Science

Join Stephen Fry for the greatest story on Earth: the story of life itself. A twelve-part exploration of the incredible diversity of living beings on our planet. Our journey starts four billion years ago with the earliest signs of life deep in the ocean. Along the way it will take in Earth’s extraordinary range of life forms, from microbes to invertebrates, birds, amphibians, mammals and humanity itself.

Approximately 66 million years ago, an asteroid struck the Earth, triggering a chain of events that would end the reign of the dinosaurs and usher in the age of mammals. Despite its colossal scale, this incident was not the only event of its kind—in fact, it wasn’t even the first. Rather, it’s only the most recent mass extinction our planet has witnessed across its 4-billion-year lifespan.

The challenge for most who are wrestling with whether to give a vaccine is a lack of understanding about what information they really need to make an informed decision. Written by a pediatrician who witnessed the difference over decades in the health outcomes of the vaccinated, partially vaccinated, and unvaccinated children in his practice, Vax Facts will enlighten parents and guardians and provide the information needed for informed consent.

'You could call him Paddington,' Adam said, casually, 'Don't name him! I said, as if this was self-evident. Names turn situations into responsibilities. When Mirelle Radley set off for Peru with her cousin Adam, hoping to heal her broken heart, she didn't expect to meet someone who would change...

Whether you’re looking for proof of alien life or seeking the meaning of life here on Earth, you’ll find that the domain of philosophy and the realm of the weird converge in surprising ways via the six lectures of From Aliens to Bigfoot: A Philosopher’s Guide to the Strange. Guided by Dr. Frank Cabrera and Dr. Megan Fritts, you’ll dive into some of the most bizarre—and most philosophically fascinating—wonders of the world.

In the now-classic Forensics, internationally bestselling and award-winning “queen of crime” (CrimeReads) Val McDermid picks up the scalpel to uncover the secrets of forensic science, from the crime scene to the courtroom In the course of researching her best-selling books, McDermid has...

Brought to you by Penguin. Wildfires burning dozens of houses in London suburbs. Downpours so severe they can drown people trapped in basements. Record heatwaves paralysing our railways and hospitals. This sounds like fiction but it isn’t. The climate is turning far more hostile than many...

An expert on otters dives into their wild and wondrous world You’ve heard of a murder of crows and a pride of lions—but what about a romp of otters? In this informative and entertaining book, animal behaviorist Heide Island takes readers on an odyssey through otterdom, focusing on a family...

Wenn sich die Menschen früher die Natur nicht erklären konnten, haben sie Mythen erfunden. Heute wissen wir es besser: Nicht Götter und Geister bestimmen die Welt, sondern Gleichungen und Gesetze. Und doch klammern sich viele lieber an Mythen, wenn die Wissenschaft schlechte Nachrichten hat. So wie die Nachricht von der Erderwärmung. In dieser Ausgabe von „Erzähl mir alles: Physik" entlarvt das Physiker-Team die hartnäckigsten Fehlinformationen über den Klimawandel und die Energiewende.

Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, a neuroscientist searches for the answer to one of life’s biggest questions: Are miracles real? After experiencing a violent seizure, Joshua W. Brown was diagnosed with an inoperable glioma—a cancerous brain tumor—just days before his wife gave birth...

In his new book, Noam Chomsky writes cogently about the threats to planetary survival that are of growing alarm today. The prospect of human extinction emerged after World War II, the dawn of a new era scientists now term the Anthropocene. Chomsky uniquely traces the duality of existential...

From prehistory to the modern era, our coastline has shaped Britain, not only physically but socially, economically and culturally. Far from being at the margins of national interests, the coast has been at the heart of the British people's most important endeavours and central to era-defining national events. From artifacts lost by hunter-gatherers in a land beneath the sea to bustling medieval ports, smugglers' caves, early seaside resorts, fortifications and secret bases, the coast is resplendent with fascinating history to explore and enjoy.

In The Book of Cannabis, Jeremy Narby―renowned author of The Cosmic Serpent―delivers a sweeping, clear-eyed exploration of cannabis as both plant and cultural phenomenon. From its ancient medicinal and ritualistic roles to its vilification, Narby traces how cannabis became one of the most controversial plants in modern history.

Warum Bakterien viel besser sind als ihr Ruf Peter Wohlleben eröffnet uns eine faszinierende Welt: das Verständnis für Organismen, die mit bloßem Auge nicht erkennbar sind, aber die Geschicke der Menschheit lenken. Sie sind nicht nur praktische Alltagshelfer – ohne Bakterien kein Joghurt...

Ao longo da história, encontramos grandes pensadores, cientistas e inventores que, num rompante criativo, desafiam nossos paradigmas e nos atiram sem piedade a uma nova realidade, que a princípio pode parecer desconfortável, incompreensível ou até questionável. Mas, afinal, de onde surgem as grandes ideias?

The extraordinary true story of Lockheed Martin’s “Skunk Works”—the radical innovation hub that designed the greatest airplanes of the twentieth century—and the visionary who made it all possible "A kerosene-soaked masterclass in what extreme innovation looks, feels, and even smells...

How the unique sleep habits of early humans fostered survival, innovation, and social evolution—and how this evolutionary legacy holds insights into how we sleep today. Despite sleep’s critical role in maintaining health and cognitive function, humans sleep less than any other primate. The...

Viviamo in un mondo imprevedibile, pieno di contraddizioni, e navigare in questa complessità mentre cerchiamo di prendere le decisioni migliori è tutt'altro che facile. Con Le gioie della scienza, Al-Khalili ci regala otto brevi lezioni che ci avvicinano alla chiarezza, al potere e alla gioia di pensare e vivere un po' più scientificamente. È un libro che infonde fiducia e ci invita a guardare il mondo come lo vedono gli scienziati.

A boundary-breaking astrophysicist reimagines the universe—and our place within it—in this audacious journey through the Nine Realms of the cosmos. The universe gave rise to everything: stars and cells, minds and memories, purpose and pain. But it doesn’t care about us. It follows its own...

Why past climate change tells us it's almost too late. A warning and a rallying-cry. 'Read it and weep, or read it and win' Chris Packham A global refugee crisis. Extreme storms. Agriculture devastated. Economic ruin. Societal collapse. These are not just possibilities but likely outcomes of our...

"A gifted and thoughtful writer, Metzl brings us to the frontiers of biology and technology, and reveals a world full of promise and peril." —Siddhartha Mukherjee MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene A groundbreaking exploration of genetic...

COMO O UNIVERSO SURGIU? QUAL SERÁ SEU DESTINO? O QUE HÁ NELE? Em O universo escuro, a astrofísica Larissa Santos convida o ouvinte a mergulhar nos maiores enigmas da cosmologia contemporânea: a matéria escura, a energia escura e os limites do conhecimento científico. Com linguagem acessível e, ao mesmo tempo, rigorosa, a autora percorre os fundamentos da física moderna e as descobertas que abalaram a forma como compreendemos o cosmos. Neste audiolivro, não há espaço para respostas fáceis.

"A maioria das pessoas parece ter, pelo menos, uma pseudociência de estimação. Ficaremos satisfeitos, nestes casos, em plantar no mínimo uma semente de ceticismo que leve o leitor a considerar: será?” “Energias curativas, bolinhas de açúcar mágicas, terapias que invocam os antepassados e maluquices inventadas sobre o poder avassalador dos desejos inconscientes operam, todas, sob ‘leis de tapete voador’.

Humans have long transformed the planet, scratching its surface for stones and ores, planting and harvesting crops, sparking fires for light and heat. But since the dawn of industrialization and especially since 1950, our impact has accelerated sharply. Economic, technological, and demographic changes have driven rapid and ongoing shifts in patterns of pollution, human health, and rising sea level and temperatures.

Four years after Therese Greenwood and her husband moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta, their new community was shattered by one of the worst wildfires in Canadian history. As the flames approached, they had only minutes to pack, narrowly escaping a fire that would rage for weeks, burn more than 85,000 hectares and force 80,000 people to flee. In this book, she tells her dramatic story, and contemplates mourning, memory, and rebuilding.