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Black holes, space-time . . . Roger Penrose’s work won him a Nobel — but tore his family apart, as Patchen Barss reveals in a fascinating biography
Treating today’s mental and physical conditions may be a challenge, but their prevalence is actually a good sign
Lessons from cuckoos, caterpillars and tortoises: the influential biologist’s new book ‘reads’ genes as palimpsests of the past
An international study of how human history has reshaped the planet, and vice versa
Amorina Kingdon on the secrets of underwater acoustics and the damaging effects of noise pollution on marine wildlife
The rivalry between Buffon and Linnaeus has lessons about disrupters and exploitation
Medical historian Beth Linker provides a timely account of 20th-century America’s obsession with good posture
Clive Cookson selects his best mid-year reads
Shannon Vallor argues that the more power we cede to ‘giant mirrors of code’, the less we use our own practical wisdom
Lisa Kaltenegger is an enthusiastic guide to the search for life beyond our planet — and the new technologies that could help it succeed
In ‘The Language Puzzle’, archaeologist Steven Mithen explores how linguistic and evolutionary development go hand in hand, from our grunt-filled past to our garrulous present
In ‘Why We Remember’, neuroscientist Charan Ranganath takes us on a fascinating exploration of how we process today’s world based on our recall of the past
Philip Ball demotes the role of the double helix molecule, arguing that biology is far messier and marvellous than many scientists suspected
A riveting account tracks a snakes-and-ladders path, from tough beginnings in Communist Hungary to paving the way for Covid vaccines
‘Fire Weather’ named winner of UK’s leading award for non-fiction at ceremony in London
Clive Cookson selects his must-read titles
The latest developments in climate science and humanity’s radical — and not so radical — solutions
Physics meets philosophy — and Dante — in possibly the most charming book by a mainstream scientist this year
Getting out of your comfort zone can help you overcome obstacles and achieve success, says psychologist and author Adam Grant
Writers tackle themes such as the roles of capitalism and ideology in the future of the planet
An ambitious study explores the problems and paradoxes arising from the startling breakthroughs of AI
Three books explore the future of galactic travel and the sights and experiences that await
From stone tablet to Kindle, two surveys of the history of the book probe what comes next, in the era of e-readers and text-guzzling AI
Three new books help recalibrate our relationship to the water that sustains us
