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Science
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Your Life Is Manufactured
We live in a manufactured world. Unless you are floating naked through space, you are right now in direct contact with multiple manufactured products. There exists a nearly invisible global system of manufacturing that enables virtually every aspect of our existence. The things we surround ourselves with - from everyday items like toilet roll and the clothing we wear to smartphones, bicycles and everything in between - take surprising and often mind-boggling journeys to reach us. Traversing mega-factory floors, engineering laboratories and seaports to distribution hubs, supermarkets and our own homes, Tim Minshall traces these journeys to reveal the hidden world of manufacturing.
£10.99
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The Secret Life of the Periodic Table
Every element has character, be it volatile, aloof, gregarious or enigmatic. They also have incredible stories of how they came to be, how they were discovered and how their qualities have been harnessed to make everything we have in the world. This book gives a fascinating insight into the discovery and use of all 118 elements. It uncovers incredible stories of how Mendeleev's table was formulated and the individual elements found, as well as explaining the fundamentals of atomic science and each element's place in the table and our universe.
£10.99
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How to AI
AI is nothing to be afraid of. After all, AI is merely software. It's great at some things and (at least right now) terrible at others. But for workers who take time to experiment with AI and develop expertise, AI will make them more productive and more creative, saving them time, giving them job security, and boosting their income. Wall Street Journal columnist Christopher Mims introduces readers to people just like them who are at the forefront of using AI in the world of work.
£22.00
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Portals to a New Reality
For the last century, physics has been following the paths set out by the same two theories - quantum mechanics and general relativity - and, let's face it, it's getting pretty boring. Despite these great theories being fundamentally in conflict, most scientists are simply chasing decimal points in laboratories. To give the deeper explanation of reality we seek, we need new ways to explore and critique our best ideas of the universe on the smallest and largest scales. The situation is much like that in 1890, right before Planck, Einstein and Bohr blew the roof off Newtonian physics. As Vlatko Vedral argues in 'Portals to a New Reality', this suggests we are on the brink of a new revolution.
£25.00
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The Singularity Is Nearer
Within our lifetimes, we will be able to connect our brains directly with AI, enhancing our intelligence a millionfold and expanding our consciousness in ways we can barely imagine. This is the Singularity. Ray Kurzweil is one of the greatest inventors of our time with over 60 years' experience in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Dozens of his long-range predictions about the rise of the internet, AI and bioengineering have been borne out. Here Kurzweil explains how the Singularity will occur and what it will mean to live free from the limits of biology: What will we choose if our bodies need no longer define us? What new realms of beauty, connection and wonder might we inhabit? Who will we become if our minds can be stored and duplicated? Drawing on a lifetime's expertise, Kurzweil presents deeply reasoned answers to these questions.
£12.99
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Space Hazards
Earth is not isolated in space but surrounded by an array of potentially hazardous objects within our own solar system and beyond. Although none of these provide an immediate threat to life, it is the work of scientists around the world to continue monitoring their presence, potential risks and how to minimize these.
£20.00
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The Game Changers
Drawing on Roman anti-cheating devices, organised crime card syndicates and the combative domestic bonding ritual of Monopoly, 'The Game Changers' explains why games are more popular now than ever, and how playing them helps us learn to be better losers, make smarter decisions and become more human.
£10.99
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The Immortalists
From the epic of Gilgamesh to the alchemy of the philosopher's stone, humanity's eternal quest for immortality - and its rejuvenation tricks, therapies and tinctures - has always been our most mortal endeavour. But now the giants of invention and investment are building a fountain of youth of their own creation: one they not only engineer, but also own and control. Death is simply their next problem to solve, the latest expression of a hubris that regards humans as appliances to be fixed and machines to be upgraded. By harnessing technology to 'cure' ageing, and funding cutting-edge research, today's immortalists are locked in an arms race to be the first to pocket the profits of longevity. Krotoski journeys from those cult fringes to the heartlands of government to meet the moguls, effective altruists, geroscientists and entrepreneurs who are disrupting death.
£22.00
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When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...
As a cognitive scientist, the ultimate subject of Steven Pinker's fascination is how we think about each other's thoughts, ad infinitum. It sounds impossible, but Steven Pinker shows that we do it all the time. This awareness, which we experience as something that is public or 'out there', is called common knowledge, and it has a momentous impact on our social, political, and economic lives.Common knowledge, Pinker shows, can make sense of many of life's enigmas: financial bubbles and crashes, revolutions that come out of nowhere, the posturing and pretence of diplomacy, the eruption of social media shaming mobs and academic cancel culture, the awkwardness of a first date. But people also go to great lengths to avoid common knowledge-to ensure that even if everyone knows something, they can't know that everyone else knows they know it.
£25.00
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This Is for Everyone
The groundbreaking memoir and call to action from the inventor of the World Wide Web.
£25.00
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Nexus
For the last 100,000 years, humans have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI - a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive? 'Nexus' considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill.
£12.99
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If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
AI is the greatest threat to our existence that we have ever faced. The founder of the field of AI risk, Eliezer Yudkowsy, and his successor at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Nate Soares, explain why superintelligent AI is a global suicide bomb and call for an immediate halt to its development.
£22.00
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The Anti-Catastrophe League
'Consummate and thorough' - The Times'Darkly entertaining' - The SpectatorA superbly written work of narrative non-fiction by an exciting new talent, The Anti-Catastrophe League is a brilliant study of the people and their teams who are trying to save the world.
£22.00
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Philip's 2026 Stargazing Month-by-Month Guide to the Night Sky Britain & Ire
Philip's Stargazing is the perfect practical guide for both budding and experienced astronomers."If you buy just one guide...you won't do better than this." - BBC Sky at Night Magazine"I will continue to enjoy 'Philip's Stargazing' as the months go by." - Helen Sharman, Astronaut"Very useful indeed." - Chris Lintott, Sky at Night presenterPhilip's Stargazing is essential for all those who enjoy exploring the night sky, with up-to-date monthly star charts, moon calendars and viewing tips, as well as the best dark-sky sites to visit and astronomy festivals through the year. In 2026 there is a 90% solar eclipse with the next total eclipse not due until 2090. Compiled by experts and specially designed for easy use, Stargazing 2026 is a comprehensive companion for both seasoned and novice astronomers.* Fully updated colour star chart for each month of the year* Viewing recommendations and practical advice including a 90% Solar Eclipse in Aug
£6.99
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The limits of genius
Here is a hilarious look at how the line between 'genius' and 'extremely lucky idiot' is finer than we'd like to admit. The more you delve into the stories behind history's greatest names, the more you realise they have something in common - a mystifying lack of common sense. Take Marie Curie, famous for both discovering radioactivity and having absolutely zero lab safety protocols. Or Lord Byron, who literally took a bear with him to university. Or James Glaisher, a hot-air balloon pioneer who nearly ended up as the world's first human satellite. From Nikola Tesla falling in love with a pigeon to non-swimmer Albert Einstein's near-fatal love of sailing holidays, 'The Limits of Genius' is filled with examples of the so-called brightest and best of humanity doing, to put it bluntly, some really dumb shit.
£10.99
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Think Like a Mathematician
When we learn about abstract mathematical concepts - from prime numbers and fractals to aspects of calculus - the most common question is often: when on earth will I need this? To many of us, so-called 'pure' mathematics is downright baffling. Yet these concepts are what underpin the world we live in, from internet security to the transmission of radio waves. When you start to think like a mathematician, the secrets of technology and modern life suddenly make sense. Junaid Mubeen regards mathematics as a collection of thinking tools that can enrich the way we approach our everyday lives. This title he presents a catalogue of enlightening mathematical concepts.
£18.99
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Mapmatics
A gripping exploration of how cartography shapes our world and the impact of maps on our everyday lives.
£12.99
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Myths of Geography
Is geography really destiny? Our maps may no longer be stalked by dragons and monsters, but our perceptions of the world are still shaped by geographic myths. Myths like Europe being the centre of the world. Or that border walls are the solution to migration. Or that Russia is predestined to threaten its neighbours. In his punchy and authoritative book, Paul Richardson challenges recent popular accounts of geographical determinism and shows that how we see the world represented often isn't how it really is - that the map is not the territory.
£12.99
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The Atomic Human
By contrasting our own (evolved, locked-in, embodied) intelligence with the capabilities of machine intelligence through history, 'The Atomic Human' reveals the technical origins, capabilities and limitations of AI systems, and how they should be wielded. Not just by the experts, but ordinary people. Either AI is a tool for us, or we become a tool of AI. Understanding this will enable readers to choose the future we want.
£10.99
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Love Triangle
What happens when you pull a pop song apart into pure sine waves and play it back on a piano? What did mathematicians have to do with the great pig stampede of 2012? The answer to each of these questions can be found in the triangle. Humans have been using triangles for thousands of years to build structures, measure the earth, make music, paint vanishing points, pot snooker balls and much, much more. But trigonometry is not a thing of the past - triangles underpin all of modern data technology. When someone Snapchats a photo, the light travels into the camera as electromagnetic sine waves, Fourier analysis compresses the image and then trigonometry is used to send the data to someone else's phone; when you listen to a track on Spotify, triangles remove the sounds which a human ear can't perceive and reassemble the song so that it's small enough to stream.
£10.99
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Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics
A husband-and-wife duo - he, a world-leading scientist; she, a writer - have come together to demystify the world's most important scientific theories.
£22.00
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sc
How does your brain decide what it's seeing, from the physical world to other people? For decades, scientists have tried to understand how our brains work, not realising that the answer lies much closer to home than it seems. The latest research in neuroscience and psychology suggests that the brain is doing the same thing that the scientists are: using past experiences to build theories of how the world works, and using these models to predict and make sense of it. Through this process, your brain constructs the reality that you live in. In this book Daniel Yon takes the research one step further, uncovering how your brain colours your perception of the world, the judgements you make about other people and the beliefs you form about yourself. With transformative applications for how we engage with other communities and approach mental illness, 'A Trick of The Mind' will revolutionise the way you think.
£22.00
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Adventures in Fermentation
Imagine a world without bread, butter or wine. Without soy sauce or chocolate. What if we also take away cheese, coffee and even antibiotics? This is what life without fermentation would be like. Fermentation is so much more than a current health trend, it has shaped the world we live in, the bodies we inhabit, the staple foods we eat and even has the potential to shape our future. 'Adventures in Fermentation' is a tantalising journey into the weird and wonderful world of fermentation, from its role in our evolution to the foods we love and everything in between.
£20.00
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Alive
What does it mean to live in a body? For Gabriel Weston, there was always something missing from the anatomy she was taught at medical school. Medicine teaches us how a body functions, but it doesn't help us navigate the reality of living in one. As she became a surgeon, a mother, and ultimately a patient herself, Weston found herself grappling with the gap between scientific knowledge and unfathomable complexity of human experience. In this captivating exploration of the body, Weston dissolves the boundaries that usually divide surgeon and patient, pushing beyond the limit of what science has to tell us about who we are.
£20.00
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