A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough

$40.00 AUD

Category: Science

See the world. Then make it better. 'I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us , barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake - and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.' All we need is the will do so.   ...Show more

How Innovation Works: Serendipity, Energy and the Saving of Time by Matt Ridley

$35.00 AUD

Category: Science

Ridley is spot-on when it comes to the vital ingredients for success' Sir James Dyson Building on his bestseller The Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley chronicles the history of innovation, and how we need to change our thinking on the subject. Innovation is the main event of the modern age, the reason we e xperience both dramatic improvements in our living standards and unsettling changes in our society. It is innovation that will shape the twenty-first century. Yet innovation remains a mysterious process, poorly understood by policy makers and businessmen alike. Matt Ridley argues that we need to see innovation as an incremental, bottom-up, fortuitous process that happens as a direct result of the human habit of exchange, rather than an orderly, top-down process developing according to a plan. Innovation is crucially different from invention, because it is the turning of inventions into things of practical and affordable use to people. It speeds up in some sectors and slows down in others. It is always a collective, collaborative phenomenon, involving trial and error, not a matter of lonely genius. It still cannot be modelled properly by economists, but it can easily be discouraged by politicians. Far from there being too much innovation, we may be on the brink of an innovation famine. Ridley derives these and other lessons from the lively stories of scores of innovations - from steam engines to search engines - how they started and why they succeeded or failed. Review: 'An insightful and charming exploration of questions that range from the truly profound (How does our species capture energy to stave off decay and death?) to the merely fascinating (Why did it take us so long to invent the wheeled suitcase?)' Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now 'From the Stone Age to smartphones and from farming to fission, Matt Ridley demonstrates with a plethora of examples how innovation has changed and, for the most part, improved the human condition, despite repeated resistance and frequent failure. Given the freedom of thought that innovation needs, he argues, we can ensure the survival of the planet. We abandon it or constrain it at our peril' Sir Tim Laurence, Chairman of English Heritage 'In this insightful and delightful book, Matt Ridley explores the wondrous causes of innovation, the force that drives our modern economy. He shows that it's a team sport, but one that features many colourful stars. It's a joy to tag along with him as he mines the history of human advances to discover nuggets of useful lessons' Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs 'A compelling case for free enterprise and free trade and the power of serendipity.' Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for International Trade ...Show more

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

$23.00 AUD

Category: Science

'We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it. The idea of the book is simply to try to understand the extraordinary contraption that is us.' Bill Bryson sets off to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable a bility to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up. A wonderful successor to A Short History of Nearly Everything, this new book is an instant classic. It will have you marvelling at the form you occupy, and celebrating the genius of your existence, time and time again. 'What I learned is that we are infinitely more complex and wondrous, and often more mysterious, than I had ever suspected. There really is no story more amazing than the story of us.' THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A directory of wonders.' - The Guardian 'Jaw-dropping.' - The Times 'Classic, wry, gleeful Bryson...an entertaining and absolutely fact-rammed book.' - The Sunday Times ...Show more

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

$25.00 AUD

Category: Science

#1 New York Times Bestseller From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution--a #1 international bestseller--that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human." One hundred thou sand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one--homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas. Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem. ...Show more

Stephen Hawking by Leonard Mlodinow

$35.00 AUD

Category: Science

An icon of the last fifty years, Stephen Hawking seems to encapsulate genius- not since Albert Einstein has a scientific figure held such a position in popular consciousness. In this enthralling memoir, writer and physicist Leonard Mlodinow tells the story of his friend and their friendship, offering an intimate account of this giant of science. The two met in 2003, when Stephen asked Leonard if he would consider writing a book with him, the follow up to the bestselling A Brief History of Time. As they spent years working on a second book, The Grand Design, they forged a deep connection and Leonard gained a much better understanding of Stephen's daily life and struggles - as well as his compassion and good humour. Together they obsessed over the perfect sentence, debated the physics, and occasionally punted on Cambridge's waterways with champagne and strawberries. In time, Leonard was able to finish Stephen's jokes, chide his sporadic mischief, and learn how the hardships of his illness helped forge that unique perspective on the universe. By weaving together their shared story with a clear-sighted portrayal of Hawking's scientific achievements, Mlodinow creates a beautiful portrait of Stephen Hawking as a brilliant, impish and generous man whose life was not only exceptional but also genuinely inspiring. ...Show more

Ancient Bones - UnEarthing the Astonishing new story of how we became human by Madelaine Bohme; Rüdiger Braun; Florian Breier

$35.00 AUD

Category: Science

A leading paleontologist discovers the missing link in human evolution. Somewhere west of Munich, Madelaine B hme and her colleagues dig for clues to the origins of humankind. What they discover is beyond anything they imagined- the fossilised bones of Danuvius guggenmosiignite a global media frenzy. T his ancient ancestor defies our knowledge of human history - his nearly twelve-million-year-old bones were not located in Africa - the so-called birthplace of humanity - but in Europe, and his features suggest we evolved much differently than scientists once believed. In prose that reads like a gripping detective novel, Ancient Bonesinterweaves the story of the dig that changed everything with the fascinating answer to a previously undecided and now pressing question- How, exactly, did we become human? Placing B hme's discovery alongside former theories of human evolution, the authors show how this remarkable find (and others in Eurasia) are forcing us to rethink the story we've been told about how we came to be, a story that has been our guiding narrative - until now ...Show more

The Secret Life of Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone by HARVEY-SMITH LISA

$35.00 AUD

Category: Science

Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain by David Eagleman

$33.00 AUD

Category: Science

How can a blind person learn to see with her tongue or a deaf person learn to hear with his skin? What does a baby born without a nose tell us about our sensory machinery? Might we someday control a robot with our thoughts? And what does any of this have to do with why we dream?The answers to these ques tions are not right in front of our eyes; they're right behind our eyes.This book is not simply about what the brain is, but what it does. Covering decades of research to the present day, Livewired also presents new findings from Eagleman's own research, including new discoveries in synaesthesia, dreaming and wearable neurotech devices that revolutionise how we think about the senses. ...Show more

The Better Half - On the Genetic Superiority of Women by Sharon Moalem

$30.00 AUD

Category: Science

Here are some facts - Women live longer than men. Women have stronger immune systems. They are less likely to suffer from learning and developmental disabilities, and are better at fighting cancer and surviving famine. Women are simply stronger than men at every stage of life, though we are taught the o pposite. But why? This question haunted Dr. Sharon Moalem throughout his career - when he was treating premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit; when he was recruiting the elderly for neurogenetic studies; when he was tending to HIV-positive orphans in Thailand. He couldn't understand why men were consistently less likely to thrive. And then it all clicked into place- two X chromosomes offer a survival advantage. With clear, captivating prose that weaves together eye-opening research, case studies, and diverse examples -- from the behaviour of honeybees to the fate of the Donner party -- and experiences from his personal life and his own patients, The Better Half explains why genetic females triumph over males when it comes to resiliency, intellect, stamina, immunity and much more. It also calls for a reconsideration of our male-centric, one-size-fits-all view of medical studies and even how we prescribe medications - a view that still sees women through the lens of men. Revolutionary and utterly convincing, The Better Half will make you see humanity and the survival of our species anew. ...Show more

The Language of Butterflies by Wendy Williams

$30.00 AUD

Category: Science

An enthralling look at one of the world's most beautiful and resilient animals, and the role they play in our ecosystem Butterflies are beloved across the globe, adorning gardens, parks and zoos. Their feats are staggering - monarchs migrate thousands of kilometres each year. They are smarter than we th ink - some species have learned to fool ants into taking care of them. Their beauty has led many to obsession - lepidopterists (butterfly-seekers) have died in search of particular species, frenzied and driven mad in the pursuit of colour. What draws us to these creatures so intensely? Why do they live so briefly? How do they get their colours? Science journalist Wendy Williams investigates butterflies across the globe, their habitats and those dedicated to studying them. She examines the ancient partnership between butterflies and humans, and the ways we depend on them today - from a bellwether on climate change to a source of life-saving medical technology. For lovers of Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopusand Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees, this melodious book reveals the inner lives of these special creatures and shows why they continue to fascinate us. Touching, eye-opening and profound, it is a love letter to these vanishing species, and a celebration of the beauty and joy they bring to our world. ...Show more

Invention of Surgery by David Schneider

$35.00 AUD

Category: Science

The Human Cosmos: A Secret History of the Stars by Jo Marchant

$30.00 AUD

Category: Science

For most of human history, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are - our religious beliefs, power structures, scientific advances and even our biology. But over the last f ew centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. And that disconnect comes at a cost.In The Human Cosmos, Jo Marchant takes us on a tour through the history of humanity's relationship with the heavens. We travel to the Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux and witness the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at Newgrange. We visit Medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extra-terrestrial life. And we discover why star-gazing can be really, really good for us.It is time for us to rediscover the full potential of the universe we inhabit, its wonder, its effect on our health and its potential for inspiration and revelation. ...Show more