The behind-the-scenes mystery of Phileas Fogg, who in 1872 went around the world in 80 days on a wager, but did so to accomplish a secret task set by his new valet Passepartout: to stop the American genius Barbicane from flying to the Moon. Along the way Fogg finds his match & mate in Aouda, a strongwilled inventor surpassing even the feats of her brother Captain Nemo. Fogg and his newfound friends must evade a global gauntlet of dangerous foes in service of a cabal of villains out to obta...

The Reptile-Mammal Transition is one of the richest and most compelling cases for macroevolution (the origin of novel forms of life). The proof is to be seen not only in the many fossils that have been found, covering millions of years, but also with the evidence of developmental biology and contemporary genetics. How do those skeptical of evolution (whether creationists or those favoring "Intelligent Design") deal with all that evidence? They don't. And you'll be able to see that because ...

The million-copy bestseller that will transform your understanding of our planet and life itself.'Astonishing ... it seems somehow to tip the natural world upside down' Observer'Completely mind-blowing ... reads like an adventure story' Sunday Times*WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY BOOK PRIZE 2021**WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING 2021*The more we learn about fungi,...

**FINALIST FOR THE PEN/E.O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD***A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2021***A SCIENCE NEWS FAVORITE BOOK OF 2021***A SMITHSONIAN TOP TEN SCIENCE BOOK OF 2021“Stories that both dazzle and edify… This book is not just about life, but about discovery itself.” —Siddhartha Mukherjee, New York Times Book Review**We all assume we know what life is, but the more scientists learn about the living world—from protocel...

When Charles Darwin finished The Origin of Species, he thought that he had explained every clue, but one. Though his theory could explain many facts, Darwin knew that there was a significant event in the history of life that his theory did not explain. During this event, the “Cambrian explosion,” many animals suddenly appeared in the fossil record without apparent ancestors in earlier layers of rock.In Darwin’s Doubt, Stephen C. Meyer tells the story of the myster...

In this New York Times bestseller and longlist nominee for the National Book Award, “our greatest living chronicler of the natural world” (The New York Times), David Quammen explains how recent discoveries in molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and genetics and genomics affect our understanding of evolution and life’s history.In the mid-1970s, scientists began using DNA sequencing to reexamine the history of all life. Perhaps the most startli...

**"Fascinating and exhilarating—Sean B. Carroll at his very best."—Bill Bryson, author of The Body: A Guide for OccupantsFrom acclaimed writer and biologist Sean B. Carroll, a rollicking, awe-inspiring story of the surprising power of chance in our lives and the world**Why is the world the way it is? How did we get here? Does everything happen for a reason or are some things left to chance? Philosophers and theologians have pondered these questions for millennia, b...

An evolutionary biologist provides surprising insights into the changing nature of Homo sapiens in this "important and an entertaining read" ( Choice).In Future Humans, evolutionary biologist Scott Solomon draws on recent discoveries to examine the future evolution of our species. Combining knowledge of our past with current trends, Solomon offers convincing evidence that evolutionary forces are still affecting us today. But how will modernization—...

Less than 450 years ago, all European scholars believed that the Earth was at the centre of a Universe that was at most a few million miles in extent, and that the planets, sun, and stars all rotated around this centre. Less than 250 years ago, they believed that the Universe was created essentially in its present state about 6000 years ago. Even less than 150 years ago, the view that living species were the result of special creation by God was still dominant. The recognition by Charles D...

A captivating journey into the inner lives of plants – from the colours they see to the schedules they keepAn enchanting look at the lives of plants, from the colours they see to the schedules they keep, in time for the start of the planting season'An intriguing look at a plant's consciousness.' Scientific AmericanIn What a Plant Knows, renowned biologist Daniel Chamovitz presents a beguiling explo...

“Crack open this book and take a read. You will be transported, illuminated, and delighted.” —Psychology TodayJust 125,000 years ago, humanity was on a path to extinction, until a dramatic shift occurred. We used our mental abilities to navigate new terrain and changing climates. We hunted, foraged, tracked tides, shucked oysters—anything we could do to survive. Before long, our species had pulled itself back from the brink and was on more stable ground. W...

Leading scholars take stock of Darwin's ideas about human evolution in the light of modern scienceIn 1871, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man, a companion to Origin of Species in which he attempted to explain human evolution, a topic he called "the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist." A Most Interesting Problem brings together twelve world-class scholars and science communicators to investigate what Darwin go...