Secondhand Popular Science Books

Cloning, genetic screening, embryo freezing, in vitro fertilization, Norplant, RU486--these are the technologies revolutionizing our reproductive landscape. Through the lens of procreative liberty--meaning both the freedom to decide whether or...

On August 10, 1632, five leading Jesuits convened in a sombre Roman palazzo to pass judgment on a simple idea: that a continuous line is composed of distinct and limitlessly...

If you could bring back one living being from the whole of the history of time, what would you choose? Comedian and former stem-cell biologist Helen Pilcher has thought about...

'A book that couldn't be more timely, providing an accessible introduction to epidemiology.' KirkusA compelling and disquieting journey through the history and science of epidemics.For centuries mankind has waged war...

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a...

An intellectual history of scurvy in the eighteenth centuryScurvy-a disease usually associated with long stretches of maritime travel-generated extraordinary sensations. Eyes dazzled, skin was morbidly sensitive, emotions veered between disgust...

William H. Foege, one of the most respected leaders in global public health, takes readers on a tour of his time at the CDC.In its seventy years, the Centers for...

Co-authored by a leading ophthalmology researcher and a professor with fifteen years of experience teaching writing in the biomedical sciences, The Biomedical Writer addresses ways to use psychology and neuroscience...

On July 20th 1969, in one of the most iconic moments of the twentieth century, Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon. The distant object that had fascinated...

From a text message to a war, from a Valentine's rose to a flight or even having a child, How Bad are Bananas? gives us the carbon answers we need...

During the 1530s, rumours of a potentially revolutionary theory of how the heavens worked emanating from a small city in Poland began to spread throughout Europe. The architect of this...

Do you gaze into your washing basket and wonder how long it'll take to find a pair of socks? Behind this question is a world of maths that can be...

Everyone wonders what it's really like in space, but very few of us ever have the chance to experience it firsthand. This captivating illustrated collection brings together stories from dozens...

A provocative new vision of how our world really works - and why chance determines everything.In Fluke, myth-shattering social scientist Brian Klaas deep-dives into the phenomenon of randomness, unpicking our...

The digital revolution has promised us a future of boundless opportunity at the speed of light, and a limitless vista of entertainment and education. The reality, as most of us...

'With poignancy, humour and compassion, Jones invites us into "the invigorating chaos of pre-hospital care" . . . a panorama of experiences: the mundane, the ridiculous, the heartbreaking and the...

This book is a success story. It explains two long-running puzzles of the theory of natural selection. How can natural selection favour those, like the ant, that renounce tooth and...

Men, towards the end of the last millennium, felt a sudden tightening of the bowels with the news that the services of their sex had at last been dispensed with....

Who is not interested in how the body works: how it grows, develops, and ages; how it goes wrong; how it has inspired artists and been the focus of ceremony...

'Face to Face is not just a brilliant introduction to one of the most exacting areas of modern medicine, it's a humbling glimpse of humans at their best.' Sunday TimesSo...

Mathematica(R): A Problem-Centered Approach introduces the vast array of features and powerful mathematical functions of Mathematica using a multitude of clearly presented examples and worked- out problems. Each section starts...

From the prize-winning author of To Be a Machine - meet the men and women preparing for the end of the world In the remote mountains of Scotland, in high-tech...

The history of science is often seen as a story of advancement but nothing could be further from the truth. Science, it is true, has progressed, but rarely in the...

The Quantum Universe brings together two authors on a brilliantly ambitious mission to show that everyone can understand the deepest questions of science. But just what is quantum physics? How...

The perfect companion to any flight - a guide to the science on view from your window seat. There are few times when science is so immediate as when you're...

'A magnificent, tender book' Independent 'Her words are brimful of love, grace and kindness' Guardian'She writes with a tender, lyrical beauty' Sunday TimesFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of Your...

In Collapse, Jared Diamond investigates the fate of past human societies, and the lessons for our own future. What happened to the people who built the ruined temples of Angkor...

What would that universe be like if human beings were not here to observe it? Would there be still be numbers, or scientific laws? Would the universe even be vast,...

Discover the second volume of an epic, beautifully illustrated graphic history of humankind, based on Yuval Noah Harari's multi-million copy bestselling phenomenon.When nomadic Homo sapiens settled to live in one...

Have you ever wondered why ice floats and water is such a freaky liquid? Or why chillies and mustard are both hot but in different ways? Or why microwaves don't...

From the bestselling author of Physics of the Impossible, Michio Kaku's Parallel Worlds takes us to the frontiers of scientific knowledge to explain the extraordinary nature - and future -...

A revealing look at the parallel mythologies behind the colonization of Earth and space-and a bold vision for a more equitable, responsible future both on and beyond our planet. As...

In this visionary book, Neil Turok explores the great discoveries of the past three centuries - from the classical mechanics of Newton; to the nature of light; to the bizarre...

Men, towards the end of the last millennium, felt a sudden tightening of the bowels with the news that the services of their sex had at last been dispensed with....

The very best journalism from one of Britain's most admired and outspoken science writers, author of the bestselling Bad Science and Bad Pharma. In Bad Science, Ben Goldacre hilariously exposed...

Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A and E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astonishing account...

The No 1 Bestseller'Compelling ... colourful, thoughtful' Sunday Independent'Tubridy's compassionate, no-nonsense approach makes him a comforting guide through the landscape of neurological medicine' Irish Times__________As a medical student Niall Tubridy...

A beautifully written and compelling memoir of a largely unexplored area of medicine: transplant surgery.Leading transplant surgeon Dr Joshua Mezrich creates life from loss, moving organs from one body to...

It's not what you know, it's who you know. Or so the adage goes. Professor Matthew Jackson, world-leading researcher into social and economic networks, shows us why this is far...