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Science
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Saving the planet without the bullsh*t
Have you heard that you should plant trees to save the planet? Or buy carbon offsets when you fly? Or recycle plastic? Go vegan? Or not have children? What if all these actions were a distraction, no matter how well-intentioned? In this provocative manifesto, Assaad Razzouk shows that for too long our ideas about what's best for the environment have been unfocused and distracted, trying to go in too many directions and concentrating on individual behaviour. While some of these things can be useful, they are dwarfed by one big thing that simply has to happen very soon if we're to avoid major environmental breakdown - curtailing the activities of the fossil fuel industry.
£10.99
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Life: An Unauthorised Biography
A magisterial exploration of the natural history of the first four thousand million years of life on and in the earth, by one of Britain's most dazzling science writers.
£12.99
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How minds change
Our most deeply held opinions and beliefs can be changed - here's how.
£10.99
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The imaginary patient
A diagnosis - the label we give to a disease - is supposed to offer certainty: a system for classifying and treating sickness, valid across time and space, and uncomplicated by value judgements or monetary concerns. Yet, as Jules Montague knows from years of working with patients in several countries, the practice is tainted by the forces of imperialism, politics, discrimination and Big Pharma. At their worst, diagnostic labels can do active harm to patients. Drawing on meticulous research and deep personal insight, Montague delves into historical diagnoses that have become extinct, and into modern maladies - from PTSD to oppositional defiant disorder to excited delirium - and explores whether they too may prove not to be true diagnostic labels at all. Eye-opening and urgent, the book reveals heart-breaking, thought-provoking stories of real people living and dying in the shadow of their diagnoses.
£10.99
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The story of the brain in 10 1/2 cells
There are more than 100 billion brain cells in our heads, and every single one represents a fragment of thought and feeling. And yet each cell is a mystery of beauty, with branching, intricate patterns like shattered glass. Richard Wingate has been scrutinising them for decades, yet he is still moved when he looks at one through a microscope and traces their shape by hand. 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 exploring the stories of pioneering scientists like 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.
£14.99
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Preventable
Professor Devi Sridhar has risen to prominence for her vital roles in communicating science to the public and speaking truth to power. In 'Preventable' she highlights lessons learned from outbreaks past and present in a narrative that traces the COVID-19 pandemic - including her personal experience as a scientist - and sets out a vision for how we can better protect ourselves from the inevitable health crises to come.
£12.99
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Why Does E=mc2?: (and Why Should We Care?)
An accessible explanation of Einstein's most famous equation, this book explores the principles of physics through everyday life.
£13.99
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Horizons
We are told that modern science was invented in Europe, the product of great minds like Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein. But this is wrong. Science is not, and has never been, a uniquely European endeavour. Copernicus relied on mathematical techniques borrowed from Arabic and Persian texts. When Newton set out the laws of motion, he relied on astronomical observations made in Asia and Africa. When Darwin was writing On the Origin of Species, he consulted a sixteenth-century Chinese encyclopaedia. And when Einstein was studying quantum mechanics, he was inspired by the Bengali physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose. 'Horizons' pushes beyond Europe, exploring the ways in which scientists from Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific fit into the history of science, and arguing that it is best understood as a story of global cultural exchange.
£12.99
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Tomorrow's People
The future of both humanity and the planet depends on the shape of human population growth, the only aspect of our future that can be confidently predicted. In ten thought-provoking chapters, Paul Morland explores ten illuminating trends that will determine that shape, from the fertility rate of Singapore to the ageing of the Japanese.
£9.99
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If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal
What if human intelligence is actually more of a liability than a gift? After all, the animal kingdom, in all its diversity, gets by just fine without it. At first glance, human history is full of remarkable feats of intelligence, yet human exceptionalism can be a double-edged sword. With our unique cognitive prowess comes severe consequences, including existential angst, violence, discrimination, and the creation of a world teetering towards climate catastrophe. What if human exceptionalism is more of a curse than a blessing? As Justin Gregg puts it, there's an evolutionary reason why human intelligence isn't more prevalent in the animal kingdom. Simply put, non-human animals don't need it to be successful. And, miraculously, their success arrives without the added baggage of destroying themselves and the planet in the process.
£22.00
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Life Time
Professor Russell Foster, a world-leading expert on circadian neuroscience, takes us on a fascinating journey through our days and nights. Using surprising examples and cutting-edge science, he busts long-standing myths about the best daily routine: from how to use light for a better night's sleep to using meal times to supercharge your metabolism, from the optimal time to have sex for conception to the extraordinary effects the time we take medication can have on our risk of life-threatening conditions such as strokes.
£10.99
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Eight Improbable Possibilities
Echoing Sherlock Holmes' famous dictum, John Gribbin tells us: 'Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, is certainly possible, in the light of present scientific knowledge.' With that in mind, in his sequel to the hugely popular 'Six Impossible Things and Seven Pillars of Science', Gribbin turns his attention to some of the mind-bendingly improbable truths of science.
£9.99
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This Way to the Universe
'This Way to the Universe' is a celebration of the astounding, ongoing scientific investigations that have revealed the nature of reality at its smallest, at its largest, and at the scale of our daily lives. The enigmas Professor Michael Dine discusses are like landmarks on a fantastic journey to the edge of the universe.
£10.99
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Control
Throughout history, people have sought to improve themselves - and society - by eliminating disease, or enhancing desirable qualities in their children. Others have imposed control over populations with rules about who can marry, who can procreate and who can live. For just over a century, we have referred to this age-old crafting by biological design with a word which became poisonous: eugenics. The ideas underlying eugenics are not merely historical. We live in a time where forced sterilisation of women is current - including in immigration detention centres in the USA - and where sex-selective abortion is endemic in the most populous countries on Earth. This book is an urgently needed discussion exploring the science, history and future of eugenics, and the practice of population control by selective procreation.
£9.99
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Nine Musings on Time
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 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 Sagen 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.
£10.99
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Sensational
Our senses are at the heart of how we navigate the world. Whittling this high-powered and deliciously varied palette down to just five does a great disservice to the sensory experience, Sensational argues. In fact, we could have as many as fifty-three - and they could explain such mysteries as why we kiss, in what way music is a form of emotional currency, and how a dairy-rich diet strained initial Euro-Japanese relations. Ashley Ward embarks on a sensory expedition to answer all these questions and more. Why do women have a better sense of smell than men? Has the iPhone changed how we touch? Does the Danube really look blue when you're in love? From the power of cuddling to what canine bowel movements can tell us about geomagnetic fields, Sensational is a surprising look at how our brains shape the way we interpret the world.
£20.00
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The Magick of Matter
This is a book about wizardry. It will reveal the secrets of the wizard's art, and how you, too, can learn to follow them. It is a history of magic. From the laws of thermodynamics to the seven bridges of Konigsberg, 'The Magick of Matter' is a journey of discovery which will upend everything you think you know about witchcraft, wizardry, and condensed matter physics.
£20.00
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A Curious Boy
'Truth and courage are what memoirs need and this one has them both in spades ? The unforgotten boy: that is what makes this a book a revelation'ADAM NICOLSON'Wonderful, absolutely beguiling ? I learnt a lot and really loved it'RICHARD HOLMES'Gloriously evocative' DAILY MAIL
£10.99
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The Babel Message
A thrilling journey deep into the heart of language, from a rather unexpected starting point. Keith Kahn-Harris is a man obsessed with something seemingly trivial - the warning message found inside Kinder Surprise eggs: 'WARNING, read and keep: Toy not suitable for children under 3 years. Small parts might be swallowed or inhaled.' On a tiny sheet of paper, this message is translated into dozens of languages - the world boiled down to a multilingual essence. Inspired by this, the author asks: what makes 'a language'? With the help of the international community of language geeks, he shows us what the message looks like in Ancient Sumerian, Zulu, Cornish, Klingon - and many more. Along the way he considers why Hungarian writing looks angry, how to make up your own language, and the meaning of the heavy metal umlaut.
£10.99
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The Cloudspotters Guide
This title teaches readers to appreciate the different varieties of clouds - the cumulus, nimbostratus and Morning Glory - and all their beauties and significances, both meteorological and cultural.
£12.99
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When the Dogs Don't Bark: A Forensic Scientist's Search for the Truth
This memoir from the UK's most eminent forensic scientist includes some of the most fascinating criminal investigations she has worked on. Never before has criminal justice rested so heavily on scientific evidence. With ever-more sophisticated and powerful techniques at their disposal, forensic scientists have an unprecedented ability to help solve even the most complex cases. Angela Gallop has been a forensic scientist for over 40 years. After joining the Forensic Science Service, the first crime scene she attended was for a case involving the Yorkshire Ripper. As well as working on a wide range of cases in many countries around the world, she is now the most sought-after forensic scientist in the UK, where she has helped solve numerous high-profile cases. From the crime scene to the courtroom, 'When the Dogs Don't Bark' is the remarkable story of a life spent searching for the truth.
£12.99
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Eureka!
Could you surf down an erupting volcano? Why don't penguins' feet freeze? Are you breathing the same air as Leonardo da Vinci? Are there any green mammals? If you've ever wondered why tigers have stripes and pineapples have spikes, how to escape quicksand, what would happen if the moon vanished, and why cats (nearly) always land on their feet - you've come to the right place.
£12.99
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Stereoscopy Is Good for You
Stereoscopy Is Good For You presents a collection of stereoscopic (3-D) images submitted by people from all over the world. Brian May, founder of The London Stereoscopic Company, selected the most impressive photos and each image has the photographer's name and country as well as an inspiring quote.
£30.00
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Black Holes
A Brief History of Time for the 21st CenturyAt the heart of our galaxy lies a monster so deadly, not even light can escape its grasp. Its secrets lie waiting to be discovered. It's time to explore our universe's most mysterious inhabitantsBlack Holes
£25.00
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