Science

Roundworld is in trouble again, and this time it looks fatal. Having created it in the first place, the wizards of Unseen University feel vaguely responsible for its safety. They know the creatures who lived there escaped the impending Big Freeze by inventing the space elevator - they even intervened to rid the planet of a plague of elves, who attempted to divert humanity onto a different time track. But now it's all gone wrong - Victorian England has stagnated and the pace of progress would embarrass a limping snail.

James Gleick explains the theories behind the fascinating new science called chaos. Alongside relativity and quantum mechanics, it is being hailed as the 20th century's third revolution.

The science delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality. The fundamental questions are answered, leaving only the details to be filled in. In this book, Dr Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's most innovative scientists, shows that science is being constructed by assumptions that have hardened into dogmas. The sciences would be better off without them: freer, more interesting, and more fun.

In one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of The Theory of Relativity in recent years, Professors Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein's most famous equation, exploring the principles of physics through everyday life.

The world of maths can seem mind-boggling, irrelevant and, let's face it, boring. This groundbreaking book reclaims maths from the geeks. Mathematical ideas underpin just about everything in our lives: from the surprising geometry of the 50p piece to how probability can help you win in any casino. In search of weird and wonderful mathematical phenomena, Alex Bellos travels across the globe and meets the world's fastest mental calculators in Germany and a startlingly numerate chimpanzee in Japan.

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, Joshua Foer's part-memoir, part-guide on mastering your memory. Read by Mike Chamberlain. On average, people squander forty days annually trying to remember things they've forgotten. Joshua Foer used to be one of those people. But after a year of training, he found himself in the finals of the U.S.

At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Oppenheimer and his Big Idea, the atomic bomb, exemplify one of the very real dilemmas of modern science. Scientifically unprecedented yet ethically questionable, atomic weapons may have brought World War II to an end, saving thousands of lives, but at what cost? Hiroshima, Nagasaki and a new political balance, teetering on the threat of nuclear annihilation, were part of the legacy of the man best known as "the father of the bomb".

At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...E = mc2 is the world's most famous equation, but what does it mean and why were Einstein's theories so groundbreaking? Einstein's revolutionary papers on his Theories of Relativity changed mankind's view of the world and universe forever, establishing him as one of our greatest scientific minds - but when he died, he considered himself a failure.

At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Pythagoras was arguably the first 'genius' of Western culture, establishing a blend of high intellect and high lunacy, both of which have become recurrent features of this scholarly heritage. Most memorably, he created the Pythagorean Theorem, and established the concept of proofs in mathematics. Less well known was the religion he founded which forbade his disciples from eating beans or stepping over fallen poles!

At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Today, computers touch every aspect of our lives and dominate the world of technology. They have revolutionised the modern age of communication and are arguably one of humankind's greatest achievements. To imagine a 21st Century existence without a computer seems impossible. Yet despite our utter reliance on computers, how much is really known about the way they work or their inventor, Alan Turing?

At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...The discovery by Francis Crick and James Watson of DNA- the very building blocks of life - has astounding implications for mankind's future. Not only in the scientific possibilities of cloning, life expectancy and medical research, but also in our everyday lives - such as forensics and the genetic engineering of food. But with this discovery have come important ethical questions...Crick, Watson & DNA is an engaging and accessible examination of these two scientists' lives, radical work and legacy.

"At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Newton's observations on motion, gravity and light revolutionised the world and opened up humanity's understanding of the universe. Today his work is taken for granted, but in the context of modern times, to what extent can we appreciate the 'gravity' of his theories?Newton and Gravity tells the captivating story of Newton's life as an eccentric teenager, devout Christian, paranoid recluse, arrogant genius, and obsessive alchemist.