This has to be the strangest August ever, with climate-changed weather making itself felt all over the place. It is also strange because new books are in short supply. That said, the shelves are by no means bare. We have books to recommend to you on everything from octopus ethics and designing the universe to endometriosis and talking to computers. So, whatever you end up doing to refresh and recharge, we鈥檝e got the book for you.

by Daniel Lieberman听

Meaty palaeo? Going veggie or vegan? Eating Mediterranean? Fasting, intermittently or otherwise? Low or high carbs? Enough 鈥� before we all lose the plot! Enter Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary anthropologist at Harvard University who, says his publisher, 鈥渢ackles this confusion head on with his trademark blend of lively storytelling and myth-busting science鈥�.

As you would expect, Lieberman draws on evolutionary biology, anthropology and physiology to figure out how we are going so wrong. He travels all the way back, moving from what humans evolved to eat through to how fire, farming and industrialisation transformed our diets, and right up to today as we learn how to combine all that history with rigorous medical science. It will be fascinating to see what former New 女生小视频 staffer Chris Simms makes of it in our review, to be published shortly.

by Jonathan Loh

To know where we are headed, it can help to have a reasonable grasp of where we have been. So, will some big-picture thinking from an independent scholar help? Jonathan Loh鈥檚 publishers call his book Life Story a 鈥減anoramic history of life, revealing the forces that have shaped our world 鈥� and could shape it again鈥�. We move through the rise of Homo sapiens, from foragers to farmers, from the Bronze Age to the industrial revolution, through 鈥渉idden patterns linking genetics and language, organisms and states, ecosystems and economies, mass extinctions and civilisational collapse鈥�.

Humans may dominate the planet, but, as machine intelligence gathers pace, is that supremacy only a phase? Loh is a biologist who has worked as a consultant to organisations such the United Nations Environment Programme and WWF on the conservation of biological and cultural diversity, so he should be well placed to build a deep chronicle of the past and lay out his big idea: culture as a form of life. What would that mean in terms of an AI future? We shall see鈥μ�

by Xiaochang Li

The idea of talking to machines has been an enduring human fantasy. Divination Engines is a bit of a wild card: author Xiaochang Li, an assistant professor in the department of communication at Stanford University in California, shows her readers how that dream 鈥渂oth fueled the demand for data and set the stage for today鈥檚 generative AI鈥�. Sneak peaks reveal a book that is no easy read (brace for technical details), but one in which Li manages to explain the origins of what we call natural language processing, as well as the 20^th-century debates between computer scientists, linguists and communication engineers that shaped today鈥檚 technology.

She sets out to show how computer speech recognition advanced technology by de-emphasising linguistic meaning in favour of statistical prediction 鈥� that is, how researchers gradually abandoned systems that tried to听understand听human language in favour of workarounds that just predicted听patterns in speech and text data. The rest is, as they say, history鈥� and that鈥檚 before we even mention search engines, spam filters, content managers and the like. All this comes at the cost of needing more and more new data 鈥� forever! This will be a tough read for many of us, but one that鈥檚 worth the effort. Oh, and Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI, calls the book 鈥渁 landmark in the critical history of artificial intelligence鈥�.

by Catherine Heymans

No small ambition in this next book, either. Astrophysicist Catherine Heymans鈥檚 latest is, according to its subtitle, no less than a look at the 鈥渟cience of real and virtual worlds鈥�. At its heart is that wonderful, death-defying question: could we be living in a computer simulation, and how would we even know? It all sounds fascinating, as Heymans, the astronomer royal for Scotland, takes us 鈥渙n a humorous and mind-bending journey through the science of reality itself鈥�.

From subatomic particles and the cosmic mysteries of dark matter to the secrets of the human senses, we are promised an exploration of 鈥渨hether humanity could ever create a virtual universe as rich and diverse as our own 鈥� and what that means for our sense of self, free will and consciousness鈥�. Not much going on here, then.

by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi

This is one for all of us who love silvery-grey snow leopards, those fabulous and elusive beasts, which live in the rugged mountains of central Asia, camouflaged against the rocks and cliffs. For the past 20 years, scientist, conservationist and mountaineer Kulbhushansingh (Kullu) Suryawanshi has studied them in the wild, exploring every aspect of their lives from habitat to prey to population 鈥� sometimes living for months in the world鈥檚 toughest, most remote environments. Suryawanshi, we are promised, has 鈥減ioneered new research that shines fresh light on these charismatic and vulnerable animals, showing how their fate is entangled with the local people and how their survival is central to preserving an austere, delicate ecosystem鈥�.

Free newsletter

Sign up to Book Club

Sign up to newsletter

by Lani Watson

There is something wonderful about books with a single letter as their main title. Q (and here鈥檚 the subtitle so we know what we鈥檙e talking about: The hidden power of questions in a world that wants answers) is all about the art and science of asking questions, as the only creature on Earth that does so in any formal sense. But we鈥檙e trained to look for answers, not how to ask questions 鈥� so much so, says author Lani Watson, that we live in an answer-rich, question-poor world.

Yet, as the publishers remind us,鈥� from doctors鈥� surgeries to courtrooms to dating, the ability to ask questions determines our experiences. In a world obsessed by answers, asking better questions is powerful.鈥�

That sounds very wise, and we should be in good hands: Watson is a philosopher and honorary fellow at the University of Edinburgh, UK, as well as a former research fellow at the University of Oxford. Plug into what her publishers call a 鈥渃aptivating narrative from the death of Socrates to the age of AI鈥�, and you will soon learn how to think about the questions you ask and the ones you don鈥檛.

by Richard Schweid

With octopus blooms suddenly appearing in many places, journalist Richard Schweid and publisher University of North Carolina Press could hardly have hit on a more provocative subject. Billed as a 鈥済ripping, on-the-ground investigation into the global race to farm octopus and the ethical firestorm it has ignited鈥�, there is clearly a lot to chew on as we explore the 鈥渆thics and future of growing the world鈥檚 most intelligent invertebrate鈥�.

Among the issues is the fact that, in 2021, the London School of Economics recognised invertebrates such as cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, squid) and decapods (crayfish, crabs, lobsters) as capable of experiencing pain, distress and happiness, finding that high-welfare farming of them would therefore be impossible. But the enormous international demand for octopus meat continues to grow, even as wild octopus populations decline. Fishers in the UK鈥檚 south-west are already experiencing problems as the vast number of octopuses eat their typical high-value catch: adult lobsters, brown edible crabs, scallops and the like. What to do instead? Eat the octopuses? Apparently, recipes are proliferating鈥� a dilemma indeed.

by Evelyn Scott

This is no less than an expos茅 of medical misogyny, says the publisher of what looks like a forthright book about endometriosis, A Bloody Scandal: How medicine fails women in pain. There should be a huge market for it, given the sheer number who experience it (it is often said that 1 in 10 women do, but the real figure is probably higher), often in silence and for decades.

Author Evelyn Scott weaves in her own experience of the condition: she was just a teenager when she first had the symptoms of endometriosis. She shares 15 years during which she endured constant, agonising pain 鈥� and hopeless ineptitude when seeking support, ranging from dismissals on the grounds of hysteria to misdiagnoses. She felt completely isolated, until she discovered all the other women experiencing the same condition. Powerful stuff and, many will argue, long overdue.

When you make a purchase via the links on this page, we receive a commission.

It鈥檚 a hot month in London 鈥� in oh so many ways. Life, being alive and death are big themes in the new popular science books out in July, not to mention that small thing of being a human and all the messy feelings and sensory stuff that goes with it. Then there鈥檚 also AI filling the future 听鈥� in ways that worry one of the world鈥檚 leading forensic scientists, as well as ethicists who are paid to think about this sort of thing. I鈥檓 looking forward to delving into the worlds of volcanoes and pharmacology, which look positively safe and stable in comparison鈥�

by Valerie Tiberius

Can friendship with a chatbot ever be as good as friendship with a gang of flesh-and-blood besties? Is there still and will there 鈥� can there听 鈥� always be something about human friendships that will elude the smartest of simulations? Ethicist and University of Minnesota professor of philosophy Valerie Tiberius sets out to argue the human case. She defines the ideal friendship as an enjoyable, close relationship built on shared activities between people who care about each other for their own sake. It will be interesting to see where her book goes with this 鈥� especially since Shannon Vallor, author of听The AI Mirror: How to reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking, thinks it 鈥減rovides a nuanced philosophical survey of the possibilities for human-AI relationships by highlighting their considerable risks and benefits鈥�.

The 17 best popular science books of 2026 so far

The first six months of the year have brought us popular science reads on everything from consciousness to cosmology. Liz Else rounds up her favourites

by Richard Coker

It may sound a bit gloomy, but Timor Mortis (literally 鈥渇ear of death鈥�) could hardly be more timely as we increasingly worry about the quality of end-of-life care for everyone we care about (including ourselves). Then there鈥檚 what we mean by 鈥渁 good death鈥� 鈥� and perhaps the biggest question of all, how do we live in the hyperteched 21st century in the visceral shadow of our own death? Public health doctor Richard Coker probes death鈥檚 complexities from different perspectives: biological, psychological, moral and historical. Coker has certainly done the rounds, latterly as a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and earlier as a doctor working with people who had TB or HIV/AIDS.

by Tamie Jovanelly

This is one of the latest in the redoubtable What Everyone Needs to Know series from Oxford University Press, covering everything from gender to robots. And how could you go wrong with the subject of volcanoes? Geology professor Tamie Jovanelly has over 20 years of global research experience in volcanism, climate change, water systems and natural hazards to guide her as she answers those simple questions we might be too embarrassed to ask anyone else. Where do we find volcanoes? Can we predict when and where they will erupt? Can we harness their energy? 听With 1350 active volcanoes on Earth, between 50 and 70 erupting annually, not to mention climate change in the mix, explaining what makes one of nature鈥檚 most powerful forces work isn鈥檛 a simple task. Jovanelly also gives us GPS coordinates for locating volcanoes, high-definition photographs for identifying volcanic minerals and rocks 鈥� and there鈥檚 an appendix featuring 100 of the world鈥檚 most active volcanoes.

by Rod Flower

This book sounds like it might be a great companion to a title we featured in May: Nick Barber鈥檚 How to Take Drugs: A new approach to medication for better results and fewer side effects. And given the staggering 1 billion-plus prescriptions written in the UK every year 鈥� and, even more staggeringly, over five billion in the US 鈥� members of the prescribed-to public can stand all the help they can get to understand why they take the drugs they do, and what those drugs do. This is more of a history and context-builder, as Rod Flower, emeritus professor of biochemical pharmacology at Queen Mary University of London (with a big interest in inflammation and anti-inflammatories) takes us through the astonishingly fast evolution of our drug use, from healing plants and herbs to a global market just under $2 trillion 鈥� and the rise of pharmacology as a discipline. Flower also shows us how drugs really work in detail, the process of medicine development and what makes scientists think that their therapies will work as, er, advertised.

by Roopika Risam

鈥淕roundbreaking and provocative鈥� is how its publishers describe Data Empire. This exploration of data as power tracks back millennia to the first clay tablets of Mesopotamia, through knotted strings keeping account to the algorithmic modern state. Their purpose sounds oddly familiar: helping states govern people/empires, and helping institutions to decide who appears on the official record and who doesn鈥檛. As we stare, often helplessly, at the plethora of hyperconnected, pervasive, personally extractive tech heading at us, shaping the future needs the insights of people like Risam, working from her multiple perspectives, including a digital humanities and social engagement professorship at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. Any writer would be thrilled to have the kind of applause she has attracted, with Lewis Dartnell (author of The Knowledge: How to rebuild our world from scratch) calling the book 鈥淏reathtaking in its scope鈥� and one of the founders of VR, Jaron Lanier, describing it as the 鈥渘ew history of mankind demanded by our times鈥� This book asks what we will do about data now that we have no choice but to do something.鈥�

Free newsletter

Sign up to Book Club

Sign up to newsletter

by Ian Bogost

In a time of excess consumption, enforced efficiency and fear of missing out, it sounds distinctly quixotic to be pursuing a more gratifying life. But Atlantic columnist and computer academic/designer Ian Bogost鈥檚 The Small Stuff is pitched as just that. From digital tickets to automated taps, say its publishers, life鈥檚 simple pleasures have been stripped away, replaced by sleek, soulless design. Bogost 鈥渦ncovers how modern conveniences not only fail to deliver on their promises but also rob us of small, satisfying tasks and moments that keep us grounded and human鈥�. So it isn鈥檛 just a matter of smelling the roses, and sitting under more trees, but reinvesting in your interactions with the material world and more labour-creating devices. Small pleasures instead of flat giant screens鈥� can鈥檛 wait!

by Dan Werb

Brown rats, raccoons, and urban foxes; house flies and cockroaches; even dandelions and kudzu vines; they are wild creatures living alongside humans, hence the lovely Greek noun that describes them: synanthrope (syn meaning 鈥渨ith鈥�; anthropos 鈥渕an鈥�). These and more exotic creatures, such as the tiger quoll or the collared delma, are at the heart of what looks like a really fascinating book. Writer and epidemiologist Dan Werb goes beyond examining the everyday roles these wild animals play in our lives: from annoyance at the activities of houseflies and urban foxes, to replacing lids in raccoon country or watching out for disease vectors from brown rats and others. He鈥檚 also interested in how we are reaching a key moment as these creatures are 鈥渁rbiters of our planet鈥檚 future鈥�, and 鈥渁 key influence on the continuing evolution of our species鈥�. Environmental destruction means that their urban habitats will increase and their numbers soar. We are going to have to stop resisting them and learn how to live in harmony. By the way, the collared delma is a tiny legless lizard, but the tiger quoll is a metre-long carnivore 鈥� a cross between a cat and a rat. Interesting futures ahead then.

听by Sue Black

This is the third book in a trilogy by Sue Black, one of the UK鈥檚 most eminent forensic scientists with 40 years of experience working on the evidence used in criminal cases. This time she鈥檚 putting science in the dock as she uses landmark cases to unpick what went wrong, where justice was served, what we should fight to preserve 鈥� and asks how AI and other forms of automation will work in court. And while there have been huge leaps forward 鈥� the discovery of DNA fingerprinting, and Black鈥檚 own vein-pattern identification work 鈥� cases like that of Andrew Malkinson, wrongly convicted and jailed for 17 years, show what happens when things go wrong. She asks if we鈥檒l be able to cope with the future coming at us fast. 鈥淎re we prepared for AI to redact police files before they are sent to the CPS? Are we ready to accept instant interview translations? If they are incorrect, who will correct them? Who will notice? We will certainly all care,鈥� she writes. We will indeed.

New 女生小视频 recommends an unsettling deep dive into forensic science

Esteemed forensic anthropologist Sue Black gives a candid insight into the UK criminal justice system and how it really works in her book An Expert Witness, finds Linda Geddes

by Eleanor Drage

Confusion and fear around the fast encroachment of AI and where it may lead is completely understandable. But ethicist Eleanor Drage is exploring, as her book鈥檚 subtitle puts it, 鈥淗ow to stop catastrophising and build an ethical future鈥�. She reckons we need a whole new language and some fresh ideas to determine what AI is and how we should use it. That translates into adding feminism, reparative justice and climate politics into the debate. Early endorsements include broadcaster Sandi Toksvig (鈥淎 wise and purpose-driven book to steer us out of AI doom鈥�) and N. Katherine Hayles, author of From Bacteria to AI (鈥淓leanor Drage dismantles prophecies of both apocalypse and transcendence to show how we can achieve liveable futures with AI鈥�).

The best new popular science books of June 2026

The most exciting popular science reads this month explore everything from symbiosis to hormones, while Alice Roberts takes on an editor-in-chief role in her latest book

by Melanie Challenger

This is one of our biggest conceptual problems: what does it mean to be alive? Researcher and natural philosopher Melanie Challengerprobes the latest discoveries in biology and physics 鈥渢o reveal a radical truth: to be alive is first and foremost a way of being a body鈥�, say the book鈥檚 publicists. This sounds great and it will be interesting to see how the argument plays out 鈥� how far Alive lives up the claims and restores 鈥渁gency, purpose and meaning to organisms in an age of artificial intelligence and biodiversity loss鈥�.

听

When you make a purchase via the links on this page, we receive a commission.

This is a month to look out for some powerful new books, with authors taking on challenges of all sorts and imagining whole new worlds. There are fresh ways to think about a cancer diagnosis, a book tackling the real inner world of hormones, in which we are all hormonal all the time, plus a major re-envisioning of the natural world where we abandon the shallows of competition for the depth and intricacies of connection and togetherness. Welcome to the symbiocene.

(editor-in-chief Alice Roberts)

It鈥檚 quite hard going to get an up-to-date grip on human evolution, even for the best-briefed adult, so a book with sophisticated text and excellent illustrations and diagrams can only be a good thing. Especially if it is curated and edited by Alice Roberts, biological anthropologist, palaeopathologist, broadcaster 鈥� and professor of public engagement in science at the University of Birmingham, UK. She worked with a generous-sized international team of experts in many fields of human evolution, including archaeology, palaeontology, anthropology and cognitive science. Each chapter is devoted to the evolution of a part of the body, including hands, lungs and the digestive system, building a complex picture of our origins and nature. There are so many questions to address: when did we invent clothes? Why are our babies altricial (underdeveloped and highly dependent at birth)? What happened to the other modern humans? Are we the only animals to have become quite so self-aware? Just the kind of book to take on a very long trip.

听 by Saira Hameed

For Saira Hameed, we are all hormonal, all of the time 鈥� it鈥檚 not colloquial shorthand for feeling tired, moody, puffy or all three. But then, as a consultant endocrinologist, she knows that the tiny hypothalamus (鈥渁n implausible leader of the body鈥檚 hormones鈥�, as she calls it) controls the myriad processes that are all about everyday life and that we barely notice when they work: appetite, body weight, thirst, stress, sleep, growth, metabolism, puberty, reproduction and sex drive. This all makes for a fascinating book built around her clinical practice, featuring patients whose lives have been interrupted by the faulty signalling of any of the 50-plus hormones that run the human show. A sneak peek reveals a young boy whose life has been shattered by a brain tumour too stuck onto the hypothalamus for a clean excision. His sleep is erratic, his weight is soaring and it鈥檚 going to take more operations and tweaking hormones to approach giving him a life that works. And there are stories of terrible exhaustion and crushing infertility. It looks to be compelling stuff 鈥� and she sounds like the kind of consultant you would want on your side.

New 女生小视频 recommends Togetherness, a radical new view of life

An exploration of how biological cooperation underpins all life - and why we鈥檝e overlooked its power until now - makes thrilling reading, finds Penny Sarchet

by Rowan Hooper

Rowan Hooper is New 女生小视频鈥檚 pod meister and a senior editor here for many years. His third book sets out to change all our minds, and to replace the dangerous shallows of competition that have brought us to the brink with a knowledge and sense of the small miracles of cooperation that have forged our natural world. The ubiquitous, lifelong partnerships between animals and plants, insects and fungi, fish and bacteria are an essential guide for a better future. Togetherness reveals the intimate connectedness of nature through stories of symbiosis. From the female wasp venturing deep inside a fig, and the intricate relationship between corals and the algae that sustain them, to the symbiotic gut microbes that influence our moods, Hooper explores how cooperation is fundamental to life and to protecting our shared future. The hope, the plan, is to change how we see the world, our place in it 鈥� and our obligation to it, so we can forge a symbiotic future. We can build nothing less than a symbiocene.

by Darby Saxbe

Darby Saxbe is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Southern California who has conducted one of the world鈥檚 largest longitudinal studies on men鈥檚 brains as they become fathers. She should be in a great place 鈥渢o shift the narrative by showing that great parents are made, not born鈥� and to answer the question that some might consider it premature to celebrate fathers when our culture still does so little to support mothers. 鈥淚鈥檇 answer that parenthood is not a zero-sum game鈥� Understanding the influence of fathers helps us build the tag team of adults who are cray about their kids. That, I hope, is a cause we can all champion,鈥� she writes. It looks like a book for a deep read and a terrific addition to the increasing number of fatherhood books, like the excellent 2024 Father Time by anthropologist and primatologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy.

by Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying Zhao

What could be more fun than a counter-intuitive climate book? Psychologist Elizabeth Dunn and climate behaviour scientist Jiaying Zhao (both at the University of British Columbia, Canada) assembled a pile of what sound like too-good-to-be-true propositions. Take this: can you improve your happiness and wellbeing while also reducing your carbon footprint? Or, what if the most effective ways to fight climate change made you happy?听And suppose we could make ourselves, and our planet, happier at the same time? Dunn and Zhao have a point: if you like听the changes you make, you鈥檙e more likely to stick with them 鈥� and spread them across friend and family networks. So, you don鈥檛 have to become a vegan or give up flying:听sub chicken for beef, and take carry-on bags. Both make a decent dent in emissions at a lower personal cost. They also urge us to approach your emissions the way you (ideally) do your finances: strategically, thoughtfully and with the long-term firmly in mind. But above all, do something and do it joyfully. And more good news, data scientist Hannah Ritchie (author of Not the End of the World, a book stuffed with climate facts and hopeful solutions) approves. 鈥淢any would argue that this is too good to be true; Dunn and Zhao expertly show us that it is not,鈥� she writes of the book.

Free newsletter

Sign up to Book Club

Sign up to newsletter

by Leroy Chiao with Victoria Bruce

What would you ask an astronaut if you could have lunch with them? Few people know how interstellar exploration feels better than Leroy Chiao, a retired NASA astronaut, former International Space Station commander and veteran of four space missions. He most recently served as commander and NASA science officer of Expedition 10 aboard the International Space Station (spending 229 days in space). Chiao is one of the first Asian-American astronauts, and, say his publishers, using his 鈥渦nique perspective from flying with fellow American, Japanese and Russian professionals鈥�, he can answer burning questions such as: what is the new space race, and who are the next generation of competitors? What is NASA working on these days? What feelings did you experience looking out at Earth from space? What does the future of space exploration look like? Will we ever make it to Mars? So, what would you ask over a three-course dinner?

by Brian Clegg

Could you accurately describe an electron, its function, genesis, discovery or future? If not, then enter Brian Clegg, with what looks like a handy refresher in the shape of a biography. Expect to hear everything from when the term was originally coined as a tentative name for the basic unit of electrical charge to the electron鈥檚 increasing centrality to our lives through electricity. Roger Highfield,听science director of The Science Museum, UK, reckons that in 鈥�34 brisk, brilliantly crafted chapters, he sweeps through centuries of discovery: essential reading for our electrified age鈥�.

The best new popular science books of 2026

Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood

by Kojo Koram

As 鈥渢he 20th-century distinctions between 鈥榞ood鈥� and 鈥榖ad鈥� drugs blur into incoherence鈥�, The Next Fix by law professor and investigative journalist Kojo Koram is billed by one of its early reviewers as a guide to the new territory in which 鈥測esterday鈥檚 banned substances are today鈥檚 wellness aids or pharmaceutical miracles鈥�. Tricky territory indeed. Especially as it鈥檚 a bit of a no-brainer that the so-called War on Drugs will only be replaced by an approach based on the same old monopolies and exploitation that caused so many problems in the first place 鈥� from poverty to deforestation, pollution and loss of biodiversity. Koram tracks the tensions along a newly legalised frontier, exploring the possibilities of drug reform versus a new chapter in capitalism creating 鈥渁 smooth transition from cartel barons to Wall Street oligopolies鈥�.

听by Jessica Pykett

Data from facial emotion recognition, brain-computer interfaces, virtual reality, global emotion surveys and sentiment analysis seem to offer an extraordinary new terrain for scientific exploration. Emotion-sensing promises to decode and even to augment and control the very essence of human experience. But what if the science and technology of emotion measurement get emotions wrong? 听In听Governing Global Emotions, Jessica Pykett, professor of social and political geography and codirector of the Centre for Urban Wellbeing at the University of Birmingham, UK, describes how technologies create emotional data, how smart cities use sensors to monitor residents鈥� feelings and how global economies measure happiness. In an age of ever-increasing surveillance capitalism and the rise of neurocapitalism, that should make for an interesting read.

by Janet L. Jones

How much do we know about the psychology and neurology of one our companion animals, the charismatic horse? Somehow, say the publishers of A Horse鈥檚 World by Janet L. Jones, horses have been largely ignored by cognitive science even though the bond between horse and rider is every bit as strong as any other cross-species relationship. Neuroscientist and horse trainer Jones is up for producing an equine version of An Immense World听or Soul of an Octopus, through her own relationship with a horse called True North. Her account claims to be the first book of its kind to explore the fascinating science of how horses think, feel, learn and connect with their human companions, as Jones exposes common misconceptions that cause us to fault horses for 鈥渕isbehaviours鈥� that are normal prey-brain responses. She also explains, among many other features, how horses trade a human-style prefrontal cortex 鈥� capable of judgment, manipulation and complex strategic thinking 鈥� for powerful memory that supports excellent intelligence. Given the first MRI scan of an equine brain was not completed until 2019, there is still a vast deal to learn about equine neurology and neural physiology 鈥� and how to build trust with a creature whose internal world differs from our own.

by Louis Lefebvre, translated by Pablo Strauss

Just in case there are any lingering doubts about the cognitive capacity of birds, biologist and avian researcher Louis Lefebvre looks sure to dispel them in this book, which sets out to reveal how birds exhibit creativity, social learning and even cultural transmission, delving into the behaviours of everything from crows using cars as nutcrackers to cockatoos crafting tools. Blending decades of scientific research with anecdotes, Lefebvre derives an 鈥渋nnovation quotient鈥� (like a human IQ) to measure and rank the innovation of a particular species. He answers questions about how a bird species spreads a new technique, why research on bird cognition is being used to train AI models and robots and what makes certain birds endlessly innovative, while others stubbornly repeat the same behaviours. Nicky Clayton, professor of comparative cognition at the University of Cambridge, has described the book as 鈥渁n amazing avian adventure鈥� Like a profound magic effect, there are hidden gems on every page, tailored to both the general public and the in-depth expert.鈥�

by Beeban Kidron

What has Bridget Jones got to do with moves to fight back against the excesses of big tech? The two are united in the person of author Baroness Beeban Kidron, now a crossbench peer and campaigner in the UK鈥檚 second house, the House of Lords 鈥� and once a film director (Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason). Her book Users is being promoted as an insider鈥檚 guide to how politicians and policymakers have sold democracy to Silicon Valley, and what we need to do to take it back. Kidron takes us on a journey from the halls of Parliament and the UN to the White House and Silicon Valley. Through her encounters with specialist police officers, bereaved parents, lobbyists and tech bros, says the publisher, we witness the unchecked power of Big Tech, as they avoid rules and regulations, and capture governments that are meant to protect us. We see how the issue is not technology itself, but its use and abuse. How tools built to connect people are redeployed to divide, punish, distract, and control; while tech overlords come to own everything 鈥� but continue to be held responsible for nothing. In February, she told The Bookseller: 鈥�Users听is my answer to the hundreds of people who have contacted me feeling uncomfortable, overwhelmed or simply angry about technology 鈥� asking, 鈥榃hat can we do?鈥� My greatest wish is that readers find something in it that inspires them to act 鈥� in their homes, communities and workplaces 鈥� and to demand more from those in power.鈥�

by Michael Handford

Michael Handford鈥檚 story sounds like it will be terrible, powerful and ultimately fascinating 鈥� probably in equal measure. He was an academic specialising in intercultural communication when he received a stage 4 throat cancer diagnosis at the age of 42 while living and working in Japan and the UK. According to his publisher, his book 鈥渆xamines how communication 鈥� whether with doctors, loved ones, or oneself 鈥� can shape the cancer experience鈥�. Hanford even worked on devising his own metaphor for cancer, not caring for the more stereotypical ones involving battles. Now that鈥檚 a class act.

This month鈥檚 most exciting popular science books are surprisingly eclectic, and big on invention, ambition 鈥揳nd hubris. We鈥檙e tackling topics including the wonder (and envy) of flight, how to eat so the planet doesn鈥檛 collapse, the human capacity to build colossal structures and a drugs industry worth trillions, that er, doesn鈥檛 work as planned. Get stuck in 鈥� there鈥檚 plenty to amuse, delight and terrify.

by Simon Rogers

How do I get rid of hiccups? Why is grief so lonely? Should I have a third child?听 How can I help a bee? In What We Ask Google: A surprisingly hopeful picture of humankind, Google data editor Simon Rogers shares some of the intimate, touching, momentous and downright human questions that we鈥檝e been asking Google for over two decades now. There is plenty of opportunity for embarrassed winces reading Rogers鈥檚 exploration of the billions of anonymous data searches: we share more than we know, it seems. Rogers is also a lecturer in data journalism at Medill-Northwestern University, San Francisco, and wrote the well-regarded Facts are Sacred in 2013. Oh, and economist Tim Harford (presenter of BBC Radio鈥檚 More or Less and an FT columnist) says, 鈥淭his view from the other side of the search box is both charming and insightful.鈥�

The best new popular science books of 2026

Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood

by Courtney Conley and Milica McDowell

Hands up if you haven鈥檛 been pushing through the daily tyranny of notching up however many thousands of steps are in vogue that month. Well, you may change your mind after reading Walk: Your life depends on it by gait specialist Courtney Conley and physiotherapist Milica McDowell, which focuses on the multiple health benefits of walking and argues, say the publishers, that 鈥渋t is one of our most powerful and under-prescribed medicines鈥�. The applications of that medicine span everything from preventing/treating obesity and falls to mitigating lower back pain 鈥� so that would be most of us caught up in those preventable conditions at some time in our lives. And, as ancient societies (not to mention Romantic poets like Wordworth and Coleridge) knew all too well, thinking, creating and walking do indeed go well together. Sounds like a win.

by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

We鈥檙e looking forward to the wildest of political rides crashing into epic physics from New 女生小视频 columnist Chanda Prescod Weinstein in The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, poetry and the cosmic dream boogie. Her first book, The Disordered Cosmos, brought her many accolades, and this one is already off to a great start with praise from the likes of Ruha Benjamin, professor of African-American studies at Princeton University, who described it as a 鈥渓yrical exploration of the universe that dances at the intersection of physics, pop culture, and Black intellectual thought鈥�. Then there鈥檚 theoretical physicist Sean Carroll, who reckons it is a 鈥済reat read for any human being who lives in the universe鈥�. I can鈥檛 wait to get a finished copy and dig deep, not least to discover exactly what the section delivers with its tantalising title, 鈥淗ow to Live Safely in a Science Factual Universe鈥�, where Virginia Hamilton鈥檚 short story collection The People Could Fly fits in and why Chanda stayed up late thinking about metaphors in science.

by Vincent Doumeizel (translated by Charlotte Coombe)

Just how much better placed do you need to be to write about plankton? Vincent Doumeizel, author of The Power of Plankton: How plankton made life on Earth possible and why it鈥檚 key to our future, is senior adviser on oceans to the U.N. Global Compact, the world鈥檚 largest corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiative. Publisher The Book Social says his new book uncovers hidden connections between 鈥渢hese microscopic organisms and the survival of our planet鈥�, shares 鈥渦nforgettable鈥� stories about a scientist who survived 65 days crossing the Atlantic eating only plankton and reveals the truth behind ancient myths of 鈥渂lood rain鈥�, which apparently traces back to plankton blooms. New 女生小视频 readers will also remember his previous book, The Seaweed Revolution, which reviewer Chris Simms thought was excellent, as it made the case for the potential of seaweed to transform our world. So where does that leave plankton鈥檚 power, then? The clue is in the subtitle 鈥� as usual!

by Turi King

You may not know the name Turi King, but you will almost certainly have heard of her work: identifying the bones of Richard III in a car park in the UK city of Leicester and leading the project to sequence Adolf Hitler鈥檚 genome. So, we can definitely expect amazing stories in her new book, The Secrets of Our DNA: How genetics has changed the world. But underpinning those stories (think everything from O.J. Simpson to mistaken dinosaur DNA to Angelina Jolie鈥檚 BRCA1 gene) will be a deep account of how genetics has ended up entangled in the lives of us all. King 鈥渟hows how we are all interconnected and why we must all benefit from this exciting and rapidly evolving science鈥� and reminds us that DNA need not be destiny 鈥� nor is it the silver bullet some imagine.

by Helen Pilcher

Many of us 鈥� and that may well include some doctors 鈥� still have to get seriously acquainted with the nocebo effect, which can make us feel unwell or even experience pain. Science writer and former cell biologist Helen Pilcher is here to help, with her latest, This Book May Cause Side Effects: Why our minds are making us sick. Like placebo, the word nocebo has Latin roots, but while placebo is linked to someone鈥檚 positive expectations, nocebo is linked to negative expectations. In medicine, the placebo effect can mean that a patient expecting a particular treatment to have a good outcome gets that outcome 鈥� even when they receive an inert medicine or sugar pill. A nocebo is, sort of, the reverse. But it鈥檚 also a lot more complex than that, as we鈥檝e reported in New 女生小视频, so it will be fascinating to see what Pilcher makes of it 鈥� especially because of the possible implications of social media feeds for mass psychogenic illnesses, or even the controversial phenomenon known as 听Havana syndrome.

The best new popular science books of April 2026

April has a lot to offer when it comes to popular science reading, promising to help us do everything from future-proof our brains courtesy of Hannah Critchlow, to get to grips with really big numbers, thanks to Richard Elwes

by Dr Nick Barber

You might well wonder whether Nick Barber decided he had to have the 鈥淒r鈥� in front of his name on this book to keep everyone on the right page here, given its title. How to Take Drugs: A new approach to medication for better results and fewer side effects looks likely to be the kind of book we should all have chained to our wrists, given the sheer amount of prescription medicines we are likely to consume in a lifetime. That, and the fact that adverse drug reactions are a huge burden on health care systems 鈥� with the percentage of hospital admissions due to adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescription medicines in the UK alone estimated to be as high as 6 to 7 per cent by some studies, to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Barber is emeritus professor of pharmacy at University College London and recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, so he should know a thing or two about the state of his sector, what the real ADR figures may be 鈥� and how to address all the factors involved.

by Dave Goulson

How to eat well without harming the planet is one of the world鈥檚 knottiest problems, so it is tempting to welcome any book promising to guide us through the multidimensional issues. But Eat the Planet Well: How to fix our toxic food system 鈥� one meal at a time is by Dave Goulson, professor of biology at the University of Sussex, who wrote well-received books like The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale, not to mention more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects. His publishers say Goulson shows that changing our damaging ways is possible through supporting less-intensive farming, wasting less and rethinking what we eat 鈥� that our everyday choices really do matter. I鈥檒l definitely be reading this one.

by Simon Barnes

What child hasn鈥檛 wanted to fly like a bird? And many an adult still yearns to soar like an eagle. So, Simon Barnes鈥檚 How to Fly: Taking wing with birds, bats, insects and humans sounds like it鈥檚 going to be fun. Its publishers say it鈥檚 鈥渁 unique and all-encompassing exploration of the wonders of flight and the way different species have evolved different solutions to the problem of defying gravity 鈥� including humans鈥�, and it鈥檚 certainly stuffed full of facts. We meet bees that beat their wings 230 times per second, the extinct pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus, with its 10-metre wingspan, and Arctic terns that travel 75,000 kilometres every year.

by Fred Mills

At 185 metres high and 2300 metres long, the Three Gorges Dam, spanning the Yangtze river in Hubei province, China, is the biggest dam in the world. Among other claims, the dam, says NASA, shifted Earth鈥檚 axis by about 2 centimetres and slightly shortened the planet鈥檚 day by approximately 0.06 microseconds. But that would come as no surprise to Fred Mills, the author of Mega Builds: Ten colossal construction projects that will change our world. Mills looks set to take us on a tour designed to convince us that modern engineering is a truly revolutionary force. As founder of The B1M YouTube channel, specialising in construction and with over 4 million subscribers, this should be a breeze for him, as he goes on a quest round the world to explore everything from a 鈥�170km-long smart city in Saudi Arabia, to Japan鈥檚 levitating railway鈥�.

The best new science documentaries of 2026

From Green Planet II to Tim Spector's What Not to Eat, there's plenty to look forward to from this year's science shows, says TV columnist Bethan Ackerley

by David Shukman

A 鈥渂listering and whistleblowing account of how Britain has joined the frontline of the world鈥檚 climate emergency, an expos茅 of how dangerously unprepared we are, and a vital roadmap towards a better future鈥�, say the hopeful publishers about The Response: A Story of Fire and Flood in Britain鈥檚 New World of Extremes by David Shukman. He鈥檚 a leading climate journalist and was a BBC climate correspondent for 20 years. This book sounds amazingly terrifying and has fans ranging from Tim Peake (鈥淲hile I saw the fragile beauty of our planet from space, David Shukman reveals how incredibly vulnerable we are on the ground鈥�) to the redoubtable climate negotiator and UN veteran Christiana Figueres (鈥淎 vital wake-up call for a world already on the frontlines. This is climate change stripped of rhetoric and abstraction, delivered at the painful ground level鈥�).

These striking photographs tell a deadly story about climate change and dengue fever, generally the world鈥檚 fastest-spreading mosquito-borne disease.

Photographer 鈥檚 photo essay The Ascent of Temperatures explores how dengue has spread to Nepal鈥檚 Himalayan districts, including Chandannath, which, at 2438 metres above sea level, is one of the highest towns where Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and their larvae have been discovered. Previously, these mosquitoes, which transmit dengue and other diseases, had been observed only at elevations of up to 2100 metres, according to the photographer.

Segalerba has been exploring 鈥渉ow traditional knowledge systems respond to external pressures鈥�, and was investigating the spread of dengue into high-altitude areas in the Peruvian Andes when he learned of what was happening in Nepal. 鈥淚t turned out to be the clearest setting for that question: a millennia-old medical tradition with its own framework for understanding illness, suddenly facing a disease it had never encountered before,鈥� he says.

Recently, dengue has spread across most of Nepal, fuelled by climate change as well as increasing travel. According to , at least six people died of dengue in 2025 and around 9000 were infected, with the virus now having spread to 76 out of the country鈥檚 77 districts.

Above, a female Aedes aegypti mosquito is shown in detail under a microscope. The Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), working with the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, examines larvae and adult mosquitoes for changes in colour or shape that show they are becoming resistant to insecticides or adapting to different altitudes.

Below, Ishan Gautam, associate professor and chief of the Natural History Museum at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, shows Aedes larvae to students at Geetamata Secondary School, also in Kathmandu. The university organises awareness campaigns where local people are shown live Aedes mosquito larvae, and learn about their breeding habits and the importance of removing potential breeding sites like stagnant water.

In the image below, Amchi Khedup Loden Gurung packs traditional Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan) medicines in a clinic in Jomsom, northern Nepal.

Mosquito nets are being encouraged around Chandannath: below, local resident Devi Kannya Katayata breastfeeds her son Nehan Budha under a net at home.

In the image below, Sunita Baral, a PhD student at the NHRC, examines a mosquito inside a rearing cage. The council studies larvae and adult specimens from many habitats to discover more about the dengue-carrying mosquitoes circulating across Nepal.

Below, sheets are seen drying in the sun in the courtyard of Pokhara Hospital. Pokhara is the main gateway to the high-altitude region of Mustang, where Segalerba says dengue cases have recently been reported. Experts fear reported cases are a small fraction of the true infection level, he says, because around 90 per cent of infected people are asymptomatic, and many cases and deaths may go unreported.

April is said to be the cruellest month, as the poem goes, 鈥渕ixing memory with desire鈥�. And this is oddly reflected in some of the non-fiction books we鈥檝e rounded up for you this month. There鈥檚 the life spent largely in a log cabin, often with only trees and other non-human life for company. Then there鈥檚 the problem of reconciling science with life鈥檚 toughest questions 鈥� and lived experience. Or how about an inspiring journey though the moon鈥檚 history, in the month we actually head back to it for the first time in 50 years? Perhaps you should really go for it and share one researcher鈥檚 tough quest to end violence, and another鈥檚 to future-proof our brains for the 21^st century. Buckle up for some bumpy emotions this month.

by Bernd Heinrich

One for naturalists who like spending a lot of time out in the woods. This, say his publishers, is the life of Bernd Heinrich 鈥� a former professor of entomology, a biologist, a naturalist and runner 鈥� who, for much of the year, lives in the cabin he built amid a 鈥渧ast sea of spruce, fir and larch in the mountains of western Maine鈥�. He鈥檚 been doing this on and off for some 40 years, facing, with the rest of the life around him, vast changes in the landscape as it is covered in snow, gives way to summer heat and sometimes is beset by fire, drought and flood. The 鈥渃ommon uncommon鈥� of the title reflects the characteristics of the spiders, ants, chestnut trees, porcupines, owls and mice in the woods near him. It鈥檚 听鈥渁 narrative of small surprises in nature, some delightful and some 鈥� brought on by climate change 鈥� devastating, all seen through the sharp eye of a world-renowned naturalist鈥�.听 Apart from the climate change, it sounds like Heinrich is a bit of a modern-day Thoreau, and his log cabin a stand-in for that occupied by the 19th-century writer, who isolated himself with nature in Walden, Massachusetts 鈥� albeit just for two years.

by Gary Slutkin

Gary Slutkin is a man on a very big mission. Here, he sets out his big idea: we can end violence by recasting it as an epidemic which can be interrupted, controlled and ultimately eliminated. Slutkin is an epidemiologist who earned his spurs tackling the spread of TB in San Francisco in the early 1980s, then moving on to work on cholera and TB in Somalia. From 1987, he worked at the World Health Organization on HIV and AIDS epidemics in Africa. Back in the US, two killings by 12-year-olds prompted him to look closely at violence, where he found the greatest predictor of a shooting is a prior shooting 鈥� like an infectious disease, exposure is crucial and so is social acceptance within a group. Slutkin set up Cure Violence Global, and his programmes to 鈥渃ure鈥� violence look to have been successful where they鈥檝e been applied, so his book should make a fascinating and rewarding read.

The best new popular science books of 2026

Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood

by Vincenzo Levizzani

Just imagine being a professor of cloud physics. That鈥檚 Vincenzo Levizzani鈥檚 job and by the sound of his book, his vocation too. In The Book of Clouds: How to read the sky, he sets out to get us all to pay more than aesthetic attention to clouds by replacing our ignorance with what looks to be a very decent grounding. And yes, he cites lots of art and cultural cloud references, from chunks of Shelley鈥檚 poem The Cloud (Prometheus Unbound) to Cesare Pavese鈥檚 Grappa in September (Hard Labor). But if you want to recognise those clouds, find out how they form and create rain (among other aspects of their behaviour) and, of course, discover how climate change is affecting them, then this is for you. There are wonderful graphics and photos 鈥� and a glossary so you know a dropsonde from a graupel.

by Richard Elwes

Googology has everything to do with huge numbers 鈥� and nothing at all to do with a certain search engine. Those huge numbers are the stuff (and title) of a new book by Elwes, a mathematician and presenter of Numberphile (a YouTube channel 鈥� come on, keep up at the back). According to its publishers, Huge Numbers shows how counting has shaped human thought. Elwes himself describes it all as a 鈥渉uman story鈥�, stretching from the distant past to the far future. There are two main strands here.Firstly, he asks how big are the numbers people need and which ones mark our world鈥檚 outer limits? Secondly, what systems do we use for describing or processing these numbers? What are the biggest values they can cope with before they break down? Can you even name the largest number? I defy you not to laugh out loud at least twice.

by Hannah Critchlow

We live in supercharged, hyper-connected, thrilling yet downright scary times, as wave after wave of unprecedented change fuelled by AI and other forces crash over us. Is this, as some thinkers argue, a full-on major evolutionary transition? Will we have to rethink the nature of the biology of human intelligence, identity and individuality, as culture becomes the dominant driving force? What will we become? In The 21st Century Brain, neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow, an academic at the University of Cambridge and a public intellectual, takes all of this on 鈥� and according to her publisher, emerges with hopes that we can future-proof our brains. Her optimism looks to be based on humans drawing on innate capacities, skills and virtues, such as problem-solving, flexibility, curiosity, creativity, courage, empathy and communication. Given the widespread fear of governance by algorithm, of information distortion or hijack, not to mention of the power of social media to destroy childhoods and calls to ban smart phones for under-16s, let鈥檚 fervently hope she is right.

by Nobuko Nakano

Now here鈥檚 a topic guaranteed to entice and enrage in equal measure: the nature of luck and what we can learn from people who call themselves 鈥渓ucky鈥�. A sneak-peek at Nobuko Nakano鈥檚 Lucky People 鈥� a bestseller in Japan 鈥� shows that it aims to both deconstruct the idea that luck is random and encourage us to think that lucky people are, for all sorts of reasons, running different 鈥渘eurological software鈥� from the unlucky ones 鈥� software that can be installed. Among the things shaping this lucky personality that we can cultivate, Nakano says, are the brain changes that happen when we shift perception from detecting threats to seeing opportunities. Then there is possessing a positive self-image and generosity toward other people, and regular sleeping and rising habits 鈥� preferably early bird rather than night owl. Prayer is also in the mix. Fascinating stuff.

by Kathryn Paige Harden

Original Sin by Kathryn Paige Harden definitely needs its subtitle to reassure readers that we haven鈥檛 suddenly retitled the magazine New Theologist. So here it is: The genetics of wrongdoing, the problem of blame and the future of forgiveness. Harden, director of the developmental behaviour genetic lab at the University of Texas, studies some of the most important questions in modern life: how do we take responsibility for the people we become, knowing how we are shaped by both biology and experience? And what should we do when people hurt each other 鈥� or themselves? And has science made guilt obsolete? These are the ancient tensions between nature and nurture, freedom and constraint, the desire to punish and the longing to forgive. Let鈥檚 hope it delivers on such rare promise.

by Guilia Enders

Author and doctor Giulia Enders鈥檚 Gut was a bestseller, taking us on an unexpectedly fascinating voyage of the complex digestive system and covering the vital gut-brain connection, the importance of the microbiome and the impact of gut health on mental health. She is back with a new offering, Organ Speak: What it really means to listen to our bodies, which has already spent over six weeks at the top of the German bestseller list, say its publishers. This one could be even more surprising, with its message to look inside to better understand life outside. We can expect to be guided through our inner landscape and meet 鈥渢he unseen heroes of our bodies鈥�, as Enders explains how our organs have responded to challenges with astonishing intelligence 鈥� and just how much they have to teach us. What, for example, can the immune system tell us about our need to feel safe? And how does the process of wound-healing mirror emotional recovery? The bottom line is: what do we truly need to thrive? Definitely another one to watch out for 鈥� oh, and celebrity epidemiologist Tim Spector calls it a 鈥渢hrilling journey through health and disease 鈥� seen through the secret lives of our cells and organs鈥�.

by Christopher Cokinos

The moon is definitely back on the agenda with the launch of NASA鈥檚 Artemis II mission around the moon, sending four astronauts on a 10-day flight. The publication of Still as Bright: An illuminating history of the moon, from antiquity to tomorrow could hardly be better timed. Writer Christopher Cokinos tells the story of the moon over time and space, describing its role in the beliefs of ancient cultures and the science of Galileo鈥檚 telescopic discoveries, from the obsessions of 19th-century 鈥渟elenographers鈥� to the astronauts of Apollo, and now, Artemis II. The book also tracks Cokinos鈥檚 own lunar adventures as he explores the surface of the Moon using only his backyard telescope. The publishers call it a 鈥渃ultural and scientific history, as well as memoir鈥� a thoughtful, deeply moving, evergreen natural history鈥�. For all sorts of reasons, readers will never look at the moon the same way again.

by Lucy Rogers

We all scan the skies for signs of rain or sun, or just to look at the delightful clouds that change shape as they speed by. Then there鈥檚 the birds, effortlessly soaring, swooping or creating spectacularly improbable formations. Lucy Rogers鈥檚 book Up: A scientist鈥檚 guide to the magic above us, explores 鈥渢he beauty, science, and surprises of the world above鈥� as she travels the world: stopping off at a kite market in India, at the Borneo jungle to see bats as they pour out of a cave at dusk, and in Mexico to witness a total solar eclipse. Up听definitely sounds like it鈥檚 one for all of us who crave a glimpse of the aurora borealis or marvel at the ingenuity of flight. Rogers is an engineer (she鈥檚 worked on space-debris-mitigation technologies, and you might have seen her as a judge in the BBC TV show听Robot Wars) so the sense of wonder and quest for marvels will be well grounded. Looking forward to it.

by Ijeoma Uchegbu

Where would we be without chemistry quietly holding our chaotic world together? Every aspect of life is chemically mediated: from our DNA, resting tightly within our cells, to how we treat illnesses and physically build our world, to the chemical makeup of PFAs 鈥� the 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� that are so terrifyingly good at sticking around. In her book, Chain Reaction, Ijeoma Uchegbu, professor of pharmaceutical nanoscience at University College London, reminds us of this science we take for granted and tells us about the chemistry which has shaped her own life.

The best new popular science books of March 2026

A new book from Rebecca Solnit, promising to bring us hope in these 鈥渄ifficult times鈥�, is among our pick of popular science titles out this month 鈥� along with a guide on how to talk to AI, and a look at modern warfare

by Helen Pearson

Helen Pearson is a seasoned editor at one of the world鈥檚 leading science journals so it seems fitting that she should tell the extraordinary story of how evidence, rather than opinion, is now seen as the only way to guide human decisions. This 鈥渆vidence revolution鈥�, say the publishers of her new book Beyond Belief, is a global effort to science-ify policy. This involves using data and scientific methods to discover what really works for questions such as: if police patrols reduce crime, are performance appraisals effective in actually boosting performance? Or can evidence show whether smaller classes help students 鈥� and, currently, shed light on whether smartphones really harm teenagers? Policy has always suffered from problems with evidence 鈥� possibly because it wasn鈥檛 available, or wasn鈥檛 in an accessible, timely form. Even medicine has had to creep forward, often relying on doctors鈥� opinions and conventional wisdom, rather than solid science. Looking forward to the nuts and bolts of this read.

March, in the northern hemisphere anyway, is about venturing out for some much-needed vitamin D and dodging showers. Forget that 鈥� just head for a decent caf茅 where you can delve into the marvellous science books we鈥檝e got waiting for you. This month you can explore how animals shaped our world, how to spot liars from their language, what forest trees can tell us 鈥� and flowers as revolutionaries. There is some stronger stuff too, if you are in the mood: try AI in the hands of the US military, or a deep cultural look at how our world has changed beyond recognition. Whatever your choice, it鈥檚 all guaranteed to enrich the inner you.

by Megha Mohan

What would a world look like if women made the rules? In one still run largely by men, it鈥檚 an interesting question. According to her publishers, author Megha Mohan was inspired by her great-grandmother鈥檚 matrilineal community in South India to scour the world in search of 鈥渓essons from societies where women make the rules鈥�. Such societies have always existed, with modern micro-examples including South Korea鈥檚 unique online feminist trolls, co-housing experiments in Paris and North London and the Rain Queens of South Africa. And what might different ways of collaborating, working, child rearing 鈥� above all, power and identity structures 鈥� look like in such a world? Mohan鈥� the BBC鈥檚 first global gender and identity correspondent in 2018 鈥� explores.

by Jamie Bartlett

Are you getting the best out of AI? Assuming you have increasingly little choice in the matter, it鈥檚 probably a plan to buckle down and read up. To judge by Jamie Bartlett鈥檚 earlier work, especially The Dark Net, How to Talk to AI promises to deliver on the nitty-gritty of how AI thinks and reasons and the best ways to exploit its (sorry) super-human abilities. Expect to learn how some folks are turbo-charging work and everyday life with AI, while others are falling down conspiracy rabbit holes and/or experiencing psychosis.

The best new popular science books of 2026

Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood

by Suzanne Simard

It鈥檚 a fair claim to say (as her publisher does) that Suzanne Simard has helped transform our understanding of the profound intelligence and interconnectedness of trees. The bestselling author of听Finding the Mother Tree, she is professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where she leads The Mother Tree Project 鈥� and has a global reputation for research on tree connectivity and communication and its impact on the health and diversity of forests. Her new book, When the Forest Breathes, taps into the deep-rooted cycles of renewal that sustain the forest and how they can also help us to protect the world鈥檚 ecosystem. Simard grew up in British Columbia, in a family of loggers committed to sustainable stewardship, so her life has been a very singularly committed one 鈥� which often makes for a great book. Here鈥檚 hoping.

by Michael Bond

Michael Bond is a former New 女生小视频 staffer and author of a growing pile of books exploring the inner world of how we shape each other (peer pressure, fans, belonging) and the outer world (wayfaring and his own family鈥檚 part in settling the Canadian prairies). This time he sets off on a connected but different track, exploring how animals shaped our minds and cultures, 鈥渇rom our hunter-gatherer ancestors whose brains were rewired by the prey they hunted and the predators they feared, to the medieval and Enlightenment thinkers who used animals to promote notions of human supremacy鈥�. If everything that was thought to make us human is shared with other creatures, who are we and what is our place in the world? What is the new order? Looking forward to this one.

by听Kirsty King

Can you spot a liar, or separate truth from fiction? Who do you trust in these mendacious, deepfake days? Forensic psychologist Kirsty King may have a new way to help us weave our way through the lies we all tell to keep our lives going, and the bigger ones that are extremely damaging. We need all the help we can get here, given the failure of other approaches such as physiology (think micro-expressions and the like). So, can lies be exposed by paying close attention to the language liars use? Drawing on research from forensic linguistics and psychology, King shares real-life case studies and stories to explore the 鈥渢ells鈥�. Should be a fascinating read.

by David George Haskell

It鈥檚 a big claim: without flowers, human beings would not exist. But sounds like environmental scientist David George Haskell can back up the publishing hype in How Flowers Made Our World 鈥� subtitled 鈥淭he story of nature鈥檚 revolutionaries鈥�. He delves into everything from the 鈥渇ascinating but less celebrated flowers such as seagrasses and tea to show us what we鈥檝e been missing鈥�, to the power of plants as inventive agents, able to 鈥渂uild and sustain rainforests, savannahs, prairies; and even ocean shores鈥�. Looking to the future, he says that flowers 鈥渙ffer us lessons on resilience and creativity in the face of rapid environmental change鈥�. Lots to celebrate there then.

by Rebecca Solnit

We may not have the world promised by Star Trek and the like, but anyone living in a sealed off bunker for the past fifty or sixty years would still emerge into the sunlight blinking at the political landscape of the 21st century. Rebecca Solnit has been at the forefront of thinking about this for quite a while, winning plaudits and nominations for book awards as she goes. Her latest, The Beginning Comes After the End, her publisher says, 鈥渋s a culmination of years of activism and offers a unique perspective on our politics and our humanity, to give hope in difficult times and to urgently remind us that the power to change the world is within our reach鈥�. Let鈥檚 hope so.

The best new popular science books of February 2026

Readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to popular science reading this month, with new titles by major names including Maggie Aderin and Michael Pollan

by Lixing Sun

What鈥檚 not to like in a book about sex? Even better, a book about sex in animals鈥� which promises to tell 鈥渢he weird and wonderful science of how our planet is populated鈥�. This is one of New 女生小视频鈥檚 2026 books to watch out for, and its author, Lixing Sun, is a professor of biology at Central Washington University. A sneak peek reveals, among much else, that the female mole is a 鈥渢rue rebel of the animal kingdom鈥� with both ovaries and testes 鈥� and that California condors are capable of immaculate conception.

by Katrina Manson

Could this book be any more timely? Project Maven听by Katrina Manson is a kind-of briefing for the hell we see on our screens every night as Operation Epic Fury unfolds in the Middle East. Manson tells the chilling story of how the US Department of Defense launched Project Maven in 2017鈥� an initiative designed to harness artificial intelligence for military targeting. She is a Bloomberg reporter who covers national security and cutting-edge tech, so you can be pretty sure she will know what she鈥檚 writing about. This looks to be fascinating and compelling stuff鈥� but you may need a strong stomach.

by F. Marina Schauffler

We鈥檙e fast getting used to the acronym PFAS to describe per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and the horrifying global environmental legacy trailing in the wake of what are labelled 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥�. These invisible, hard-to-remove chemicals are in the blood of most people on Earth, as they permeate everyday life and the natural world. Journalist Marina Schauffler zeros in on Maine, the US鈥檚 most north-easterly state. She tells the stories of farmers, firefighters, tribal members, researchers, everyday homeowners and officials as they suffer from, or fight back against, PFAS contamination in a place known for its rich farms, woods and waters 鈥� and, apparently, at the forefront of PFAS testing and regulation. The poignant accounts here may be from the US, but it could equally well be somewhere near you.

It鈥檚 nowhere near early enough for those of us in the northern hemisphere to start struggling against winter鈥檚 somnolent spell, so there鈥檚 no need for excuses as you take to your bed with a pile of good books. And there鈥檚 plenty to keep you occupied while you eschew the chilly outdoors. This month, we have climate hope from a well-placed environmental reporter, formerly of this parish, an honest memoir from a star scientist and a jaw-dropping account of the commodification of women鈥檚 bodies. Given the Valentine鈥檚 Day fun this month, we also have a book that may challenge what we thought we knew about finding love. It鈥檚 always good to get all the help we can in that department 鈥� enjoy!

by Maggie Aderin

鈥淥n clear moonlit nights we sometimes step outside and howl at the moon together. It is cathartic, primal and a really good laugh. I am not sure what our neighbours think about it, though.鈥� That鈥檚 Maggie Aderin, describing how she and her daughter share their love of the moon in her memoir, Starchild. Aderin is one of the UK鈥檚 top science popularisers (a co-host of the BBC鈥檚 astronomy programme, The Sky at Night) and has groundbreaking work on the James Webb and Gemini telescopes under her belt. Oh, and there鈥檚 a 鈥淒ame鈥� in front of her name in recognition of her work 鈥� and a Barbie doll of her made by Mattel. Starchild is the story of her complicated early life (custody battles, 13 schools in 12 years, dyslexia), and how she came to set her ambitions on star science, only to end up the only Black woman on her physics course at Imperial College London. From the sneakiest of sneak peeks, it looks like a thoroughly engaging read 鈥� and the kind of honest memoir you wish more scientists would turn out.

The best new popular science books of 2026

Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood

by Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland

How do our brains turn relatively simple units 鈥� biological neurons 鈥� into a mind? It鈥檚 quite a story: with 86 billion neurons making an estimated 100 trillion connections across neural networks, the human brain is a miracle of complexity. But the assembly that underpins human intelligence, desire and even consciousness also allows mind-like abilities to emerge in machines built using artificial neurons 鈥� and our chatbots use artificial neural networks originally developed as models of the mind. How does it all work 鈥� and where does it leave AI? A good place to look for answers is The Emergent Mind by Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland. The two academics straddle computational neuroscience, experimental psychology, computer science and linguistics. And their book comes highly recommended by such luminaries as Geoffrey Hinton, who won the 2024 Nobel for physics, and Mustafa Suleyman, who co-founded DeepMind.

by Paul Eastwick

Is the object of your affections a 9, while you are just a 5? Are some folk just not 鈥渕arriage material鈥�? These sound like crude assessments to use when looking for romantic connection, yet much of the world seems hooked on this kind of thinking. But just how scientific is it really? Luckily, it looks as if we may soon have some evidence-based answers, judging by Bonded By Evolution by Paul Eastwick. He鈥檚 a psychologist at the University of California, Davis, and director of its Attraction and Relationship Research Laboratory, and he says those ideas have penetrated deep into our culture, creating narratives that make us despair about relationships or, worse, fuel misogyny and violence. Here鈥檚 hoping science can come to the rescue.

by Michael Pollan

With 350 theories of consciousness on the table, is there room for even one more? Luckily, A World Appears isn鈥檛 really another contender. For one thing, it鈥檚 by Michael Pollan, a writer and thinker who somehow manages to be both left-field and highly influential through books about our relationship with plants and psychedelic drugs, especially How to Change Your Mind. And this book seems to be not so much theoretical as experiential, with Pollan using many different lenses (neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, psychedelic) to explore the field in a personal manner. He starts with a chapter about the famous wager between neuroscientist Christof Koch and philosopher David Chalmers more than 25 years ago on whether science would have an explanation for consciousness by 2023. Given the scale of the problem, 25 years plus isn鈥檛 really that long 鈥� so Pollan ends up in a cave outside Santa Fe looking for different kind of answers and offers a wonderful exit quote: 鈥滻 open my eyes and a world appears鈥︹�� Great stuff.

by Sarah Alam Malik

Any book with a title like that is bound to put you in mind of Stephen Hawking 鈥� and take you right back to 1988 when A Brief History of Time came out to great acclaim 鈥� and even greater sales. But there鈥檚 a subtitle in parentheses after the 鈥楿niverse鈥� 鈥� (and our place in it) 鈥� which throws a switch on things and brings this new exploration of cosmology up to date, putting more emphasis on the people doing the work. Sarah Alam Malik鈥檚 own field is dark matter, so she and Hawking would have found some common ground in the weeds of big science.

Free newsletter

Sign up to Book Club

Sign up to newsletter

by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne

How could forensic psychiatrist Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne follow on from their earlier book, The Devil You Know, which journeyed into the hell of the people who commit the worst acts in the world? The subtitle explains that we will be getting 鈥�Stories of survival and transformation after trauma鈥� 鈥� in other words, and in a very real sense, the other end of the stick. This time, we will share the burden of trauma 鈥� or maybe, survival 鈥� of other kinds of terrible acts. According to publishers Faber & Faber, among the book鈥檚 eight case studies are a war widow who dares not utter her husband鈥檚 name, a former prisoner of war who will not speak of his ordeal even decades later, and a child hostage who cannot speak at all. What happens to them all? Their journey makes a powerful experience. As Adshead says: 鈥淭hey spoke of the unspeakable to me鈥� and thus found a way鈥� to get through their experiences.鈥�

by Adrian Woolfson

This is probably one of the most challenging of this month鈥檚 books. Unless, of course, you are some sort of synthetic biology guru already. Assuming you aren鈥檛, On the Future of Species has a clear agenda: Adrian Woolfson imagines a new world, one in which your home builds itself, your clothes talk back to you, disease is no more and we may even live longer. In other words, life itself will have been decoupled from Darwinian evolution and become computable. And AI will drive the project as it converges with synthetic biology to become something quite new, what Woolfson calls artificial biological intelligence. It all depends, says Woolfson, founder of the genome writing company Genyro, on decoding the generative grammar of DNA. It may then be possible to construct wholly new genomes or rewrite our own if we want. And if all this works out even a bit, then we will want to. Fascinatingly scary stuff to huddle under the duvet with. What could possibly go wrong?

by Joanna Cheek

We鈥檝e all drunk the Kool-Aid: you are responsible for you; no matter how bad you feel, you have agency, you can improve your life 鈥� in fact, only you can! And so on. But what if you don鈥檛 feel you have agency? What if the world is rolling over you, making you depressed and anxious? And breathe鈥� Or better, reach out for a book that at least promises to let you off the hook a bit. It鈥檚 Not You, It鈥檚 the World by psychiatrist and medical journalist Joanna Cheek asks whether our mental health struggles aren鈥檛 actually signs that we鈥檙e broken, but proof that we鈥檙e responding normally to a world in crisis. The book reminds us that 1 in 2 of us will be diagnosed with a mental health condition by the age of 40, and Cheek argues that our symptoms are, in fact, alarms 鈥� and that our defence systems are working exactly as they should in response to threatening circumstances. Best of all, Cheek sets out to show how self-improvement alone neglects the source of our difficulties, and that to truly heal, we must address the imbalances in our wider systems that keep making us all sick. If she delivers even a little of what we鈥檙e promised, it will be a great relief.

by Fay Bound-Alberti

It was apparently following a diagnosis of prosopagnosia (face blindness) that cultural historian Fay Bound-Alberti was inspired to write her new book, The Face. This kind of ironic driver makes you wonder what she makes of her own face. After all, we are living in a world where we must unlock our phones with facial recognition, our faces are stamped in our passports, and no matter how we age or are changed through accident or illness, they remain a foundational marker of identity. Bound-Alberti is the founder of the Centre for Technology and the Body at King鈥檚 College London, where she leads Interface, the world鈥檚 first project examining technologies of the face. So, given her background and condition, we should expect a compelling exploration of how the face has shaped identity and social meaning through time. Publishers Penguin say we will discover how new technologies and cultural innovations have transformed our conception of selfhood, starting with the growth of portraiture in the Renaissance and traveling through the mass production of mirrors and photography in the 19th century to today鈥檚 digital avatars and face transplants.

by Fred Pearce

Everyone expects gloom and doom from environmental and climate experts. But Fred Pearce, a staffer and consultant for New 女生小视频 for many years, is one of the last people on earth to jump into any such neat box. Yes, things are bad and the list of problems endless: extinctions are accelerating, plastics and pollution choke our seas and skies, water cycles (and glaciers) are collapsing. But his purpose is to 鈥渟hine a light on solutions and offer hope in dark times鈥� Too much pessimism can be the enemy of the very action we need.鈥� While accepting the damage done, Pearce finds reasons (seven, actually) reflected in chapters with titles ranging from 鈥淣ature is finding a way鈥�, and 鈥淭he population bomb is being defused鈥� to 鈥淭he miracle of the commons鈥�. Fearing that he might sound Panglossian, in the end Pearce鈥檚 hope comes down to two things: nature鈥檚 ability to regrow, adapt and restore itself; and humans themselves, and our ability to adapt, not just technically but socially, and to rediscover the wisdom of older ways: 鈥渢o imagine the best, then mobilize and act on it鈥�. Who wouldn鈥檛 say amen to that?

by Alev Scott

From the end of the 20^th century, women鈥檚 fertility has increasingly become all about technology, money and morality. Twenty-five years into the 21^st century, the questions just keep on coming. Here鈥檚 a selection from Cash Cow by Alev Scott, one of the first books to bring it all together in a detailed, often undercover investigation of the whole area. Should women be paid to be surrogates or should this be an altruistic act 鈥� or even legal at all? Why should women pay more for 鈥淰IP鈥� egg donors and to view their photos? Is it right to charge for breast milk? If so, how much 鈥� and who should be allowed to buy it? Then there鈥檚 the issue of one person鈥檚 biological bad luck being another鈥檚 gain as the example of women鈥檚 eggs 鈥� from freezing to selling 鈥� shows all too clearly. Scott鈥檚 account looks to be riveting for everyone who cares about the increasing commodification of women鈥檚 bodies and the horror show of the (largely ignored) emotional and ethical issues it raises.

听by Jo Marchant

Former New 女生小视频 staffer Jo Marchant has form 鈥� in a good way. Among the books she has written, she is probably best known for Decoding the Heavens, about the听Antikythera mechanism, an ancient device听designed to calculate听astronomical听positions that is popularly known as the first known mechanical computer. Her latest book is very different. It鈥檚 her personal quest in search of 鈥渘ow鈥� 鈥搘hat it means to live in the present, right here, right now. Who hasn鈥檛 asked themselves that? Illusion or not, we feel the present is, in every sense, all we have or can have. But physics finds no universal 鈥渘ow鈥�. The book is an existential quest: drawing on neuroscience, psychology, cosmology, religion, history and much more. In it, Marchant delves deep into the weeds of lived experience (mystical or otherwise) and possibly the nature of reality itself. As she writes, 鈥淧erhaps, with our help, the whole universe is continually being made and remade. And the future isn鈥檛 written after all.鈥�

The best new popular science books of January 2026

A host of new science books are due to hit shelves in January, by authors including Claudia Hammond, Deborah Cohen and Daisy Fancourt

听by Jo Wimpenny

Everyone loves an underdog. Except when it comes to certain animals, or why would zoologist Jo Wimpenny feel the need to make the case for 鈥渞ethinking nature鈥檚 least loved animals鈥�? It turns out, there are good reasons for rehabilitating creatures that we perceive as harmful, thus wasps provide free pest control, snakes offer venom that might help with cancer, and crocodiles and vultures can teach us about social bonds. Then there is the even bigger picture: losing certain animals, no matter how repulsive, would devastate ecosystems. And all sorts of creatures are being found to possess intelligence way beyond our expectations. We clearly have no business disliking any creature. Still, at least we no longer persecute animals for 鈥渃rimes鈥� as we did in the Middle Ages. Small mercies鈥�

听by Evan Selinger and Albert Fox Cahn

Just in case you don鈥檛 get the title, it鈥檚 a play on that famous tech bro quote (by Mark Zuckerberg to be precise) about moving fast and breaking things. That once sounded pretty sexy, all that innovation, disruption and speed. Except that it also spawned a techno-utopian culture of fabricated benefits and minimised harms. The opposite may be less frantic. More, er, evidence-based, even. It definitely sounds like it鈥檚 worth taking a close look at how we got here and what it would take to create a responsible innovation culture. And to make it sound sexy.

Here in the northern hemisphere, January always feels like the longest, drabbest month of the year, so how lucky we are to have a host of new science books to enliven our days. This month, we can explore everything from what the arts bring to our lives to the unsung hero that is friction. How about the origin of ideas? Or what we lose when we light up our skies? Perhaps January isn鈥檛 long enough鈥�

by Daisy Fancourt

What if playing the piano, dancing, visiting art galleries or even lying in the mud listening to Wolf Alice at Glastonbury was good for the body, mind and longevity? Or what if it could help us develop brain resilience against dementia? That鈥檚 just part of the tantalising, ambitious pitch by Daisy Fancourt in her new book. In theory, she鈥檚 well-placed to make the case as a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London听and director of the WHO鈥檚 arts and health initiative. British TV doctor Xand van Tulleken is calling it an 鈥渁mazing antidote鈥� to the 鈥渄eluge of nonsense鈥� we鈥檙e given daily about how to live better. A licence to have fun 鈥� what鈥檚 not to love?

by Charles Knowles

Here鈥檚 a question we鈥檝e all asked ourselves 鈥� and promptly poured another glass as we ponder. The story of why we use alcohol for everything from celebrating to de-stressing and fitting in (biology, not moral failing) is in the hands of surgeon and clinical researcher Charles Knowles. As he just happens to be a recovering alcoholic, this should be the ultimate insider view on what happens in our brains, why and how alcohol hijacks our survival instincts, overrides the ability to choose, and, crucially, how drinking can spiral out of control. Even more crucially, he has a scientific 鈥渂lueprint鈥� for how to escape this vicious cycle. Less moralising and more sciencing 鈥撎齡ood call.

The 13 best popular science books of 2025

Women's hidden extra work, positive tipping points and new thinking on autism 鈥� there's much to chew on in this year's best reads, says Liz Else

by Deborah Cohen

We all do it 鈥� run to the internet to look for help when we鈥檙e sick. Or if we want to become the best version of ourselves 鈥� with wonderfully low blood pressure, perfect blood sugar, not a smidge of excess fat, and perfectly focused on being happy, successful citizens. But who are these experts who live online, who don鈥檛 know our personal medical history? Science writer Deborah Cohen asks why we would trust them with our lives, given no evidence of their qualifications or impartiality. Good question. Hope she鈥檚 got some good answers.

by Kenneth R. Rosen

What happens as the Arctic melts is something we will all have to wake up to 鈥� and fast 鈥� as pipelines are sabotaged, global communications lines breached, and untapped natural resources are exposed in a new race for position and power? No wonder geopolitical writer and sometime war correspondent Kenneth Rosen has got stuck into a world that will justify the book鈥檚 subtitle: 鈥渟ubmarines, spies and the struggle for power in a melting Arctic鈥�. Terrifying, in a good way.

by Charles Foster

Does everything have start in the centre 鈥� from big cities, established ideas, from convention in all its forms? No, says Charles Foster, in what looks to be a thought-provoking countertheory: the best ideas happen at the edges. In what is billed as a 鈥渇ascinating and philosophical travel book鈥�, Foster sets out for 鈥渢he far frontiers of the planet鈥� and of human culture and consciousness to the edges of continents, of evolution, of artistic and political movements, and of life itself鈥�. Stirring stuff if it delivers on even half of this.

by Claudia Hammond

Forget the festive period: everyday life feels accelerated, with too much to do and less time in which to do it. This phenomenon has even got a name for the effect it produces 鈥� overwhelm. How do we make it stop? BBC journalist Claudia Hammond takes this on, dividing her book into chapters addressing everything from procrastination to the fear of regret, the drive to perfectionism and endless to-do lists. She offers a psychological toolkit and a pile of science to stop us from burning out among her 鈥渨ays to take the pressure off鈥�, as the book鈥檚 subtitle flags up. Timely, for sure.

by Aimee Donnellan

Whether you鈥檙e fighting to lose weight or concerned about the implications of getting what you think you want, GLP-1 drug Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs are bound to make more headlines this year. Reuters columnist Aimee Donnellan is out to weave together the inside story of the race by Novo Nordisk to develop a 鈥漜ure鈥� for obesity with Ozempic, a diabetes medication that targets the GLP-1 hormone and makes people feel fuller for longer, with economics, politics, social implications 鈥� and the underlying听 scientific question: are these drugs too good to be true?

by Megan Eaves-Egenes

Every year, our night skies are getting at least 120 per cent brighter 鈥� and this isn鈥檛 just a big deal for astronomers, but also for our wildlife (not to mention our sleep cycles). In Nightfaring, travel writer and 鈥渄ark sky鈥� advocate Megan Eaves-Egenes travels the world to get to grips with our connection with the night sky. Billed as a way of 鈥渇inding solace in the stars at a time of difficulty in her own life鈥�, she embarks on a journey that takes her from New Zealand to Uzbekistan, Italy to Japan, Germany to the Himalayas, exploring what darkness means globally and over time 鈥� and most of all, it seems, what we are in danger of losing.

by Jennifer Vail

The story of an invisible force can make great reading 鈥� and the 鈥渂iography鈥� of friction, as author Jennifer Vail calls it, seems promisingly left-field. We鈥檙e talking here about the force that resists motion we encounter in daily life (think creaking door hinges, or car tyres worn smooth by the motorway), but also its power from the first spark of fire through the industrial revolution to the unexpected role in the race to understand viruses, and lots more. It is an unsung hero to most (though not, of course, to Newton, da Vinci and their ilk) 鈥� though hopefully not for much longer.

by Toby Walsh

From Ada Lovelace鈥檚 pioneering algorithms and Alan Turing鈥檚 famous test of machine intelligence to Deep Blue鈥檚 chess victory, ChatGPT, this is pitched as a whistlestop tour of the monuments and failures in the great and unfolding AI story. It looks fun, from a professor of AI at the University of New South Wales, Australia. The big question, of course, is: can this huge story really be contained in a short book? Well, Carlo Rovelli managed it for physics, so fingers crossed.