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

$34.99 NZD

Category: Science | Reading Level: very good

'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

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 Deus looked 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 the 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

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

The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres

$33.00 NZD

Category: Science

The Paris Agreement was a landmark for humanity. In this timely and important book, two of the principle creators of that agreement show us why and how we can now realise its' promise. I hope it is widely read and acted on' Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger o f Peace The Future We Choose is a passionate call to arms, written by former UN Secretary for Climate Christiana Figures and Tom Rivett-Carnac, her UN political strategist. They outline two scenarios for our future: how life on Earth will be by 2050 if we fail to meet the Paris Agreement climate targets; or how it will look and feel to live in a carbon neutral, regenerative world. Each of us must confront the crisis head on, with determination and optimism. Practical and empowering, The Future We Choose features ten things we can do today to make a difference. The Future We Choose is for all of us, teenagers to adults, who feel powerless to stop the climate emergency. This is the final hour: it can be our finest hour. We can solve our climate emergency, but we must act now. ...Show more

The Planets by Professor Brian Cox; Andrew Cohen

$27.99 NZD

Category: Science

'So staggering you go "whoa " every few seconds' Guardian 'Really impressive' Eamonn Holmes, ITV This Morning A companion book to the critically acclaimed BBC series. The bestselling authors of Wonders of the Universe are back with another blockbuster, a groundbreaking exploration of our Solar System as it has never been seen before. Mercury, a lifeless victim of the Sun's expanding power. Venus, once thought to be lush and fertile, now known to be trapped within a toxic and boiling atmosphere. Mars, the red planet, doomed by the loss of its atmosphere. Jupiter, twice the size of all the other planets combined, but insubstantial. Saturn, a stunning celestial beauty, the jewel of our Solar System. Uranus, the sideways planet and the first ice giant. Neptune, dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. Pluto, the dwarf planet, a frozen rock. Andrew Cohen and Professor Brian Cox take readers on a voyage of discovery, from the fiery heart of our Solar System, to its mysterious outer reaches. They touch on the latest discoveries that have expanded our knowledge of the planets, their moons and how they come to be, alongside recent stunning and mind-boggling NASA photography. ...Show more

Brief Answers to the Big Questions: The Final Book from Stephen Hawking by Stephen Hawking

$27.99 NZD

Category: Science

THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A beautiful little book by a brilliant mind' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Effortlessly instructive, absorbing, up to the minute and - where it matters - witty' GUARDIAN The world-famous cosmologist and #1 bestselling author of A Brief History of Time leaves us with his final tho ughts 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

Explaining Humans - What Science Can Teach Us about Life, Love and Relationships by Camilla Pang

$38.00 NZD

Category: Science

Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Dr Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, Camil la began to create her own. Now armed with a PhD in Bioinformatics, Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best- science. Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life's everyday interactions including- Decisions and the route we take to make them; Conflict and how we can avoid it; Relationships and how we establish them; Etiquette and how we conform to it. Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in. Camilla's unique perspective of the world, in turn, tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected, happier life. ...Show more

How the Brain Works by DK

$40.00 NZD

Category: Science

Have you ever asked yourself why you can't remember anything from before the age of three, why we experience dej vu, or indeed how a bundle of cells in our heads can produce the remarkable phenomenon that is human consciousness? Drawing on the latest neuroscience research, this visual guide makes the hi dden workings of the human brain simple to understand. How the Brain Works begins with an introduction to the brain's anatomy, showing you how to tell your motor cortex from your mirror neurons. From anatomy, it moves on to function, explaining how the brain works constantly and unnoticed to regulate processes such as heartbeat and breathing and how it collects information from the external world to produce the experiences of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The chapters that follow cover memory and learning, consciousness and personality, and emotions and communication. There's also a guide to the brain's disorders, including physical problems, such as tumours and strokes, and psychological and functional disorders, ranging from autism to schizophrenia. Illustrated with bold graphics and step-by-step artworks, and peppered with bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features, this is the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of the human brain. ...Show more

The Physics Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained)

$48.00 NZD

Category: Science | Series: Big Ideas Simply Explained

Explore the laws and theories of physics in this accessible introduction to the forces that shape our Universe, our planet, and our everyday lives. Using a bold, graphic-led approach The Physics Book sets out more than 80 key concepts and discoveries that have defined the subject and influenced our tech nology since the beginning of time. With the focus firmly on unpicking the thought behind each theory - as well as exploring when and how each idea and breakthrough came about - seven themed chapters examine the history and developments in areas such as Energy and Matter, and Electricity and Magnetism, as well as quantum, nuclear, and particle physics. Eureka moments abound- from Pythagoras's observations of the pleasing harmonies created by vibrating strings, and Galileo's experiments with spheres, to Isaac Newton's apple and his conclusions about gravity and the laws of motion. You'll also learn about Albert Einstein's revelations about relativity; how the accidental discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation confirmed the Big Bang theory; the search for the Higgs boson particle; and why most of our Universe is missing. If you've ever wondered exactly how physicists formulated - and proved - their abstract concepts, The Physics Book is the book for you. ...Show more

The NeuroGeneration by Tan Le

$36.99 NZD

Category: Science

Origins - How the Earth Shaped Human History by Lewis Dartnell

$28.00 NZD

Category: Science

The Sunday Timesbestseller that reveals the Earth's awesome impact on the shape of human civilizations. 'Stands comparison with Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens... A thrilling piece of Big History' Sunday Times 'A sweeping, brilliant overview of the history not only of our species but of the world' Peter F rankopan, author of The Silk Roads When we talk about human history, we focus on great leaders, mass migration and decisive wars. But how has the Earth itself determined our destiny? How has our planet made us? As a species we are shaped by our environment. Geological forces drove our evolution in East Africa; mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece; and today voting behaviour in the United States follows the bed of an ancient sea. The human story is the story of these forces, from plate tectonics and climate change, to atmospheric circulation and ocean currents. How are the Himalayas linked to the orbit of the Earth, and to the formation of the British Isles? By taking us billions of years into our planet's past, Professor Lewis Dartnell tells us the ultimate origin story. When we reach the point where history becomes science we see a vast web of connections that underwrites our modern world and helps us face the challenges of the future. From the cultivation of the first crops to the founding of modern states, Origins reveals the Earth's awesome impact on the shape of human civilisations. ...Show more