Amy Liptrot: ‘I wanted to put the sex into nature writing’
Her bestselling debut, The Outrun, told of finding solace on Orkney after a hedonistic decade in London. Now, having briefly been drawn back to city life, she is exploring our animal instinctsRead an...
View ArticleDangerous Medicine: The Story Behind Human Experiments with Hepatitis – review
Sydney Halpern’s account of postwar US research that deliberately infected hundreds with the disease is shocking – and important for the Covid eraFor three decades after the second world war, US...
View ArticleHybrid Humans by Harry Parker review – man and machine in harmony
What does it feel like to be ‘12% machine’? An ex-soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan examines the implications of advances in medical technology with intelligence and humanityIt is now 13 years...
View ArticleThe big idea: how can we adapt to life with rising seas?
Traditional defences may fail, and migration won’t be possible for everyone. But we may yet find more creative ways to liveWe have passed the point of no return: rising seas will soon directly affect...
View ArticleThe Man Who Tasted Words by Guy Leschziner review – making sense
What flavour is Tottenham Court Road? A riveting study of sensory function and malfunctionImagine tasting a full English breakfast whenever you heard the words “Tottenham Court Road”. Or the flavour of...
View ArticleIn brief: Good Intentions, Tickets for the Ark, Crying in H Mart – review
Racial tensions as a romance falters; an ecologist asks hard questions about extinction; and a woman reconnects to her Korean heritage through foodKasim AliFourth Estate, £14.99, pp352Continue reading...
View ArticleThe big idea: is it time to stop talking about ‘nature versus nurture’?
The latest science shows that genes and environment are too deeply entwined to pit them against one anotherWhen you hear people conversing in an unfamiliar language, why is it that you can’t even tell...
View ArticleA Blue New Deal by Chris Armstrong review – a manifesto for the oceans
Is recovery for our ravaged oceans still possible? An outline of a practical, persuasive action planGovernments talk of green jobs, green industrial revolutions and creating green new deals. The aim of...
View ArticleThe big idea: is tourism bad for us?
Wanderlust may be surging once more – but will travel really help us find what we’re looking for?In 2019, the United Nations World Tourism Organization reported that international travel had increased...
View ArticleWild Fell by Lee Schofield review – can the Lake District be rewilded?
A conservationist finds that efforts to restore this cherished landscape to a more natural state aren’t always welcomedAbout 140 years before its designation as a national park, William Wordsworth...
View ArticleBitch by Lucy Cooke review – a joyous debunking of gender stereotypes in nature
From lemurs to spiders, this gleeful exploration of female sexuality in the animal world overturns a host of outdated assumptionsIn the annals of female animals and their sexual antics, few can match...
View ArticleIn brief: Stewkey Blues; Birds and Us; Lives of Houses – reviews
Witty short stories rooted in Norfolk, a look at our long history with birds, and a collection of essays on the meaning of our homesDJ TaylorSalt Publishing, £9.99, pp176To support the Guardian and...
View ArticleThe big idea: should other species have their own money?
Are digital wallets for orangutans and a ‘Bank for Other Species’ harebrained fantasies, or genius ways to boost conservation funding?Only about 120,000 orangutans remain in the wild, and despite the...
View ArticleThe big idea: can forests teach us to live better?
Community, family, connection … how trees could be the model for a new way of beingWhen you walk in the forest, breathe in the fresh air and notice how vibrant you feel. The oxygen entering your lungs...
View ArticleEvery Family Has a Story by Julia Samuel review – why we inherit our parents’...
The bestselling psychotherapist explores how trauma and anxiety can pass through generations in these hugely sensitive first-hand accounts“How are you?” is a question – as I remember my mother telling...
View ArticleSkin Deep by Phillipa McGuinness review – a fascinating study of our largest...
This wonderfully eclectic book covers everything from cancer to cosmetics, racism to skin hunger, with curiosity and intelligence throughoutGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email and listen to our...
View ArticleIn brief: At the Table; The Joy of Science; Listening Still – reviews
A novel of family drama from Claire Powell, Jim al-Khalili on the value of rational inquiry, and supernatural self-fulfilment from Anne GriffinClaire PowellFleet, £14.99, pp336To order At the Table,...
View ArticleSoundings by Doreen Cunningham review – a whale of a journey
A mother and her young son follow pods of whales from Mexico to Alaska in this brave, lyrical memoirAlmost a decade ago a group of Canadian and British scientists made a remarkable observation about...
View ArticleIn brief: The Secret World of Weather; Song for the Missing; España – reviews
Tristan Gooley revives the lost art of weather-watching, Pierre Jarawan explores family trauma in Lebanon, and Giles Tremlett condenses the history of SpainTristan GooleySceptre, £10.99, pp384...
View ArticleThe Women Who Saved the English Countryside by Matthew Kelly review –...
From the Lake District to Kent – the history of four women and the landscapes they rescuedIn 1951, it emerged that the BBC planned to erect a 229-metre television transmitter at North Hessary Tor on...
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