Science

An award-winning author takes us into the world of DNA, exploring how it encodes our genes and make us unique. This condensed, updated version of How to Code a Human makes this remarkable history succinct and accessible.

In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick solved one of science’s greatest enigmas—the molecule underlying all life—and changed the face of biology. For the first time, scientists could isolate what makes us human. DNA provides a fascinating guide to the world of the double helix, examining who we are, how we’re wired, and how we repair ourselves. With information on so-called “junk” DNA, how our genes evolved, heritability, the genetics of neuroscience, viruses, disease, and what happens when things go wrong, this takes us on a beautiful, visual journey through the polymer chain.

Get swept up in the beauty of our universe with this collection of spectacular images taken by today’s most powerful telescopes and orbiting probes.

These breathtaking photographs both enthrall and inform as they reveal the many wonders of outer space. Moving from the planets in our own solar system, to the Milky Way, to the far ends of the universe, this stunning volume features images taken by Earth’s largest telescopes—including the Hubble, Herschel, and Keck telescopes in Hawaii—along with those sent back by spacecraft such as Cassini and New Horizons. Gaze at merging galaxies, overlapping galaxies, and galaxies undergoing huge bursts of star formation, as well as the most distant objects we are able to glimpse. The images, which come from agencies such as NASA and the European Southern Observatory in Chile, all include commentary by an expert astronomer who explains what we are looking at and provides technical information on how the photo was achieved.

New in paperback and retitled edition of ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY.

Authoritative, accessible and filled with wonder, this new condensed version of The Elements is the definitive guide to the building blocks of everything in our world.

What links the Taj Mahal and our skeleton? Calcium. The Eiffel Tower and our blood? Iron. Everything in the known universe—from street lamps to salted French fries—is made up of one of the 118 elements. Popular-science writer Jack Challoner takes us on an illustrated tour of the Periodic Table, revealing the mystery of how the material world works. This definitive guide covers every element, providing its vital statistics, main compounds, uses, and fascinating histories.

With unparalleled access to NASA’s archives, this stunning volume pays tribute to 50 years of Mars exploration.

Thanks to the latest exhilarating Mars expeditions, all eyes have turned to the once-mysterious red planet. This illuminating book traces our history of Mars exploration, from the earliest telescopic viewings, through NASA’s first flybys in the 1960s, to the landers in the 1970s, and the increasingly sophisticated rovers and orbiters now exploring every region of the planet. 

The elaborate plans for the human exploration of Mars are also shown in exquisite detail, including NASA’s ambitious designs for crewed missions and some compelling alternative mission plans by experts such as Buzz Aldrin. With breathtaking photographs and rare images of plans, maps, schematics, and more, including insider documents from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the story of mankind’s fascination with Mars jumps off the page.