The Pandemic Century by Mark Honigsbaum review – riveting study of mass disease
This fascinating book about recent epidemics shows that the human factor often gets in the way of a solutionAt the beginning of the Peloponnesian war in 430BC, the Athenian general Pericles ordered his...
View ArticleTop 10 books about the River Thames
From bucolic source to marshy lower reaches, London’s mighty river has inspired great writingThe Thames is 215 miles from source to sea, and for centuries writers of all kinds have been inspired by it,...
View ArticleNovacene by James Lovelock review – a big welcome for the AI takeover
The Gaia theorist, at 100 years old, is infectiously optimistic about the prospect of humanity being overtaken by superintelligent robotsIn an acerbic 1976 article on AI research, the computer...
View ArticleSuperior by Angela Saini review – how science enables racism
The concept of ‘race’ persists, even though it is biologically meaningless. This important book considers whyMore than 90% of the top 20 performances in middle- and long-distance running are by black...
View ArticleThe Universe Speaks in Numbers review – should we believe in a ‘theory of...
Physicists have spent 40 years making predictions that can’t be tested, but whose huge value is outlined in Graham Farmelo’s superb history“A desk or table, a chair, paper and pencils”, was what Albert...
View ArticleCardiologist Eric Topol: 'AI can restore the care in healthcare'
The doctor, geneticist and author talks about his new book on the future of our relationship with medicineEric Topol is an American cardiologist and geneticist – among his many roles he is founder and...
View ArticleIrreplaceable by Julian Hoffman review – can our wild places be saved?
A passionate study that focuses on the people determined to defend endangered places – coral reefs, saltmarshes, allotments – from economic developmentWhen life is uncertain, a search for beauty and...
View ArticleThe Way to the Sea by Caroline Crampton review – the Thames, but no fond cliches
More mud and shipwrecks than prosecco and punting … a personal, enjoyable celebration of the Thames from source to seaEarly in the spring of 1984, four years before Caroline Crampton was born, her...
View ArticleFrom Ted Hughes to HG Wells: Jeanette Winterson picks the best books about...
Fifty years since Apollo 11 landed, the novelist shares her favourite books and poems about Earth’s mysterious satelliteThere she is, 239,000 miles from Earth. A lover’s moon, a poet’s moon, a painted...
View ArticleThe Garden Jungle by Dave Goulson review – evangelical, radical and angry
This exquisite book argues that gardening can be a powerful force for resisting climate changeEvery year, towards the end of May or the beginning of June, I catch my wife looking shifty. She always...
View ArticleThe Weil Conjectures by Karen Olsson review – maths and mysticism
A vivid account of the relationship between Simone and André Weil takes in political action, unworldliness and the history of mathsOn 1 September 1939, Simone Weil sent a telegram to her brother André:...
View ArticleThis Is Not a Drill review – an Extinction Rebellion handbook
Scientists, psychologists, artists and activists offer some hope and a plan for the futureHow do you respond to this statement by the social scientist Jem Bendell: “We should be preparing for a social...
View ArticleHarvest by Edward Posnett review – the hidden histories of seven natural objects
Could a gentler, mutually beneficial co‑operation between species help shape a green future?In May, many thousands of eider ducks arrive in Iceland. They nest on the ground close to cottages, or on...
View ArticleRobert Macfarlane finally wins Wainwright nature writing prize
Underland was the author’s fourth work to be shortlisted, and judges decided unanimously that the ‘claustrophobic thriller of sorts’ was his bestAfter making the shortlist for the UK’s top...
View ArticlePossessed by Bruce Hood review – why we want more than we need
The human species is shaped and controlled by our desire to own things, this colourful study arguesThere is no shortage of analysis and critique of consumerism, from Karl Marx on “commodity fetishism”...
View ArticleThe Scientific Attitude by Lee McIntyre review – a defence against denial,...
In a world of ‘alternative facts’ respect for evidence must lie at the heart of any scientific endeavourWhat is the scientific attitude? In 1941, at the lowest point of the war, the developmental...
View Article'I’m obsessed': mudlarking for treasure along the Thames
Lara Maiklem’s study of the rich historical traces on banks of the river grew out of a personal obsession. She explains why the hobby is catching onLara Maiklem is sitting near Cannon Street station in...
View ArticleWill this be the last generation to have bodies that are familiar to us? |...
Jawbone shaving, gene therapy cosmetics, robotics ... What will our bodies be like in the future, asks Susie OrbachThere’s a war going on over our bodies. There are unexpected players and uncertain...
View ArticlePoem of the week: Wildflower Meadow, Medawisla by Stephanie Burt
The miniature lives of flora, well away from human culture, reveal a much grander pictureWildflower Meadow, MedawislaThe many-oared astersare coracles;Continue reading...
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