Natural sciences

An exhilarating journey through the most creative and catastrophic f**k ups in human history, from our very first ancestor falling out of that tree, to the most spectacular fails of the present day. Perfect for fans of Sarah Knight and Giles Milton. This is HUMANS. In the seventy thousand years that modern human beings have walked this earth, we've come a long way. Art, science, culture, trade - o

Is there a secret visual language all around us? What´s so special about the shape of the Great Pyramid? Why is there something so sexy about circles? How many ways can you tile the plane? Lavishly illustrated by the author, this enchanting small introduction to one of the oldest and most widely-used ancient traditions on Earth will forever change the way you look at a triangle, arch, window, fa

What are fractals? Why are they such fun? How do you make one? Why is a dripping tap not as random as it seems? What is chaos? Is the Mandelbrot Set really the most complex object in mathematics? In this beautifully illustrated book, fractal-hunter Oliver Linton takes us on a fascinating journey into the mathematics of fractals and chaos, diving into many kinds of self- similar structures to rev

What are numbers? Where do they come from? Are there different kings of number? Why was Pythagoras fascinated by triangular and square numbers? Is there a link between perfect numbers and primes? In this enlightening illustrated pocket book, mathemagician Oliver Linton reveals the wonderful world of numbers, visiting the questions and answers of great number theorists along the way, from Euclid

It's been said that, after 9/11, the 2008 financial crash and the Covid-19 pandemic, we're a more fearful society than ever before. Yet fear, and the panic it produces, have long been driving forces - perhaps the driving force - of world history: fear of God, of famine, war, disease, poverty, and other people. In Fear: An Alternative History of the World, Robert Peckham considers the impact of fea

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION FINALIST • THE REAL ORIGIN OF OUR SPECIES: a myth-busting, eye-opening landmark account of how humans evolved, offering a paradigm shift in our thinking about what the female body is, how it came to be, and how this evolution still shapes all our lives today   “A page-turning whistle-stop tour of mammalian developmen

Have you ever been in an accident and felt that time slowed down? Have you felt time stretch radically, or even apparently disappear, in a state of deep meditation? Psychologist Dr Steve Taylor calls these Time Expansion Experiences, and in this book he shares his years of research into this life-changing phenomenon. Most of us will have experienced a TEE, an experience of time slowing do

The word raccoon is drawn from the Native American Algonquian language. Their term arakun roughly translates to "he who scratches with his hands." Anyone who has found a raccoon rummaging around in a once securely closed trash container can attest to how skilful raccoons are with their front paws. In fact, they have four times as many sensory receptors in their forepaw skin as they do in their hin

A brilliantly original exploration of humanity's intimate relationship with technology, from the emergence of our species to the emergence of AI and beyond.

Drawing on recent discoveries and insights, How Life Works outlines a new vision of our understanding of life for the 21st century.

THE UNFORGETTABLE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

'Popular science at its best: entertaining and thought-provoking.' FINANCIAL TIMES

'You don't have to be a victim to your past and the way you used to think . . . A wonderful book.' DR RANGAN CHATTERJEE

'A radically new and engaging