"Addresses an important topic for biologists and zoologists about vertebrates' place in the 'grand scheme' . . . genuinely witty and charming . . . magnificent." —Neil J. Gostling, University of SouthamptonOur understanding of vertebrate origins and the backbone of human history evolves with each new fossil find and DNA map. Many species have now had their genomes sequenced, and molecular techniques allow genetic inspection of even non-model organisms. But as longti...

**The Royal Society's Science Book of the Year"[A]n exuberant romp through evolution, like a modern-day Willy Wonka of genetic space. Gee’s grand tour enthusiastically details the narrative underlying life’s erratic and often whimsical exploration of biological form and function.” —Adrian Woolfson,**The Washington PostIn the tradition of Richard Dawkins, Bill Bryson, and Simon Winchester—An entertaining and uniquel...

By the award-winning author of A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: a history of humanity on the brink of decline.A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read SelectionWe are living through a period that is unique in human history. For the first time in more than ten thousand years, the rate of human population growth is slowing down. In the middle of this century population growth will stop, and the number of people on Earth will start to d...

"With a delightfully irascible sense of humor, Henry Gee reflects on our origin . . . an excellent primer on how—and how not—to think about human evolution." —Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite RexThe idea of a missing link between humanity and our animal ancestors predates evolution and popular science and actually has religious roots in the deist concept of the Great Chain of Being. Yet, the metaphor has lodged itself in the contemporary imagination, and new...

This book brings together 97 short stories that seek to answer the question 'what will the future look like?' First published in the leading science journal Nature, these 900-word tales come from scientists, journalists and many of the most famous SF writers in the world.Initially published in book form as Futures from Nature, this is the first time this collection has been available as an eBook. A unique blend of satires, vignettes, fictional book reviews, science...

Horrific bereavement has forced Detective Inspector Persephone Sheepwool to leave London and make a new life on the remote North Norfolk coast. But horror is never far behind, as she discovers when a body is found at a museum in a decaying clifftop mansion whose shadowy staff is dedicated to discovering the secrets of the sea. Investigating the death, Sheepwool finds that some secrets are probably best left submerged. Trouble is, even the most deeply submerged secrets have a nasty way of o...

One hundred writers - including Neal Asher, Elizabeth Bear, Gregory Benford, Tobias Buckell, Brenda Cooper, Kathryn Cramer, David Langford, Tanith Lee, Ken Liu, Nick Mamatas, Norman Spinrad, Ian Stewart, Rachel Swirsky, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Ian Watson - offer their take on what the future will look like in Nature Futures 2, an anthology of sci-fi short stories from the award-winning Futures column in the science journal Nature.

The amazing Sigil Trilogy complete in one volume!From Nature Editor Henry Gee comes a story of breathtaking scope and beloved characters. Spanning millions of years and the breadth of the universe, The Sigil Trilogy is an epic tale that explores the nature of humanity, belief, and love.The Universe is dying from within. No one knows how to save it, so the Elders give a young Drover a last ditch chance to stop the rot. If only she knew where to begin.Unaware of the t...

What makes us as humans all alike and yet as individuals so different?Jacob's Ladder delivers a remarkably lucid explanation of what the sequencing of the human genome really tells us. Decoding the sequence, evolutionary biologist Henry Gee shows, is just the beginning: seeing the letters and words. The next frontier is in understanding snatches of conversation between genes—how they interact to direct the growth of an organism. Gee takes us into the heart...

Book Two of Henry Gee's incredible Sigil Trilogy!The Brethren of a remote and lonely monastery are preparing for the Apparition of the Goddess, a festival that happens once every 2,058,416 years. But will the Goddess arrive in time to save them from an apparition of an altogether more hostile kind?Mr Haraddzjin Khorare, Trader in Textiles from the Very Great and Ancient City of Axandragór, is on a routine business trip. But when his vessel is attacked by pirates, his advent...

The concluding volume of Henry Gee's incredible Sigil Trilogy!The Universe is still dying from within and the young Drover tasked with stopping the rot is still racing against time.For fifty years, former textile merchant Mr Haraddzjin Khorare has been Chancellor of a Kingdom unequalled in brutality. And it's about to get a whole lot worse.Dogfinger is a boy orphaned when his village is razed by Stoners. One day, he knows, the time will come for revenge.Domi...

The Royal Society's Science Book of the Year"...Henry Gee presents a pithy, fascinating account of the stages of biological evolution. He's a deliberate, engaged narrator whose slow pacing will require adaptation. This and creative background music and sound effects (dinosaur sounds?) create a meditative and friendly listening experience. From spineless water creatures and egg-laying reptiles to mammals and the great apes, the concise details assoc...