"The Courtiers' Anatomists" is about dead bodies and live animals in Louis XIV's Paris – and the surprising links between them. Examining the practice of seventeenth-century anatomy, Anita Guerrini reveals how anatomy and natural history were connect...

The 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 ima...

From the emergence of life, to Leewenhoek's microscopic world, to GMO crops, "The Biology Book" presents 250 landmarks in the most widely studied scientific field. Brief, engaging, and colourfully illustrated synopses introduce readers to every major...

It is generally assumed that, in polite company, you don't talk politics, religion, or money. But in recent years, it seems "climate change"‌ needs to be added to that list. Incorporating all of the above, few topics can divide a dinner party faster....

Our oceans are becoming increasingly inhospitable to life – growing toxicity and rising temperatures coupled with overfishing have led many marine species to the brink of collapse. And yet there is one creature that is thriving in this seasick enviro...

The landscapes of Madagascar have long delighted zoologists, who have discovered, in and among the island's baobab trees and thickets, a dizzying array of animals, including something approaching one hundred species of lemur. Madagascar's mammal faun...

In "Baroque Science", Ofer Gal and Raz Chen-Morris present a radically new perspective on the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. Instead of celebrating the triumph of reason and rationality, they study the paradoxes and anxieties that...

This remarkable book looks at hundreds of autobiographies penned between 1760 and 1900 to offer an intimate firsthand account of how the Industrial Revolution was experienced by the working class. "The Industrial Revolution" brought not simply misery...

In the Aleutian Islands, wildflowers are king. Persistent low temperatures mean trees are unable to thrive, and so swaths of open tundra serve as the dramatic stage for a stunning variety of flowers".Wildflowers of Unalaska Island" is the only guide...

One of the largest islands in the world, Madagascar is home to an astonishing array of endemic vertebrate biodiversity. While recent decades have seen numerous publications on the subject – ranging from technical papers to species descriptions and fi...