The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books General Prize shortlist was recently announced. It is a great selection for those interested in a read with both intellectual substance and readability.
A life decoded J. Craig Venter (Penguin Allen Lane)
Venter is the scientist who instigated the celebrated race between the government and his former company, Celera, to produce the first complete transcription of a human genome. This book is an autobiography that recounts his role in the genome conflict and other scientific firsts in his career.
NY Times review
Coral : A pessimist in paradise Steve Jones (Little, Brown)
In this outstanding narrative, acclaimed author Steve Jones reveals all that coral has to tell us about the past, present and future of our planet and humankind.
Gut feelings Gerd Gigerenzer (Penguin – Allen Lane)
Gigerenzer is one of the researchers of behavioural intuition responsible for the science behind Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller Blink. Gladwell showed how snap decisions often yield better results than careful analysis. Now, Gigerenzer explains why intuition is such a powerful decision-making tool. Drawing on a decade of research, Gigerenzer demonstrates that gut feelings are actually the result of unconscious mental processes–processes that apply rules of thumb that we’ve derived from our environment and prior experiences. (From publisher description).
Six degrees: Our future on a hotter planet Mark Lynas (Fourth Estate)
Written by the author of “High Tide”, this book presents an account of the future of our earth and our civilisation. It refers to the terrifying possibility that average temperatures will rise by up to six degrees years in future years. It highlights the fact that the world of 2100 doesn’t have to be one of horror and chaos.
Why beauty is truth Ian Stewart (Basic Books)
Explores symmetry – a concept that is simple, complex, multi-disciplinary and unifying. This book narrates the history of this area of study, from its roots in 10th-century BC Babylon to its role in 21st century physics. It describes the world beyond superstrings: the “octonionic” symmetries that may explain the very existence of the universe.
The sun kings Stuart Clark (Princeton University Press)
