Popular science
Showing 1–16 of 66 results
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A brief history of black holes
£10.99A brief history of black holes
Black holes are the universe’s strangest and most fascinating objects. In A Brief History of Black Holes, Dr Becky explores the mysteries and realities of this misunderstood phenomenon – and that nearly everything you know about them is wrong.
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A brief history of intelligence
£10.99A brief history of intelligence
Bridges the gap between AI and neuroscience by telling the story of how the brain came to be.
‘I found this book amazing’ Daniel Kahneman, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and bestselling author of Thinking Fast & Slow
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Allergic
£10.99Allergic
Hay fever. Peanut allergies. Eczema. Billions of people worldwide have some form of allergy; millions have one severe enough to seriously endanger their health. And over the past decade, the number of people diagnosed with allergy has been steadily increasing, an ever-growing medical burden on individuals, families, and our health care system. Medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail, herself an allergy sufferer whose father died of a bee sting, set out to understand why.
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Applied mathematics
£8.99Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics plays a role in many different fields, especially the sciences and engineering. Goriely explains its nature and its relationship to pure mathematics, and through a variety of applications – such as mathematical modelling to predict the effects of climate change – he illustrates its power in tackling very practical problems.
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Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
£8.99Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
This Very Short Introduction explores the nature of bacteria, their origin, evolution, and relationship to the environment to demonstrate the fundamental role they play in our existence. This new edition examines the symbiotic relationship between the human body and bacteria, including their role in disease, wellness, and evolutionary development.
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Blue machine
£10.99Blue machine
Here is a fascinating dive into the essential engine that drives our world. Czerski brings the oceans alive with compelling stories that masterfully navigate this most complex system.
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Climate change
£8.99Climate change
Climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge facing humanity. This book describes the substantial evidence for climate change and considers its potentially catastrophic impacts worldwide in the coming decades. It also discusses the geopolitical aspects, and explores what actions can be taken by individuals, companies, and governments.
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Close encounters of the fungal kind
£25.00Close encounters of the fungal kind
‘A very enjoyable book that brilliantly blends science, insight and passion’ TRISTAN GOOLEY
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Computer science
£8.99Computer science
While the development of Information Technology has been obvious to all, the underpinning computer science has been less apparent. Subrata Dasgupta provides a thought-provoking introduction to the field and its core principles, considering computer science as a science of symbol processing.
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Coral reefs
£8.99Coral reefs
Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse of ecosystems. Here, Charles Sheppard tells the fascinating story of how and where coral reefs are formed and the variety of marine life they support. He highlights the severe threats they face due to climate change, pollution, and over-exploitation, and the ongoing conservation efforts to save them.
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Dark matter
£10.99Dark matter
The microbiome is the missing link in modern medicine: a vast genetic universe of bacteria, yeasts, viruses and parasites that live inside us, influencing every aspect of our health, even the way we think and feel. In this mindblowing book, scientist and surgeon James Kinross explains how the organisms that live within us have helped us evolve, shaped our biology and defined the success of our species. But just as we have discovered this delicate and complex ecosystem within us, it is being irrevocably destroyed through the globalisation of our diets and lifestyles, our addiction to antibiotics, and the destruction of our environment.
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Death As Told by a Sapiens to a Neanderthal
£14.99Death As Told by a Sapiens to a Neanderthal
‘We would love to discover that each species has a biological clock in its cells, because, if that clock existed and if we were able to find it, perhaps we could stop it and thus become eternal,’ Arsuaga tells Millás in this book, in which science is intertwined with literature. The paleontologist reveals essential aspects of our existence to the writer, and debates the advisability of transmitting his random vision of life to a dieting Millás, who discovers that old age is a country in which he still feels like a foreigner.
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Fractals
£8.99Fractals
From the contours of coastlines to the outlines of clouds, fractal shapes can be found regularly in nature. This Very Short Introduction explains the basic concepts, presents the ‘new geometry’ of fractals, explores its wide range of applications, and shows the central place fractals have gained in mathematics and science in recent years.
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Game Theory
£8.99Game Theory
Games are played everywhere: from economics and online auctions to social interactions, and game theory is about how to play such games in a rational way, and how to maximize their outcomes. This VSI reveals, without mathematical equations, the insights the theory can bring to everything from how to play poker optimally to the sex ratio among bees.
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Headscratchers
£14.99Headscratchers
This highly engaging collection of 70 puzzles comes from the popular weekly column in New Scientist magazine. You’ll find puzzles that are great for sharing with friends at a pub, problems drawn from real-life situations, games with intriguing strategies, and puzzles with such creative and whimsical storylines that they need to be explained to be believed. With the solutions you’ll read the untold back stories behind the puzzles, and a fascinating exploration of related puzzles and mathematical ideas. You’ll learn why a particular puzzle adaptation involved talking to an expert in sheep genetics, which solution was thought up by the BBC Radio 5 Drive team, and outside-the-box solutions to apparently straightforward challenges.
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How to Create a Mind
£12.99How to Create a Mind
Ray Kurzweil, one of the world’s leading AI researchers, innovators and futurists, offers a provocative exploration of the most important project in human-machine civilisation: reverse-engineering the brain to understand precisely how it works and using that knowledge to create even more intelligent machines.
£12.99