As the outbreak of a new and deadly form of coronavirus dominates headlines and triggers fear and global recession, now is a good time to reflect on the history and science of transmissible diseases. Behind every disease is a story, from the natural history of the disease and its course in the individual, to the tale of the disease's description, discovery and treatment. From the impact of tuberculosis on English dynastic history to the makeup of our DNA; from the deadliest plagues of the ancient world to twenty-first century pandemics; and from the ravages of the Black Death to the discovery of antibodies, transmissible diseases have an incredible variety of tales to tell.

Contagion explores some of the most notorious, grisly, and pernicious communicable diseases in history, revealing their hidden stories. In addition to discussing their symptoms, causes, prevention, and treatment, Richard Gunderman also discusses their impact on notable figures in history, from soldiers to monarchs; the extraordinary contributions of the scientists and physicians who battled them; as well as their impacts on world history and human evolution. Here are the exploits of Edward Jenner, who invented the first vaccine; John Snow, the first person to study disease scientifically; Louis Pasteur, who established the germ theory of infection, along with a myriad other remarkable stories in the never ending struggle between humanity and disease. The narrative is brought right up to date with the desperate battle to stem the Covid-19 pandemic and discover a vaccine.

Renowned medical expert Dr Richard Gunderman shows how disease has shaped the evolution of our species and, if we don't take the proper steps, may yet threaten our very existence on this planet.

A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Science & Technology Book Prize 'The most entertaining writer in science' - The Times, Books of the Year War. Mention it and most of us think of history, of conflicts on foreign soil, of heroism and compromise, of strategy and weapons. But there's a whole other side to the gruesome business of the battlefield. In Grunt, the inimitable Mary Roach explores the science of keeping human beings intact, awake, sane, uninfected and uninfested in the bizarre and extreme circumstances of war. Setting about her task with infectious enthusiasm, she sniffs World War II stink bombs, tests earplugs in a simulated war zone and burns the midnight oil with the crew of a nuclear submarine. Speaking to the scientists and the soldiers, she learns about everything from life-changing medical procedures to innovations as esoteric as firing dead chickens at fighter jets. Engrossing, insightful and laugh-out-loud funny, this is an irresistible ride to the wilder shores of modern military life.

The vast majority of statistics books delineate techniques used to analyze collected data. The Joy of Statistics is not one of these books. It consists of a series of 42 "short stories", each illustrating how statistical methods applied to data produce insight and solutions to the questions the data were collected to answer. Real-life and sometimes artificial data are used to demonstrate the often painless method and magic of statistics. In addition, the text contains brief histories of the evolution of statistical methods and a number of brief biographies of the most famous statisticians of the 20th century. Sprinkled throughout are statistical jokes, puzzles and traditional stories. The levels of statistical texts span a spectrum, from elementary to introductory to application to theoretical to advanced mathematical. This book explores a variety of statistical applications using graphs and plots, along with detailed and intuitive descriptions, and occasionally a bit of 10th grade mathematics. Examples of a few of the topics included among these "short stories" are pet ownership, gambling games such as roulette, blackjack and lotteries, as well as more serious subjects such as comparison of black/white infant mortality risk, infant birth weight and maternal age, estimation of coronary heart disease risk and racial differences in Hodgkin disease. The statistical descriptions of these topics are in many cases accompanied by easy to understand explanations labelled "How it Works."

An entertaining guide to how maths is relevant to our everyday lives. Why is it better to buy a lottery ticket on Friday? Why are showers always too hot or too cold? And which classic puzzle was destroyed by Allied bombing in the war? These and many other questions are answers in this entertaining and highly informative book. Why do Buses Come in Threes? is for anyone who wants to remind themselves - or discover for the first time - that maths is relevant to almost everything we do. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, gambling and life-saving techniques all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that you will find explained here - including the odd coincidence of 4 July, the exponential growth of Australian rabbits and a surprising formula for running in the rain without getting wet. Whether you have a degree in astrophysics or haven't touched maths since you left school, this book will change the way you view the world around you.

THE CLASSIC GUIDE, NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED Why do we need Statistics? What do terms like 'dispersion', 'correlation', 'normal distribution' and 'significance' actually mean? How can I learn how to think statistically? This bestselling introduction is for anyone who wants to know how statistics works and the powerful ideas behind it. Teaching through words and diagrams instead of requiring you to do complex calculations, it assumes no expert knowledge and makes the subject accessible even to readers who consider themselves non-mathematical. This clear and informative 'tutorial in print' includes questions for you to respond to in the light of what you have read so far, ensuring your developing ability to think statistically.

A fascinating tour of great moments in science

From Newton’s apple to Fleming’s mold, from the structure of carbon molecules to the structure of DNA, Eureka! tells the true stories behind some of the most memorable and revolutionary discoveries in the history of science, and the dedicated, often unconventional scientists who made them.

You’ll meet Philo Farnsworth, who, as a 14-year-old boy, got the idea for the TV screen while plowing the fields of his family’s Idaho farm; Benoit Mandelbrot, who discovered a hidden order of nature in the "trash cans of science," and Charles Townes, who invented an amazing device that no one needed–at the time. Eureka! brings you these and other amazing stories, including:

• Joseph Priestley and the discovery of oxygen
• Albert Einstein and the theory of gravity
• Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution
• Dmitri Mendeleyev and the periodic table
• Alfred Wegener and the theory of continental drift

Rewind Your Biology and Live Like a 20-Year-Old! Edit Your Genes to Live Disease-Free! Find a Parking Space with Your Internet-Connected Brain! Advances in longevity, genetics, nanotech, and robotics will make all this possible! This is not science fiction. This is your future. Right now, pioneering scientists and technologists are transforming what it means to be human by overcoming biological limits that have existed since our ancestors swung out of the trees...and into the suburbs. With incredible inspiration and perseverance, these visionaries are solving deep problems of human health and longevity-and their progress is accelerating. Super You takes you inside their labs, companies, and minds...to show how you can reap the benefits of a stronger, longer, better, life. You'll learn how to start hacking your life today, to become more super, every day. Discover what's possible when yesterday's human limits are gone! Learn how evolution became obsolete-and why it's time to start hacking yourself Save your life with whirring "jet engine" hearts, printed organs, and other medical miracles Rewire and turbo-boost your ape brain Become a mega-mind by connecting your brain directly to the Internet to use Google's synthetic neocortex Become superhuman with cyborg technology Design and mold your looks Genetically engineer your baby to be a tennis star (and other true stories) Prepare for the political and religious backlash against the future Discover how scientists will make death obsolete by treating it like a curable disease-and how to live until they do

DNA ancestry companies generate revenues in the region of $1bn a year, and the company 23andMe is said to have sold 10 million DNA ancestry kits to date. Although evidently popular, the science behind how DNA ancestry tests work is mystifying and difficult for the general public to interpret and understand. In this accessible and engaging book, Sheldon Krimsky, a leading researcher, investigates the methods that different companies use for DNA ancestry testing. He also discusses what the tests are used for, from their application in criminal investigations to discovering missing relatives. With a lack of transparency from companies in sharing their data, absent validation of methods by independent scientists, and currently no agreed-upon standards of accuracy, this book also examines the ethical issues behind genetic genealogy testing, including concerns surrounding data privacy and security. It demystifies the art and science of DNA ancestry testing for the general reader.

Learn electricity at your own pace

What makes a light bulb work? What overloads a fuse? How does a magnetic field differ from an electrical field? With Electricity: A Self-Teaching Guide, you’ll discover the answers to these questions and many more about this powerful, versatile force that everyone uses, yet most of us don’t understand.

Ralph Morrison demystifies electricity, taking you through the basics step by step. Significantly updated to cover the latest in electrical technology, this easy-to-use guide makes familiar the workings of voltage, current, resistance, power, and other circuit values. You’ll discover where electricity comes from, how electric fields cause current to flow, how we harness its tremendous power, and how best to avoid the various pitfalls in many practical applications when the time comes for you to put your knowledge to work. The clearly structured format of Electricity makes it fully accessible, providing an easily understood, comprehensive overview for everyone from the student to the engineer to the hobbyist.

Like all Self-Teaching Guides, Electricity allows you to build gradually on what you have learned–at your own pace. Questions and self-tests reinforce the information in each chapter and allow you to skip ahead or focus on specific areas of concern. Packed with useful, up-to-date information, this clear, concise volume is a valuable learning tool and reference source for anyone who wants to improve his or her understanding of basic electricity.

'An original, provocative and fascinating new theory by one of the world's leading neuroscientists about why the mind wanders - and when and why it's good for you' Daniel Gilbert Your brain is noisy. Certain regions are always grinding away at involuntary activities like daydreaming and intrusive thoughts - taking up to forty-seven percent of your waking time. This is mindwandering. Mindwandering is the first popular book to explore the phenomenon of our wandering minds and the cutting-edge new research behind it. Cognitive neuroscientist Moshe Bar combines his decades of research to explain the benefits and the possible cost of mindwandering within the broader context of psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry and philosophy. He provides you with practical knowledge that can help strengthen your relationships with others, increase your concentration at work and reduce your anxiety. 'Bar's revelatory, pioneering studies are finally available for everyone to enjoy, so we can optimally direct our states of mind to better align with the moment' David Eagleman, New York Times-bestselling author of Incognito and Livewired 'Highlights the role of mindwandering in solving problems, inducing happiness and in teaching us to bring the right mind to the right time' Dr Nancy Etcoff, psychologist at Harvard Medical School 'A gentle and humane book that should be read by everyone interested in the human mind and the human brain' Andy Clark, Professor of Cognitive Philosophy, University of Sussex

WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION 'Gripping from the start, Written in Bone is superb' - Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes 'No Scientist communicates better than Sue Black' - Val McDermid, author of Still Life 'Macabre, authoritative and fascinating.' - The Sunday Times Our bones are the silent witnesses to the lives we lead. Our stories are marbled into their marrow. Drawing upon her years of research and a wealth of remarkable experience, the world-renowned forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black takes us on a journey of revelation. From skull to feet, via the face, spine, chest, arms, hands, pelvis and legs, she shows that each part of us has a tale to tell. What we eat, where we go, everything we do leaves a trace, a message that waits patiently for months, years, sometimes centuries, until a forensic anthropologist is called upon to decipher it. Some of this information is easily understood, some holds its secrets tight and needs scientific cajoling to be released. But by carefully piecing together the evidence, the facts of a life can be rebuilt. Limb by limb, case by case - some criminal, some historical, some unaccountably bizarre - Sue Black reconstructs with intimate sensitivity and compassion the hidden stories in what we leave behind. Praise for Sue Black: 'Sue Black has a rare ability to make blood and bones come alive. A marvellous writer. Ruth Davidson, SMP 'The corpse whisperer ... Is it okay for Black, or us, to enjoy this quite so much?' 'Fascinating' - Spectator 'Gripping' - Guardian 'Moving' - Scotsman 'Engrossing' - Financial Times

What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. Nanotechnology 101 does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers -- whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public -- with the essential ideas of the new science of nanotechnology using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicted ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood. Nanotechnology 101 provides contemporary topics about the infusion of nanotechnology in the areas of the environment, food safety, medicine and healthcare, consumer goods, agriculture, homeland security, and energy supply. Coverage includes: BLHow nanotechnology is going to change our future workplace and workforce BLSocietal and ethical implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology BLCareers in the expanding field of nanotechnology BLMany of the major companies, universities, and government organizations that are investing in nanotechnology research and nanofabrication BLWebsites to explore hands-on nanotechnology activities and classroom projects BLA close alignment with the National Science Education Standards. With a bibliography, sidebars, and interviews with leading figures in the field, Nanotechnology 101 provides the perfect starting point for anyone wishing to understand this burgeoning science.

The periodic table, created in the early 1860s by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, marked one of the most extraordinary advances in modern chemistry. This basic visual aid helped scientists to gain a deeper understanding of what chemical elements really were: and, astonishingly, it also correctly predicted the properties of elements that hadn't been discovered at the time.

Here, in the authoritative Elementary, James Russell uses his lively, accessible and engaging narrative to tell the story behind all the elements we now know about. From learning about the creation of the first three elements, hydrogen, lithium and helium, in the big bang, through to oxygen and carbon, which sustain life on earth - along with the many weird and wonderful uses of elements as varied as fluorine, arsenic, krypton and einsteinium - even the most unscientifically minded will be enthralled by this fascinating subject. Russell compellingly details these most basic building blocks of the universe, and the people who identified, isolated and even created them.

For you to be here today reading this requires a mind-boggling series of lucky breaks, starting with the Big Bang and ending in your own conception. So it's not surprising that we persist in thinking that we're in with a chance, whether we're playing the lottery or working out the likelihood of extra-terrestrial life. In Chance, a (not entirely) random selection of the New Scientist's sharpest minds provide fascinating insights into luck, randomness, risk and probability. From the secrets of coincidence to placing the perfect bet, the science of random number generation to the surprisingly haphazard decisions of criminal juries, it explores these and many other tantalising questions. Following on from the bestselling Nothing and Question Everything, this book will open your eyes to the weird and wonderful world of chance - and help you see when some things, in fact, aren't random at all.

"A fitting biography of one of the most brilliant, acerbic, and under-appreciated astrophysicists of the twentieth century. John Johnson has delved deeply into a rich and eventful life, and produced a rollicking account of how Fritz Zwicky split his time between picking fights with his colleagues and discovering amazing things about our universe."-Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture Fritz Zwicky was one of the most inventive and iconoclastic scientists of his time. He predicted the existence of neutron stars, and his research pointed the way toward the discovery of pulsars and black holes. He was the first to conceive of the existence of dark matter, the first to make a detailed catalog of thousands of galaxies, and the first to correctly suggest that cosmic rays originate from supernovas. Not content to confine his discoveries to the heavens, Zwicky contributed to the United States war against Japan with inventions in jet propulsion that enabled aircraft to launch from carriers in the Pacific. After the war, he was the first Western scientist to interview Wernher von Braun, the Nazi engineer who developed the V-2 rocket. Later he became an outspoken advocate for space exploration, but also tangled with almost every leading scientist of the time, from Edwin Hubble and Richard Feynman to J. Robert Oppenheimer and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. In Zwicky, John Johnson, Jr., brings this tempestuous maverick to life. Zwicky not only made groundbreaking contributions to science and engineering; he rose to fame as one of the most imaginative science popularizers of his day. Yet he became a pariah in the scientific community, denouncing his enemies, real and imagined, as "spherical bastards" and "horses' asses." Largely forgotten today, Zwicky deserves rediscovery for introducing some of the most destructive forces in the universe, and as a reminder that genius obeys no rules and has no friends.

Foreword by Philippa Perry

‘Based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children - and the adults who love them.’ – Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet'

A necessary and important book.' - Philippa Perry, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

Are you a hardy and resilient dandelion, or are you a more sensitive and fragile orchid?

Building on the definitions of introvert, extrovert or highly sensitive, The Orchid and the Dandelion exposes – for the first time – how a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to what makes us who we are. This breakthrough research explains why some people struggle where others succeed, why happiness comes so easily to some while frustrations weigh more heavily on others.

In The Orchid and the Dandelion, Dr W. Thomas Boyce – one of the world’s foremost researchers in the field of pediatric health – presents findings that children have two very different responses to their environments. While some children are like dandelions and can thrive in almost any environment, there are others who, like orchids, are much more reactive and susceptible to their surroundings. Now we finally have a scientific framework to understand people and how to address their unique needs to help them find their fullest potential.

This groundbreaking book draws on extensive research into genetics and the exploding field of epigenetics, examples and real stories that will re-frame how we think about orchid and dandelion children – and the adults those children have become. By understanding which of us are, genetically and environmentally speaking, the orchids of this world, Dr Boyce explains how to care for and parent our children – the true orchids. He shows how we can help them thrive by sharing insights and lessons from his thirty years of research in the field.

A billion-year history of movement, from bacteria to Olympic athletes. 'Packed with revelations, scholarly but clear, Restless Creatures carries you from the kinetics of the amoeba to that of the blue whale, from the swim-cycle of spermatozoa, to why skipping works best on the moon. A pop-science treat.' Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being Despite the overwhelming diversity of life on earth, one theme has dominated its evolution: the apparently simple act of moving from one place to another. Restless Creatures is the first book for a general audience telling the incredible story of locomotion in human and animal evolution. Evolutionary biologist Matt Wilkinson traces this 4-billion-year history, showing why our ancestors became two-legged, how movement explains why we have opposable thumbs and a backbone, how fish fins became limbs, how even trees are locomotion-obsessed, and how movement has shaped our minds as well as our bodies. He explains why there are no flying monkeys or biological wheels, how dinosaurs took to the air, how Mexican waves were the making of the animal kingdom, and why moving can make us feel good. Restless Creatures opens up an astonishing new perspective - that little in evolution makes sense unless in the light of movement.

This is the story of a new science. Beginning with an obscure discovery in 1896, radioactivity led researchers on a quest for understanding that ultimately confronted the intersection of knowledge and mystery.
Mysterious from the start, radioactivity attracted researchers who struggled to understand it. What caused certain atoms to give off invisible, penetrating rays? Where did the energy come from? These questions became increasingly pressing when researchers realized the process seemed to continue indefinitely, producing huge quantities of energy. Investigators found cases where radioactivity did change, forcing them to the startling conclusion that radioactive bodies were transmuting into other substances. Chemical elements were not immutable after all. Radioactivity produced traces of matter so minuscule and evanescent that researchers had to devise new techniques and instruments to investigate them.
Scientists in many countries, but especially in laboratories in Paris, Manchester, and Vienna unraveled the details of radioactive transformations. They created a new science with specialized techniques, instruments, journals, and international conferences. Women entered the field in unprecedented numbers. Experiments led to revolutionary ideas about the atom and speculations about atomic energy. The excitement spilled over to the public, who expected marvels and miracles from radium, a scarce element discovered solely by its radioactivity. The new phenomenon enkindled the imagination and awakened ancient themes of literature and myth.
Entrepreneurs created new industries, and physicians devised novel treatments for cancer. Radioactivity gave archaeologists methods for dating artifacts and meteorologists a new explanation for the air's conductivity. Their explorations revealed a mysterious radiation from space. Radioactivity profoundly changed science, politics, and culture. The field produced numerous Nobel Prize winners, yet radioactivity's talented researchers could not solve the mysteries underlying the new phenomenon. That was left to a new generation and a new way of thinking about reality.
Radioactivity presents this fascinating history in a way that is both accessible and appealing to the general reader. Not merely a historical account, the book examines philosophical issues connected with radioactivity, and relates its topics to broader issues regarding the nature of science.

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. The Secret Life of the Periodic Table 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.

Water is the most every day of substances. It pours from our taps and falls from the sky. We drink it, wash with it, and couldn't live without it. Yet, on closer examination it is also a very strange substance (it is one of only a very small number of molecules which expand when cooled). Look closer again and water reveals itself as a key to a scientific story on the biggest of canvases. Water is crucial to our survival - life depends on it - but it was also fundamental in the origins of life on Earth. The millions of gallons of water which make up our rivers, lakes and oceans, originated in outer space. How it arrived here and how those molecules of water were formed, is a story which takes us back to the beginning of the universe. Indeed, we know more about the depths of space than we do about the furthest reaches of the oceans. Water has also shaped the world we live in. Whether it is by gently carving the Grand Canyon over millennia, or in shaping how civilisations were built; we have settled our cities along rivers and coasts. Scientific studies show how we feel calmer and more relaxed when next to water. We holiday by the seas and lakes. Yet one day soon wars may be fought over access to water. The Water Book will change the way you look at water. After reading it you will be able to hold a glass of water up to the light and see within it a strange molecule that connects you to the origins of life, the birth (and death) of the universe, and to everyone who ever lived.

'If there is one dominant myth about the world, one huge mistake we all make ... it is that we all go around assuming the world is much more of a planned place than it is.' From the industrial revolution and the rise of China, to urbanisation and the birth of bitcoin, Matt Ridley demolishes conventional assumptions that the great events and trends of our day are dictated by those on high. On the contrary, our most important achievements develop from the ground up. In this wide-ranging and erudite book, Matt Ridley brilliantly makes the case for evolution as the force that has shaped much of our culture, our minds, and that even now is shaping our future. As compelling as it is controversial, as authoritative as it is ambitious, Ridley's deeply thought-provoking book will change the way we think about the world and how it works.

The story of two nineteenth-century scientists who revealed one of the most significant and exciting events in the natural history of this planet: the existence of dinosaurs. In 'The Dinosaur Hunters' Deborah Cadbury brilliantly recreates the remarkable story of the bitter rivalry between two men: Gideon Mantell uncovered giant bones in a Sussex quarry, became obsessed with the lost world of the reptiles and was driven to despair. Richard Owen, a brilliant anatomist, gave the extinct creatures their name and secured for himself unrivalled international acclaim.

The 20th century gave us two great theories of physics: the general theory of relativity, which describes the behaviour of things on a very large scale, including the entire Universe; and quantum theory, which describes the behaviour of things on a very small scale, the sub-atomic world. The refusal of the Universe to reveal an equation that combines these two great ideas has caused some people to doubt our whole understanding of physics. In this landmark new book, popular science master John Gribbin tells the dramatic story of the quest that has led us to discover the true age of the Universe (13.8 billion years) and the stars (just a little bit younger). This discovery, Gribbin argues, is one of humankind's greatest achievements and shows us that physics is on the right track to finding the 'Theory of Everything'. 13.8 provides an eye-opening look at this cutting-edge area of modern cosmology and physics, and tells the compelling story of what modern science has achieved - and what it can still achieve.

The Story of Science guides us to the original texts that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos and ourselves. Whether referenced individually or read together as the narrative of Western scientific development, the book's twenty-eight succinct chapters lead readers from the first science texts by Hippocrates, Plato and Aristotle through twentieth-century classics in biology, physics and cosmology, including works by Einstein, Schroedinger and Dawkins. Each chapter recommends one or more classic books and provides an entertaining account of the discovery, a vivid sketch of the scientist-writer and a clear explanation of any technical issues. The Story of Science reveals science to be a human pursuit-an essential, often deeply personal, sometimes flawed, frequently brilliant way of understanding the world.

The Untold Story of Everything Digital: Bright Boys, Revisited celebrates the 70th anniversary (1949-2019) of the world "going digital" for the very first time-real-time digital computing's genesis story. That genesis story is taken from the 2010 edition of Bright Boys: The Making of Information Technology, 1938-1958, and substantially expanded upon for this special, anniversary edition. Please join us for the incredible adventure that is The Untold Story of Everything Digital, when a band of misfit engineers, led by MIT's Jay Forrester and Bob Everett, birthed the digital revolution. The bright boys were the first to imagine an electronic landscape of computing machines and digital networks, and the first to blaze its high-tech trails.