Science & Geography

Does the Big Bang prove the existence of God? What's the Universe expanding into? Is Earth the only planet which supports life? Why did the greatest astronomer in history murder his pet moose?

In Ten Short Lessons in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, leading computer science expert Professor Peter J. Bentley breaks down the fast-moving world of computers in the time of automata into ten pivotal lessons.

'If you think you understand AI and all of the related issues, you don't. By the time you finish this exceptionally lucid and riveting book you will breathe more easily and wisely' - Michael Gazzaniga A leading computer scientist brings human sense to the AI bubble No recent scientific enterprise has been so alluring, terrifying and filled with extravagant promise and frustrating setbacks as artificial intelligence. Writing with clarity and passion, leading AI researcher Melanie Mitchell offe

Jennifer Doudna, the world-famous scientist behind CRISPR, `one of the most monumental discoveries in biology' (New York Times), explains its discovery, describes its power to reshape the future of all life and warns of its use.

***'Awe-inspiring... You will learn more about human nature than in any other book I can think of' Henry MarshTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / WINNER OF THE 2017 LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE'One of the best scientist-writers of our time' Oliver SacksWhy do human beings behave as they do?

Nanotechnology is sweeping the world. This science of very small particles, which includes genetic modification and the reconfiguring of the arrangement of atoms, presents possibilities beyond imagination. It also has huge implications for all South Africans, especially at home.

This bestselling dictionary contains more than 9,500 entries on all aspects of chemistry, physics, biology (including human biology), earth sciences, computer science, and astronomy. With clear and concise definitions and recommended web links for many entries, this A-Z is a reliable reference work for science students as well as non-scientists.

Bill Bryson's challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry and particle physics, and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science.

Blue Mind is a fascinating account using compelling new research to understand our relationship to the planet's most omnipresent resource - water.

Describes the properties of liquid water and the relevance of these properties to life. This book is of interest to both adults and students.

Ben Goldacre's wise and witty bestseller, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, lifts the lid on quack doctors, flaky statistics, scaremongering journalists and evil pharmaceutical corporations.

A collection of essays that stand on their own but are also connected. Part I examines how numbers and geometry arise in nature and several cultural contexts. Part II shows how many of the same numbers and number sequences are related to the study of numbers, dynamical systems, chaos and fractals.