The first accessible book on a theory of physics that explains the relationship between the particles and forces that make up our universe.For decades, physicists have been fascinated with the possibility that two seemingly independent aspects of our world—matter and force—may in fact be intimately connected and inseparable facets of nature. This idea, known as supersymmetry, is considered by many physicists to be one of the most beautiful and elegant theories ever...

The twentieth century was astonishing in all regards, shaking the foundations of practically every aspect of human life and thought, physics not least of all. Beginning with the publication of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, through the wild revolution of quantum mechanics, and up until the physics of the modern day (including the astonishing revelation, in 1998, that the Universe is not only expanding, but doing so at an ever-quickening pace), much of what physicists have seen in ...

A new look at the first few seconds after the Big Bang—and how research into these moments continues to revolutionize our understanding of our universeScientists in the past few decades have made crucial discoveries about how our cosmos evolved over the past 13.8 billion years. But there remains a critical gap in our knowledge: we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang. At the Edge of Time focuses on what we have...

A new look at the first few seconds after the Big Bang?and how continuing research into these moments may transform cosmology and physics Scientists in the past few decades have made crucial discoveries about how our cosmos evolved over the past 13.8 billion years. But there remains a critical gap in our knowledge: we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang. At the Edge of Time focuses on what we have recently learned and are still striving to und...

Brought to you by Penguin.'Astrophysics at its sexiest ... packed with revelations ... hugely enjoyable' Sunday TimesWhat would happen if you fell into a black hole?Black holes are the most extraordinary phenomenon in the universe, but they are a riddle that confounds our intuitions.Anything that enters them can never escape, and yet they contain nothing at all. They are bigger on the inside than th...

On 14 September 2015, after 50 years of searching, gravitational waves were detected for the first time and astronomy changed for ever.Until then, investigation of the universe had depended on electromagnetic radiation: visible light, radio, X-rays and the rest. But gravitational waves ripples in the fabric of space and time are unrelenting, passing through barriers that stop light dead.At the two 4-kilometre long LIGO observatories in the US, scientists developed incredibl...

"A delightful exposition of commonly-encountered statistical fallacies and paradoxes and why they matter." —Samuel H. Preston, coauthor of Demography: Measuring and Modeling Population ProcessesAn essential guide to the ways data can improve decision making.Statistics are everywhere: in news reports, at the doctor's office, and in every sort of forecast, from the stock market to the weather. Allen B. Downey knows well that people have an innate abil...

Longlisted for The Highland Book Prize 2020Fourteen centuries ago, Irish saints brought the Word of God to the Hebrides and Scotland's Atlantic shore. These 'white martyrs' sought solitude, remoteness, even harshness, in places apart from the world where they could fast, pray and move closer to an understanding of God: places where they could see angels. Columba, who founded the famous monastery at Iona, was the most well-known of these courageous men who rowed the...

"Examines all the possible fates of the famous IX legion . . . takes you on a fascinating detective journey through all the corners of the Roman Empire." — History . . . The Interesting Bits!Legio IX Hispana had a long and active history, later founding York from where it guarded the northern frontiers in Britain. But the last evidence for its existence in Britain comes from AD 108. The mystery of their disappearance has inspired debate and imagination for ...

A fresh post-apocalyptic anthology of 18 stories: the end of the world seen through the salvage and ruins. Featuring Emily St John Mandel, Carmen Maria Machado, Clive Barker, China Mièville, Charlie Jane Anders and more.This anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction asks, what would you save from the fire? In the moments when it all comes crashing down, what will we value the most, and how will we save it?Featuring stories from China Miéville, Emily St John Man...

A journalist explores how our world's borders came to be and how self-proclaimed countries across the globe could change the map.What is a country? While certain basic criteria—borders, a government, and recognition from other countries—seem obvious, journalist Joshua Keating investigates what happens in areas of the world that exist as exceptions to these rules. Invisible Countries looks at semiautonomous countries such as Abkhazia, Kurdistan, and Somalil...

"A brilliant history of technology. . . . full of wonders of nature, human invention, history" and more ( Wall Street Journal).There is no part of our bodies that fully rotates—be it a wrist or ankle or arm in a shoulder socket, we are made to twist only so far. And yet there is no more fundamental human invention than the wheel—a rotational mechanism that accomplishes what our physical form cannot. Throughout history, humans have developed technologies pow...