McLeods Booksellers

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

$38.00 NZD

Category: Science

**THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER**Sapiens showed us where we came from. Homo Deuslooked to the future. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century explores the present. How can we protect ourselves from nuclear war, ecological cataclysms and technological disruptions? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news or th e threat of terrorism? What should we teach our children? Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a thrilling journey through today?s most urgent issues. The golden thread running through his exhilarating new book is the challenge of maintaining our collective and individual focus in the face of constant and disorienting change. Are we still capable of understanding the world we have created? ...Show more

The Book of Humans - The Story of How We Became Us by Adam Rutherford

$34.99 NZD

Category: Science

'Charming, compelling and packed with information. I learned more about biology from this short book than I did from years of science lessons. A weird and wonderful read' PETER FRANKOPAN We like to think of ourselves as exceptional beings, but is there really anything special about us that sets us apar t from other animals? Humans are the slightest of twigs on a single family tree that encompasses four billion years, a lot of twists and turns, and a billion species. All of those organisms are rooted in a single origin, with a common code that underwrites our existence. This paradox - that our biology is indistinct from all life, yet we consider ourselves to be special - lies at the heart of who we are. In this original and entertaining tour of life on Earth, Adam Rutherford explores how many of the things once considered to be exclusively human are not: we are not the only species that communicates, makes tools, utilises fire, or has sex for reasons other than to make new versions of ourselves. Evolution has, however, allowed us to develop our culture to a level of complexity that outstrips any other observed in nature. THE BOOK OF HUMANS tells the story of how we became the creatures we are today, bestowed with the unique ability to investigate what makes us who we are. Illuminated by the latest scientific discoveries, it is a thrilling compendium of what unequivocally fixes us as animals, and reveals how we are extraordinary among them. With illustrations by Alice Roberts ...Show more

Astronomy: A Visual Guide by Ian Ridpath; Dorling Kindersley Travel Staff

$48.00 NZD

Category: Science

Take a tour of the Universe, from the 150km impact craters on the Moon to Jupiter's Great Red Spot - a 643kmph swirling storm that started in the 1600s. This stunningly illustrated slipcase is lavishly designed to cover every aspect of astronomy. Learn about the history of discoveries in the field, fro m the earliest human civilizations to the present day. Discover more about astronomical phenomena, from the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, and what happens when a star runs out of energy, to theories about the fate of the Universe - including the Big Crunch and the Big Rip, and take a visual tour of the Solar System, complete with the very latest photographs of the planets. A definitive month-by-month guide to the night sky, with profiles of all 88 constellations, over 100 star charts, and an Almanac of astronomical events over the next decade, will help you to navigate your way around the night sky, and locate stars, galaxies, and other objects. Featuring no-nonsense advice on how to observe the skies using the naked eye, binoculars, and telescopes, Astronomyis the perfect guide for keen amateur astronomers, as well as a great reference book for the whole family. ...Show more

50 Must-See Wonders of the Night Sky by Bob King

$37.99 NZD

Category: Science

Take your night watching to the next level with Bob King's bucket list collection of 57 remarkable night sky wonders and dark sky destinations. Fill your nights with adventure and the ability to see some of the incredible phenomenon of the sky with this must-have book. Learn all about the brightest and best stars, planets, meteors, comets and constellations using the naked eye, binoculars, telescopes and apps. Each curiosity is complete with sight-seeing activities to help you see the deep-sky marvels, whether it's as simple as using your hands as a guide or tracking night sky conditions on an app; Bob is your guide to make sure you're able to find each and every phenomenon. Complete with practical background information, technological resources, equipment guides, astro travel suggestions and a comprehensive checklist to keep track of what you've seen, this is the ultimate resource for any sky watcher. Book jacket. ...Show more

Brief Answers to the Big Questions - Stephen Hawking (HB) by Stephen Hawking

$34.99 NZD

Category: Science

'A beautiful little book by a brilliant mind' Steven Poole, DAILY TELEGRAPH The world-famous cosmologist and #1 bestselling author of A Brief History of Time leaves us with his final thoughts on the universe's biggest questions in this brilliant posthumous work.   Is there a God? How did it all begin? Can we predict the future? What is inside a black hole? Is there other intelligent life in the universe? Will artificial intelligence outsmart us? How do we shape the future? Will we survive on Earth? Should we colonise space? Is time travel possible? Throughout his extraordinary career, Stephen Hawking expanded our understanding of the universe and unravelled some of its greatest mysteries. But even as his theoretical work on black holes, imaginary time and multiple histories took his mind to the furthest reaches of space, Hawking always believed that science could also be used to fix the problems on our planet. And now, as we face potentially catastrophic changes here on Earth - from climate change to dwindling natural resources to the threat of artificial super-intelligence - Stephen Hawking turns his attention to the most urgent issues for humankind. Wide-ranging, intellectually stimulating, passionately argued, and infused with his characteristic humour, BRIEF ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS, the final book from one of the greatest minds in history, is a personal view on the challenges we face as a human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next. A percentage of all royalties will go to charity. ...Show more

Dictionary of Astronomy

$11.99 NZD

Category: Science

The Planets (DK)

$24.99 NZD

Category: Science

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

$30.00 NZD

Category: Science

THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER Sapiens shows us where we came from. Homo Deus shows us where we're going. Yuval Noah Harari envisions a near future in which we face a new set of challenges. Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century and beyond - from o vercoming death to creating artificial life. It asks the fundamental questions: how can we protect this fragile world from our own destructive power? And what does our future hold? 'Homo Deus will shock you. It will entertain you. It will make you think in ways you had not thought before' Daniel Kahneman ...Show more

30-Second Meteorology: The 50 Most Significant Events and Phenomena, Each Explained in Half a Minute by Adam Scaife

$12.99 NZD

Category: Science | Series: 30 Second

If you only have 30 seconds, there is time - using this book - to make sense of the science behind the seeming vagaries of the weather, the controversies, predictions and forecasts for climate change that shape our day-to-day experiences of the great outdoors. Ever since Aristotle first tried to explain the forces that seem to fall from the heavens, meteorology has opened up the study of weather, and caused disputes over the reasons why seasons change, where precipitation falls, why winds blow and when the sun shines. From halcyon days to hurricanes, super cells to silver linings, global warming to giant hailstones, here is the ultimate guide to a near universal preoccupation: what's the weather like? ...Show more

Blueprint - How DNA Makes Us Who We Are by Robert Plomin

$40.00 NZD

Category: Science

A top behavioral geneticist makes the case that DNA inherited from our parents at the moment of conception can predict our psychological strengths and weaknesses. In Blueprint, behavioral geneticist Robert Plomin describes how the DNA revolution has made DNA personal by giving us the power to predict ou r psychological strengths and weaknesses from birth. A century of genetic research shows that DNA differences inherited from our parents are the consistent life-long sources of our psychological individuality―the blueprint that makes us who we are. This, says Plomin, is a game-changer. It calls for a radical rethinking of what makes us who were are. Plomin has been working on these issues for almost fifty years, conducting longitudinal studies of twins and adoptees. He reports that genetics explains more of the psychological differences among people than all other factors combined. Genetics accounts for fifty percent of psychological differences―not just mental health and school achievement, but all psychological traits, from personality to intellectual abilities. Nature defeats nurture by a landslide. Plomin explores the implications of this, drawing some provocative conclusions―among them that parenting styles don't really affect children's outcomes once genetics is taken into effect. Neither tiger mothers nor attachment parenting affects children's ability to get into Harvard. After describing why DNA matters, Plomin explains what DNA does, offering readers a unique insider's view of the exciting synergies that came from combining genetics and psychology. ...Show more

The Science of Sin by Jack Lewis

$32.99 NZD

Category: Science

'Entertaining and enlightening ... offers ways to temper our anti-social tendencies.' Dr Michael Mosley, science journalist and TV presenter It can often seem that we are utterly surrounded by temptation, from the ease of online shopping and the stream of targeted advertising encouraging us to greedily acquire yet more stuff, to the coffee, cake and fast-food shops that line our streets, beckoning us in to over-indulge on all the wrong things. It can feel like a constant battle to stay away from the temptations we know we shouldn 't give in to. Where exactly do these urges come from' If we know we shouldn 't do something, for the sake of our health, our pockets or our reputation, why is it often so very hard to do the right thing' Anyone who has ever wondered why they never seem to be able to stick to their diet, anyone to whom the world seems more vain and self-obsessed than ever, anyone who can't understand why love-cheats pursue their extra-marital affairs, anyone who struggles to resist the lure of the comfy sofa, or anyone who makes themselves bitter through endless comparison with other people, anyone who is addicted to their smartphone this book is for you. The Science of Sin brings together the latest findings from neuroscience research to shed light on the universally fascinating subject of temptation where it comes from, how to resist it and why we all tend to succumb from time to time. With each chapter inspired by one of the seven deadly sins, neurobiologist Jack Lewis illuminates the neural battles between temptation and restraint that take place within our brains, suggesting strategies to help us better manage our most troublesome impulses with the explicit goal of improving our health, our happiness and our productivity helping us to say no! ' more often, especially when it really counts. ...Show more

Planetarium (Welcome to the Museum) by Raman Prinja; Christopher Wormell (Illustrator)

$44.99 NZD

Category: Science

Welcome to the museum that is always open to explore... Step inside the pages of this beautiful book to discover galleries of galactic matter, expertly curated to bring you the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the comfort of your own home. Planetarium features all aspects of space, from the S un and our Solar System, to the lives of stars, the Milky Way and the Universe beyond. ...Show more