The New York Times bestselling author returns with a mind-opening exploration of how size defines life on Earth.

Explaining the key processes shaping size in nature, society and technology, Smil busts myths around proportions - from bodies to paintings and the so-called golden ratio - tells us what Jonathan Swift got wrong in Gulliver's Travels - the giant Brobdingnagian's legs would buckle under their enormous weight - and dives headfirst into the most contentious issue in ergonomics: the size of aeroplane seats.

It is no exaggeration to say this fascinating and wide-ranging tour de force will change the way you look at absolutely everything.

The definitive story of COVID-19 and how global politics shape our health - from a world-leading expert and the pandemic's go-to science communicator

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.

In gripping and heartfelt prose, Sridhar exposes the varied realities of those affected and puts you in the room with key decision makers at crucial moments. She vibrantly conveys the twists and turns of a plot that saw: deadlier varients emerge (contrary to the predictions of social media pundits who argued it would mutate to a milder form); countries with weak health systems like Senegal and Vietnam fare better than countries like the US and UK (which were consistently ranked as the most prepared); and the quickest development of game-changing vaccines in history (and their unfair distribution)

Combining science, politics, ethics and economics, this definitive book dissects the global structures that determine our fate, and reveals the deep-seated economic and social inequalities at their heart - it will challenge, outrage and inspire.

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, Salim S. Abdool Karim was catapulted into a prominent position in the media and on television as the face of South African science in the country's response to the pandemic. Up to that point, his groundbreaking research on AIDS had garnered many awards, leading to his recognition as one of the world’s leading epidemiologists, making him ideally positioned to take the scientific lead in the Covid-19 response.

Standing Up for Science is Abdool Karim’s personal, behind-the-scenes account of the first three years of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is inspiring and informative, shedding light on the difficulties in providing scientific advice, on the international co-operation that was integral to responding to the pandemic, as well as giving insight to some of the controversies in the science-to-policy process, and drawing lessons from Covid-19 to prepare for future pandemics.

Beyond the recent events in which the story is grounded, the book is an ode to the value of science and its power to help us tackle some of the world's biggest problems.

A Guardian Science Book of the Year 2022 ‘This is how to talk about science’ Justin Webb ‘A candid inside account . . . [Fox] reveals how frontline science can be just as messy, complex and feudal as any political drama.’ Anjana Ahuja, co-author of Spike: The Virus Versus the People Do you remember the ‘Climategate’ email leak? Or the ‘Frankenfood’-style headlines about the perils of GM foods? What about the time the government sacked its own science advisor for challenging drug laws? Beyond the Hype takes us behind the scenes of some of the most contentious stories in science over the past two decades. From animal research and genetically modified foods to hybrid embryos and a global pandemic, it demonstrates the vital importance of scientists talking to the media – and warns of the damage to public understanding when scientists are silenced on the defining issues of our times. ‘The way the media covers science stories and breakthroughs has never been more important or relevant . . . This book should be recommended reading’Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of The Life Scientific ‘The pandemic has repeatedly shown the vital necessity for accurate reporting of science . . . Fox provides some riveting stories about the ups and downs of this continuing struggle.’ David Spiegelhalter, author of The Art of Statistics ‘Engaging, illuminating, important’ Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism ‘A vivid account of how journalists and scientists interact’ David Willetts, former Minister for Universities and Science

A new addition to the successful 'Quick ID guide' series, Primates is a succinct survey of the features and habits of our closest relatives.

Divided into the three main primate groups - great apes, typical monkeys and prosimians (including the bushbabies) - this easy-to-use guide rovides pertinent facts, annotated photographs and up-to-date distribution maps to help readers accurately identify the most commonly seen and charismatic primates in the field.

Of all the animal groups, none looms larger in the imagination than the carnivores. Adapted for hunting and killing other animals, they represent the most powerful predators on Earth.

This compact guide covers both the mighty and ferocious - big cats, wolves, foxes and hyaenas - and a variety of smaller but equally formidable hunters - otters, polecats, weasels, mongooses and civets.

Professor Steve Peters is a Consultant Psychiatrist and author of the bestselling self-help book, The Chimp Paradox. He has years of experience as a clinician, an educator and has worked with some of the world's most successful athletes. His new book 'A Path through the Jungle' will help you to become robust and resilient. Professor Peters explains complex neuroscience in straightforward terms with his Chimp Management Mind Model Robust: Becoming robust means having plans in place to manage your own mind and whatever situations you meet in life. Resilient: is being able to bounce back and manage the challenges of life. Resilience is a skill. A Path through the Jungle offers a structured programme with exercises and practical real-life examples. This book will help you to improve in areas such as: * Managing stress and anxiety * Improved relationships * Emotional management * Grief and loss * Self-confidence * Peace of mind * Happiness * Managing stress

’n Regstreekse, voor die hand liggende en effektiewe gids tot boom-identifikasie.

Dié boek se titel sê dit alles! Hierdie bygewerkte tweede uitgawe verskaf ’n duidelike uiteensetting van hoe bome saamgestel is en waarna om op te let wanneer ’n boom geïdentifiseer word. Die boek bestaan uit twee dele:

- Deel 1 beskryf en illustreer duidelik die verskillende dele van ’n boom en hul rol in boomidentifikasie.

- Deel 2 bevat ’n sleutel tot 43 boomgroepe, gebaseer op maklik waarneembare stingel- en blaarkenmerke. Dit gee ’n duidelike oorsig van elke groep, sowel as die Suider-Afrikaanse boomfamilies wat in die onderskeie groepe verteenwoordig word. Talle kleurfoto’s en verduidelikende illustrasies ondersteun die teks wat dié handleiding toeganklik en gebruikersvriendelik maak.

Identifiseer die Bome van Suider-Afrika sal lesers toerus met ’n goeie begrip van die bou van bome en waarna hulle moet oplet om dit korrek te kan identifiseer.

Also available in English as How to Identify Trees in Southern Africa .

Physics, 11th Edition provides students with the skills that they need to succeed in this course, by focusing on conceptual understanding; problem solving; and providing real-world applications and relevance.

Conceptual Examples, Concepts and Calculations problems, and Check Your Understanding questions help students to understand physics principles.

Math Skills boxes, multi-concept problems, and Examples with reasoning steps help students to improve their reasoning skills while solving problems.

Of the more than 5,500 mammals species worldwide, at least 1,200 occur in Africa. Stuarts’ Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa concentrates on the more visible and easily distinguished larger species, as well as some of the more frequently seen smaller mammals.

This new edition has been extensively revised, expanded and redesigned and includes:

• the most recent research and taxonomy
• revised distribution maps and many new images
• colour-coded grouping of orders
• size icons
• detailed descriptions of each species, offering insight into key identification characters, typical behaviour, preferred habitat, food choice, reproduction and longevity
• whales and dolphins now featured too

Sasol First Field Guide to Fishes of Southern Africa is a beginner's guide to the more common fishes of the region, and covers both marine and freshwater species. Full-colour photographs, distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help enthusiasts and budding naturalists to identify the more common fishes in southern Africa, discover where they are found and learn about their unique behaviour, reproduction, conservation status and unusual features. A brief introduction gives context to the topic, outlines points of importance and explains the structure of the book. Sales points: straightforward introductory guide to the region's fishes; suitable for both adult and younger enthusiasts; informative, uncomplicated text written for beginners; useful introductory section; full-colour photographs of each fish; compact enough for ease of use in the field.

Mushrooms are mysterious, beautiful organisms that appear in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes – from microscopic to over a metre wide. They are abundant worldwide, and South Africa alone has an estimated minimum of 171 500 species.

This new edition of Pocket Guide: Mushrooms Of South Africa features a selection of the species more commonly found in the region, and will enable enthusiasts to identify these mushrooms in the field. Each entry includes:

• Full-colour photographs.
• Informative accounts with distinguishing characteristics highlighted.
• Edibility at a glance.

Easy to use and compact, this guide will prove invaluable to foragers and nature lovers.

Engineering is mathematics in action. But engineering students do not always see the link between what they learn in mathematics and how this applies to engineering problems.

From relatively simple questions, like determining the maximum weight a beam can support to complex projects like mapping out the most efficient electrical flow for a city’s traffic lights, mathematics is essential.

How robots will change our world Some fear that robots could do half our jobs and even wipe us out. But is that likely? Smart machines already make our cars and clean our homes. Soon they could drive us about, teach our children, and keep our parents company. While dealing with the ethical concerns about Artificial Intelligence, Bennie Mols and Nieske Vergunst reveal the history, present and future of robots. They show how moving AI could allow the lame to walk again, rescue survivors from collapsed buildings, and boost the global fight against hunger and pollution. Welcome to a vivid view of our robot future. With 60 colour photos. Topics From dolls to industrial workers, a history of robots How robots respond to their surroundings What robots learn about human speech Why self-driving cars are safer and greener The possibilities of robots in education Meet the 'cyborgs' who learn to walk again Why evolution designs the best robots Will rogue robots take over the world? Using robots as weapons and drones What the future holds: 2100, a Robot Odyssey Table of Contents 1 A short history of robots, from dolls to androids Machines as man throughout history Mechanical dolls: forerunners of the robot Enter the working humanoid robots The next step: android robots that look like you Uncanny valley: the problem with creepy robots 2. How do robots see their surroundings? Getting to grips with a new environment Seeing through the eyes of a robot Training robots to recognise objects Robots can see what a person cannot see Feeling with whiskers: sensing the way forward Robots use electronic ears to listen 3. How does a robot brain work? A robot must learn to think like a human Keeping it simple with an insect brain Machine learning is trial and error Robots can learn without supervision The football world cup for robots Developing robot emotional intelligence 4. Giving humans a helping hand Robots suck: doing the dirty jobs at home A robotic arm reaches deep into the supply chain Joseph Engelberger, father of car factory robots Co-bots will work alongside people Coping with variation is Amazon's challenge Building a robot car 5. Learning to speak to people The problem with machine talk SHRDLU! The first experiment in robot conversation Toilets are hidden: translation problems A robotic teacher never runs out of patience 6. Robots get emotional Emotional robots encourage humans to interact with them A robot can work out how you are feeling Why am I afraid? Understanding human emotions Help! My robot looks angry Establishing a bond with a robot 7. Humans need robots and robots need humans Meet the robot psychologists Under-promise and over-deliver performance Silicon Valley utopias vs calm technology What is the best ratio of robots to humans? In the rubble: the search and rescue robot The paradox of robotization 8. Humans need robots and robots need humans Meet the robot psychologists Under-promise and over-deliver performance * Silicon Valley utopias vs calm technology What is the best ratio of robots to humans? In the rubble: the search and rescue robot The paradox of robotization 9. Evolution designs the best robots How robots travel in a bumpy world Robothand has nature's grip A two-legged walking robot The first robot baby Working out the best path through evolution 10. Swarming robots show the wisdom of crowds The power of robots working together A robot swarm without a boss Goal is mapping a building about to collapse Predicting how a robot will behave Robot swarms in the real world A robotic swarm looks for a queen 11. The importance of building ethical robots Isaac Asimov's three rules about rogue robots When robots go wrong Responsible roboticists are planning for the future Robots and the UN's development goals How will robots change the human race? Killing machines: robots in the military 12. 2100 - A Robot Odyssey The future of work in a robotic world Fusing mind and body with soft robotics And then the smart robot became creative Was that move really creative? Will robots really take over the world?

Sasol First Field Guide to Mushrooms of Southern Africa has been redesigned and fully revised to include new photographs and the most recent taxonomic changes.

With the help of full-colour photographs and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common mushroom species found in southern Africa, discover where they grow, learn about their unusual features and determine their edibility.

• Introductory guide to the region’s mushrooms
• Suitable for both adult and younger enthusiasts
• Informative, uncomplicated text written by an expert
• Useful introductory section
• Full-colour photographs of each mushroom
• Compact for ease of use in the field

This pocket-sized book is the perfect introduction to an increasingly popular subject.

An enduring and popular resource, this handy publication lists all the birds to be seen in the region and provides a simple way of recording where and when you have spotted them.

Pocket-sized for ease of use, it offers:

• Cross-referencing to the new Sasol Birds of Southern Africa (fifth edition)
• Six columns for multiple recordings at six different localities
• Up-to-date names for all southern African birds
• Endemic and threat status for all birds

This revised, updated checklist will be sought after by the region’s twitchers at all levels.

When was the last time you spoke to a stranger? In our cities, we barely acknowledge one another on public transport, even as rates of loneliness skyrocket. Online, we carefully curate who we interact with. In our politics, we are increasingly consumed by a fear of people we've never met. But what if strangers, long believed to be the cause of many of our problems, were actually the solution? In The Power of Strangers, Joe Keohane discovers the surprising benefits that come from talking to strangers, examining how even passing interactions can enhance empathy, happiness and cognitive development, ease loneliness and isolation, and root us in the world, deepening our sense of belonging. Warm, witty, erudite and profound, this deeply researched book will make you reconsider how you perceive and approach strangers, showing you how talking to strangers isn't just not a way to live, it's a way to survive.