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Fully updated edition of the biggest-selling popular science book of the 21st century explaining the Earth, the universe, everything in-between.In this fully revised and updated edition of the best-selling popular science book of the 21st century, Bill Bryson makes complex subjects clear and compelling for everyone with an interest in the world around them. NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED.'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' GuardianBill Bryson can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 is the result of his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from being nothing at all to what we are today. Now fully updated to reflect the many scientific discoveries in the last twenty years since this book was first published, it explains among much else-<ul><li>why Pluto is no longer a planet</li><li>how the number of moons in the solar system has more than doubled in 20 years</li><li>how scientists used advances in genetics to discover previously unknown species of early humans</li><li>why we still don't know what most of the universe is made of</li><li>how the little Higgs boson transformed physics</li></ul>This journey through time and space will inform a new generation of readers, young and old, as well as those who read this book on first publication with a new perspective based on what we know now.Written in his inimitable style, Bryson makes complex subjects fascinating and accessible to everyone with an interest in the world around them.A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 reveals the world in a whole new way.Praise for A Short History of Nearly Everything-'I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written.' Sunday Telegraph'Bill Bryson has an unmatched gift for explaining the most difficult subjects in the clearest possible way.' Mail on Sunday'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide' The Times'Hugely readable and never obfuscating.' Sunday Times'A genuinely useful and readable book... A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again' Daily Express'The very book I have been looking for most of my life... Bryson wears his knowledge with aplomb and a lot of very good jokes.' Daily Mail'Destined to become a modern classic of science writing' The New York Times

How key concepts in modern physics came from the work of a New Zealander whom Einstein labelled 'a second Newton'.By the mid-nineteenth century, physicists believed they had discovered the last secrets of the universe. Then a new world opened up- one of waves, particles, and new, fundamental forces. This mysterious world swiftly captured the public imagination, not least because of the technical revolution that emerged from it, giving the world everything from radio to TV, X-ray machines, smoke detectors, and more.One of the key movers of this new world was Ernest Rutherford, a no-nonsense New Zealander who became as popularly known as the 'father of the atom' in recognition of his pioneering role in particle physics. But he was far more than that. Through his roles at Manchester University and then the Cavendish Laboratory in England, he steered a new generation of highly influential physicists such as Niels Bohr, helping to shape much of the way we understand physics today.This book explores the discovery of that science, using Rutherford's life as a vehicle to steer the journey. It explains just why this science seized the public imagination of the day, and why Rutherford's contribution was integral not just to the technical revolution of the twentieth century, but to the way we now understand the nature of the universe. And it explains how that science works, in terms clear to the widest readership.

A searing insight into the political radicalization of Silicon Valley, from Elon Musk to Peter Thiel, JD Vance and Donald Trump, and how it will affect the future of all our lives.From the pursuit of potentially apocalyptic artificial intelligence to life-extension start-ups that promise billionaires eternal youth and those who encourage the political far right around the world, the Silicon Valley techno-utopian dream has curdled. The global innovator class has the world in their hands, but they can't stand the touch.In Gilded Rage- Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, New York Times bestselling author Jacob Silverman leads us on a critical investigation into the radicalization of Silicon Valley and the billionaires that increasingly run our lives, shape the global economy, and support Donald Trump.At the center of this book lies Elon Musk, but this is about more than just one man and his obsession with the "woke mind virus", as Silverman reveals a network of tech and finance oligarchs, emboldened by the zero-interest rate years, now using their wealth to exert an increasingly radical political program.Transiting San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Austin and Miami, New York, Washington DC, and various global capitals of tech, finance, and political power, Silverman talks to the people who are already living with the real-life consequences of the political revolution underway. It's a bizarre, sometimes frightening, darkly humorous world where moguls preach populist revolt while dismantling the few remaining checks on their influence.Gilded Rage offers essential reporting and insight for anyone who wants to know what's happening to Silicon Valley. As the erratic influence of tech elites continues to spread around the world, the story that Jacob has to tell will have a profound relevance for us all.

If Anyone Builds It, Everyone DiesThe founder of the field of AI risk explains why superintelligent AI is a global suicide bomb and we must halt development immediatelyAI is the greatest threat to our existence that we have ever faced.The scramble to create superhuman AI has put us on the path to extinction - but it's not too late to change course. Two pioneering researchers in the field, Eliezer Yudkowsy and Nate Soares, explain why artificial superintelligence would be a global suicide bomb and call for an immediate halt to its development.The technology may be complex, but the facts are simple- companies and countries are in a race to build machines that will be smarter than any person, and the world is devastatingly unprepared for what will come next.How could a machine superintelligence wipe out our entire species? Will it want to? Will it want anything at all? In this urgent book, Yudkowsky and Soares explore the theory and the evidence, present one possible extinction scenario, and explain what it would take for humanity to survive.The world is racing to build something truly new - and if anyone builds it, everyone dies.

Science Under Siege is a powerful manifesto by respected scientists Michael Mann and Peter Hotez, who have been on the front lines of the battle to convey accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information about science in the face of determined opposition. From pandemics to the climate crisis, humanity is facing tough challenges, but politically and ideologically motivated anti-science movements are hindering efforts to tackle these existential crises. The book reveals the five main forces threatening science: plutocrats, pros, petrostates, phonies, and the press, and offers a roadmap for dismantling these forces. With the information in this book, readers can be empowered to promote scientific truths, expose dark money, and prevent disasters.According to Pat Sheil of The Sydney Morning Herald, Science Under Siege warns that science itself is in crisis, and the book offers hope for civilised solutions to combat forces that oppose science. The book has been described as an episodic journey that attempts to make sense of chaos, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. In a review by Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun, he praises Science Under Siege as a well-researched guide that offers powerful ideas on how to fight back against the assault on science.

The Body A-Z Did you know that liquorice was used to stave off dehydration by desert-dwelling nomadic tribes? Have you ever considered what happens to someone's body when they don't eat for 382 days? YouTube stars Dr Matt & Dr Mike invite you on an entertaining, eye-opening A-Z tour of the human body like you've never seen before. The Body A-Z is packed with mind-blowing facts, funny insights and straightforward explanations that make even the weirdest parts of your anatomy fascinating. From decoding medical jargon to exploring the miraculous ways your body works, heals and adapts, this guide has it all – complete with vibrant, full-colour illustrations. Whether you’re a curious kid or a science buff, or love a good fun fact, this is your ultimate A-Z handbook to understanding the powerhouse that is YOU.

Over the last few decades, space exploration has revolutionised our understanding of our place in the cosmos. We now know that there are many habitable environments within our solar system. Yet a profound question remains: are we alone in the universe? Nathalie A. Cabrol, leading astrobiologist and director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, takes us to the frontiers of the search for life. This book’s odyssey begins by searching for how life began on Earth in order to understand what’s necessary for life to exist elsewhere. What role did our Moon play? And could life on Mars, or another world, have seeded life on Earth? Cabrol continues this dazzling interplanetary tour, illuminating the likeliest places for life in our neighbourhood: Venus, Mars, the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and Pluto. Finally, we seek life beyond our Solar System, looking at the recent revolution in the night sky: the realisation that there are millions of exoplanets within our galaxy that could support life. The Secret Life of the Universe is both a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the latest discoveries and an awe-inspiring exploration of what this means for us as humans on Earth today. It’s an exhilarating journey, perfect for anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what might be out there. ‘A mind-altering and exhilarating read’ Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk ‘Of all the popular books on the search for life that are now being published, this one is quite special’ James L. Green, former NASA chief scientist