Few legal events loom as large in early modern history as the trial of Galileo. Frequently cast as a heroic scientist martyred to religion or as a scapegoat of papal politics, Galileo undoubtedly stood at a watershed moment in the political maneuvering...

A leading neuroscientist explains why your personal traits are more innate than you thinkWhat makes you the way you are―and what makes each of us different from everyone else? In Innate, leading neuroscientist and popular science blogger Kevin Mitchell...

The first book surveying the history and ideas behind reverse mathematicsReverse mathematics is a new field that seeks to find the axioms needed to prove given theorems. In Reverse Mathematics, John Stillwell offers a historical and representative view,...

A pithy yet deep introduction to Einstein’s general theory of relativityOf the four fundamental forces of nature, gravity might be the least understood and yet the one with which we are most intimate. On Gravity combines depth with accessibility to take...

J. E. Gordon's classic introduction to the properties of materials used in engineering answers some fascinating and fundamental questions about how the structural world around us works. Gordon focuses on so-called strong materials--such as metals, wood,...

Our universe seems strangely ''biophilic,'' or hospitable to life. Is this happenstance, providence, or coincidence? According to cosmologist Martin Rees, the answer depends on the answer to another question, the one posed by Einstein's famous remark:...

A revealing insider’s account of the power―and limitations―of functional MRIThe ability to read minds has long been a fascination of science fiction, but revolutionary new brain-imaging methods are bringing it closer to scientific reality. The New Mind...

The remarkable properties of the numbers one through nineIn Single Digits, Marc Chamberland takes readers on a fascinating exploration of small numbers, from one to nine, looking at their history, applications, and connections to various areas of...