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The Man Who Plants Trees
Jim Robbins
An extraordinary investigation into the world of trees - and the inspiring story of one man's quest ...
This is an extraordinary book about trees. It's an account by a veteran science journalist that ranges to the limits of scientific understanding: how trees produce aerosols for protection and'warnings'; the curative effects of'forest bathing'in ...
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The Burning Question
Duncan Clark, Mike Berners-Lee
Take one complex scientific discipline. Add the future of energy, economics and geopolitics. Season ...
The Burning Questionreveals climate change to be the most fascinating scientific, political and social puzzle in history. It shows that carbon emissions are still accelerating upwards, following an exponential curve that goes back centuries. One reason is that saving energy is...
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Language
Daniel Everett
A groundbreaking and controversial new theory about how we talk.
Like other tools, language was invented, can be reinvented or lost, and shows significant variation across cultures. It's as essential to survival as fire - and, like fire, is found in all human societies.Languagepresents the bold and controversial idea that language is not an innate component of the brain, as has been famously argued...
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The Great Mathematical Problems
Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart reveals the really big questions that take us to the limits of mathematics.
There are some mathematical problems whose significance goes beyond the ordinary - like Fermat's Last Theorem or Goldbach's Conjecture - they are the enigmas which define mathematics.The Great Mathematical Problemsexplains why these problems exist, why they matter, what drives mathematicians to incredible ...
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Turned Out Nice Again
Richard Mabey
An exploration of our preoccupation with the weather, as heard on BBC Radio 3:Changing Climates.
In his trademark style, Richard Mabey weaves together science, art and memoirs (including his own) to show the weather's impact on our culture and national psyche. He rambles through the myths of Golden Summers and our persistent state of denial about the winter; the Impressionists'...
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Mathematics Of Life
Ian Stewart
Mathematicians and biologists confront nature's enigmas
A new partnership of biologists and mathematicians is picking apart the hidden complexity of animals and plants to throw fresh light on the behaviour of entire organisms, how they interact and how changes in biological diversity affect the planet's ecological balance. Mathematics offers new and sometimes startling perspectives on ...
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An Optimist's Tour of the Future
Mark Stevenson
One curious man's journey to find out'what's next?'
Mark Stevenson has been to the future a few years ahead of the rest of us - and reckons it has a lot going for it. His voyage of discovery takes him to Oxford to meet Transhumanists (they intend to live forever), to Boston where he confronts a robot with mood swings, to an underwater cabinet meeting in the Indian Ocean, and ...
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The Secret Anarchy of Science: Free Radicals
Michael Brooks
A bold exposéof science's mavericks
For more than a century, science has cultivated a sober public image for itself. But as bestselling author Michael Brooks explains, the truth is very different: many of our most successful scientists have more in common with libertines than librarians.This thrilling exploration of some of the greatest breakthroughs in science reveals the extreme lengths...
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Brains
Marius Kwint, Richard Wingate
A fully illustrated and fascinating exploration of the brain, tying in with a major Wellcome ...
The brain is a unique and enigmatic organ. It cannot be transplanted, and is one of the most complex entities in the known universe. Unusually, this book asks not what our brains do for us, but what we have done to brains, following the long quest to manipulate and decipher this most...
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Language
Daniel Everett
A groundbreaking and controversial new theory about how we talk
Like other tools, language was invented, can be reinvented or lost, and shows significant variation across cultures. It's as essential to survival as fire - and, like fire, is found in all human societies.Languagepresents the bold and controversial idea that language is not an innate component of the brain, as has been famously argued ...
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Seventeen Equations that Changed the World
Ian Stewart
A unique history of humanity told through its seventeen defining equations; from Pythagoras to ...
From Newton's Law of Gravity to the Black-Scholes model used by bankers to predict the markets, equations, are everywhere - and they are fundamental to everyday life.InSeventeen Equations that Changed the World, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart sets out seventeen groundbreaking equations ...
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Sleights of Mind
Sandra Blakeslee, Stephen L. Macknik, Susana Martinez-Conde
A unique and fascinating look at the relationship between magic, the brain, and everyday life.
What can magic tell us about ourselves and our daily lives? If you subtly change the subject during an uncomfortable conversation, did you know you're using attentional'misdirection', a core technique of magic? And if you've ever bought an expensive item you'd sworn never to buy, you were probably ...
