggressive atheists’ and religion. The huge sales of their bestselling books show just how much interest people have in their ideas. Now ‘the rock star of the new spirituality’, Deepak Chopra, is entering this debate, sparring with leading physicist, Professor L... read more

In 140 pages, two masterly popularisers present 140 explanations of the biggest questions in physics - in the form of 10 or so tweets per page. They set themselves the challenge of boiling down what is essential on each subject into sentences of 140 characters, and the results are both entertaining and brilliantly informative. Not a word is wasted. The reader is not patronized and learns something on every page. If only all science writing could be so precise and so economical. Only science writers of a very high calibre could achi... read more

Daniel Kahneman, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his seminal work in psychology challenging the rational model of judgment and decision making, is one of the world's most important thinkers. His ideas have had a profound impact on many fields - including business, medicine, and politics - but until now, he has never brought together his many years of research in one book. In "Thinking, Fast and Slow", Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we thin... read more

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A dramatic history of cochineal, the small Mexican beetle whose precious red dye provoked global intrigue and piracy from medieval times to the present day - for fans of Mark Kurlansky. A Perfect Red recounts the colourful history of cochineal, a legendary red dye that was once one of the world's most precious commodities. Treasured by the ancient Mexicans, cochineal was sold in the great Aztec marketplaces, where it attracted the attention of the Spanish conquistadors in 1519. Shipped to Europe, the dye created a sensation, pro... read more

2009 marks 50 years since the Galapagos National Park and the international Charles Darwin Foundation was created; a bold vision to preserve for future generations the very special international treasure that is the Galapagos Islands. This is a celebration of the islands that since Darwin's time have held the public's interest worldwide and which are for many a flagship of the conservation movement. The fascinating stories from a number of writers and researchers about the Galapagos, its habitats and wildlife are supported by spect... read more

What would the universe be like if human beings were not here to observe it? Would there still be numbers, or scientific laws? Would the universe even be vast, without our tininess to give it scale? The author of award-winning novels (such as "Spies"), plays ("Copenhagen" and "Noises Off") and films ("Clockwise") here produces his first work of non-fiction, one which explores all of the ideas behind his brilliant, funny and hugely popular work. First published 2006.

Discusses the impact of syphilis on many of history's famous figures, detailing the specific ways in which the disease influenced the lives and works of such figures as Beethoven, Vincent van Gogh, Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler, and Oscar Wilde. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

The first book ever to understand the big moral questions of the twentieth century through the history of its psychological experiments In Opening Skinner's Box, psychiatrist and writer Lauren Slater sets out to investigate the twentieth century through a series of fascinating, witty and sometimes shocking accounts of its key psychological experiments. Beginning with the behaviourist B.F. Skinner, she describes his work with animals in the 1930s, in which he demonstrated the power of rewards and reinforcements to shape behavio... read more

The Hot Topic is a collaborative work by one of the most respected scientists and one of the most dynamic writers in the field of climate change. Sir David King, world-renowned scientist and the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, is widely credited with persuading Tony Blair to act on climate change and with getting key international figures around the negotiating table, and has a significant media profile. On publication of The Hot Topic his previous obligation not to comment publicly about New Labour's attitude to the ever-gr... read more

This title offers a dazzling look at the new science of genetics and the frontiers of human potential. Integrating cutting edge research from a wide swath of disciplines, Shenk portrays a highly-optimistic new view of human potential. The problem isn't our inadequate genetic assets, but our inability, so far, to tap into what we already have. IQ testing and widespread acceptance of 'innate' abilities have created an unnecessarily pessimistic view of humanity - and much misdirected public policy, especially in education. The truth i... read more

At the start of each school term, at the age of about 10, I did something that I suppose a million other 10-year-olds have done! The Address Book starts with some of the fundamental questions asked by everyone, in every culture since the beginning of civilisation. Who am I? Where am I? Where am I going? Tim Radford attempts to answer them by drafting in a technique he first used as a school-boy, when he wrote his address in the inside front cover of his exercise book every term, starting with the house number, the street name, the... read more

From Pulitzer-Prize-finalist Amy Ellis Nutt, comes the moving and inspiring story of Jon Sarkin. Sarkin's personality dramatically changed after he underwent experimental brain surgery and suffered a massive stroke. Remarkably, he could still remember his old self. Yet, once an ordinary family man, he suddenly found himself compelled to make art, always feverishly creating and only existing in the present. He has since gone on to become an acclaimed artist. Sarkin's story is beautifully interspersed with fascinating nuggets of hist... read more

A full and intimate portrait of the most mysterious continent on earth, and how it holds the key to all our futures.