Longlisted for the National Book Award 2024'Passionate and absorbing'SUNDAY TIMES'I learned more about the Moon by reading this book than after a lifetime of study'CHRIS HADFIELD, author of An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth'Superb: as much a feat of imagination as it is a work of globe-trotting scholarship'TELEGRAPH'Boyle's writing shines, shifting through time and space, science and sentiment; a luminous read'REBECCA WRAGG SYKES, author of Kindred'You will never look at the Moon the same way again . . . fascinating'NEW STATESMAN'A riveting feat of science writing'ED YONG, author of An Immense World'Engrossing'INDEPENDENTEvery living being throughout history, across time and geography, has gazed up at the same moon.From the first prehistoric life that crawled onto land guided by the power of the tides, to the division of time into months and seasons for the first humans, the moon has driven the expansion and development of our world.It has inspired scientific discovery and culture from the ancient astronomers to the scientific revolution of Copernicus and Galileo, from the 1969 Apollo landings to writers and artists, and stirred an inexhaustible desire to know where we come from and how we got here.And as astronauts around the world prepare to return to the Moon - opening up new frontiers of discovery, profit and politics - Our Moon tells the dazzling story of how the Moon has shaped life as we know it, fuelled dramatic change across the globe and could be the key to humanity's future. Read more

A life-changing gift of a book: What if you tried to stop doing everything, so you could finally get round to what counts?**The instant Sunday Times bestseller**Rejecting the futile modern obsession with 'getting everything done,' Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing rather than denying their limitations.Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman sets out to realign our relationship with time - and in doing so, to liberate us from its tyranny.Embrace your limits. Change your life. Discover how to make your four thousand weeks count in 2025.'Life is finite. You don't have to fit everything in... Read this book and wake up to a new way of thinking and living' Emma Gannon'Every sentence is riven with gold' Chris Evans'Comforting, fascinating, engaging, inspiring and useful' Marian Keyes Read more

The international bestseller from the author of Breakfast with Einstein Emmy is no ordinary dog. When adopted from the shelter by physics professor Chad Orzel, she becomes immediately fascinated by his work. Could she use quantum tunnelling to get through the neighbour’s fence? How about diffracting round a tree to chase squirrels? Or using virtual particles to catch bunnies made of cheese? Taking Emmy’s anarchic behaviour as a starting point, Orzel explains the key theories of quantum physics. From quarks and gluons to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, this is a uniquely entertaining way to unlock the secrets of the universe. Read more

'A dazzling book ... the new Stephen Hawking' Sunday TimesThe bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics takes us on an enchanting, consoling journey to discover the meaning of time'We are time. We are this space, this clearing opened by the traces of memory inside the connections between our neurons. We are memory. We are nostalgia. We are longing for a future that will not come.'Time is a mystery that does not cease to puzzle us. Philosophers, artists and poets have long explored its meaning while scientists have found that its structure is different from the simple intuition we have of it. From Boltzmann to quantum theory, from Einstein to loop quantum gravity, our understanding of time has been undergoing radical transformations. Time flows at a different speed in different places, the past and the future differ far less than we might think, and the very notion of the present evaporates in the vast universe.With his extraordinary charm and sense of wonder, bringing together science, philosophy and art, Carlo Rovelli unravels this mystery. Enlightening and consoling, The Order of Time shows that to understand ourselves we need to reflect on time -- and to understand time we need to reflect on ourselves.Translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre Read more

Time travel -- it’s possible. Believe it. The concept of time travel has a special place in the psyche of the human race. People seem to have an natural urge to gain the ability to travel in time. Why? For some, it’s obvious. There are all those “If only’s.” “If only I could go back and correct that horrible mistake I made!” “If we could only go back in time and kill Adolf Hitler before he comes to power, imagine all the suffering that will be avoided!” “I only I would go back and tell the Titanic to steer clear of that iceberg!” But there are other appeals as well: “Wouldn’t it be great to go back and actually see the dinosaurs!” “Imagine being able to have a conversation with Socrates!” “Wouldn’t it be great if I could go back in time and find out the numbers for winning the lottery?” And then there’s the future: “I wonder what life will be like 100 years from now, 500 … a thousand? Will mankind make it?” “Wouldn’t it be great if I could go into the future and bring back the cure for cancer?” “Will we ever travel to the stars?” Now for the first time in history, science and mysticism are coming full circle to meet in the middle. Many of the stunning precepts revealed by quantum mechanics, for example, now seem to bear out what the ancient Vedic texts, Buddhists and others have been holding for centuries -- that the present way we have come to view time is not the way it is at all. Since the days of Isaac Newton, who solidified classical physics, time has been viewed as something that moves like an arrow in one direction only -- forward. From the present, the arrow of time shoots into the future. The past is where the arrow has already been, and there is never any going back there. But Albert Einstein’s theories of General and Special Relativity changed all that. Einstein himself called time “an illusion.” Other great thinkers have said that time is not so much an illusion, but works in a much different way that Newton’s “arrow of time” would have us believe. Rather, quantum theory suggests that all time is like a swirling river, with eddies, holding ponds and backward flows -- that the present is a “dynamic moment” with the past and future enfolded into the “Now.” That may mean that the present is like the “control point” of time. From the present, it may be possible to go backwards and forward in time. Maybe we can jump into the river of time and paddle backwards or forward as we please -- if we can just find the key to doing so. Buddhist and Hindu thought has always maintained the same concept. These traditions view time as an “eternal moment.” The concept of “timelessness” is a major element of these ancient traditions, which appear in other cultures as well. What this suggests is that the ultimate time machine may be the human brain itself. Our place in time -- and our ability to move backwards and forward in time -- may be controlled by the fulcrum of the brain, and how it chooses to manipulate the flow of consciousness. So what is the ultimate method of time travel -- the astral travel, meditation and lucid dream practice of the mystically inclined -- or the electronic gadgets, wires, electromagnets, lasers and physical matters manipulators of the scientifically inclined? In this book, you’ll find plenty of examples of both. Then you can decide. Contents Include: • Lucid Time Travel • Astral Time Travel • Time Machines • Quantum Jumping • Time Travel Tomb • Mallet’s Time Machine Read more

What if you could really see into the future?Have you ever experienced a gut feeling that turned out to be right? A vivid dream that foreshadowed reality? Or an unshakable instinct about a decision—without knowing why?In Contact with the Future, Jon Taylor delves into the astonishing science of precognition and intuition, revealing how the human brain can glimpse the future before it unfolds.In this groundbreaking exploration, you’ll discover: Scientific evidence showing how we connect with our future knowledge of an event, and information is transferred from the brain in the future to the brain in the present.A theory based on David Bohm’s interpretation of quantum mechanics, which suggests that precognition may arise from a correlation between our present and future brain states—an elegant explanation that sidesteps the paradox of backward causation.The fascinating connection between intuition, remote viewing, dowsing, and the I Ching—and how these practices might tap into hidden human abilities.How animal instincts reveal precognition in nature, shedding light on the way other species experience the future.Practical applications of intuition in creativity and decision-making, which can even serve as an aid to our survival.Blending cutting-edge research with real-life examples, this book bridges the gap between science and the unexplained, offering a captivating look at one of the most profound mysteries of human experience.Join Taylor on this intellectual odyssey—an exploration that could forever change the way you perceive reality.Are you ready to unlock the secrets of tomorrow?Discover the power of precognition and intuition today! Read more

Albert Einstein said “the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion”. So, why do we perceive a flow of time? Is the future “already there”, and is the past “still there”, even though we are only aware of a single moment of time? Drawing on the latest ideas from both relativity and quantum theory, award-winning science writer John Gribbin (In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat) addresses the questions that have baffled philosophers since antiquity and Zeno’s arrow paradox. Along the way, we find that in the quantum world it is literally true that a watched pot never boils, and learn how physicists have come to terms with the idea of the four-dimensional block universe as an explanation of the distinction between past, present and future. Why do eggs break when we drop them, but never unbreak? The Universe as we know it began in a Big Bang, which in some sense marks the beginning of time. Is it possible that we need to invoke the Big Bang to explain why we never see unbroken eggs? This idea glories in the name “the past hypothesis”, but many physicists regard it as no more than an attempt to sweep the problem of the arrow of time under the rug. Read The Time Illusion and see if you agree! Read more

'5/5 A true joy. A work of staggering complexity and bewildering economy.' TELEGRAPH'Every page glitters' SPECTATOR'Mesmerising' NEW STATESMAN'An exquisite book, beautifully put together... What a very wonderful book.' STEPHEN FRYA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK______________________In Hands of Time watchmaker and historian Rebecca Struthers welcomes us into the hidden world of watchmaking, and to a history of time that spans centuries and continents.The invention of timepieces was more significant for human culture than the printing press, or even the wheel. They have travelled the world with us, from the depths of the oceans to the summit of Everest, and even to the Moon. They regulate our daily lives and have sculpted the social and economic development of society in surprising and dramatic ways.From her workshop bench, Rebecca explores the ways in which timekeeping has indelibly shaped our attitudes to work, leisure, trade, politics, exploration and mortality, and introduces us to some extraordinary devices, each with their own story to tell. Hands of Time is an intricate exploration of the history, science, philosophy, and craft of timekeeping.'A rattling, wonderful read.' OBSERVER'Beautiful, bewitching and brilliant' LARA MAIKLEM'An intensely personal, finely-tuned meditation. A beautiful book' EDMUND DE WAAL Read more

Collins Shorts – insight in an instant.Professor Brian Cox shows us our universe as we've never seen it before. In this short he explains how this vast and complex universe – the subject of human fascination and scientific exploration for thousands of years – will end. Taken from his bestselling, mind-blowing exploration of space, Wonders of the Universe.Collins Shorts are a fresh look at the ebook short, with the emphasis on vibrant design, animated content and expert authors who can provide accessible insight. They satisfy your thirst for knowledge without the need for time commitment.This ebook will work on all e-readers but delivers its full punch on devices that support colour and animation. Please note the extent is between 20 to 40 pages, depending on your settings. Read more

It's Really About Time provides a clear and complete explanation of why it will someday be possible to travel years, decades or even centuries into the future, a direct consequence of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. The book is aimed at intellectually curious people and requires no previous science or mathematics training. Read more

'A gripping exploration of one of the most fundamental, but also perplexing aspects of existence.' PROF. LEWIS DARTNELL, author of Origins'Such an enjoyable read...full of delightful nuggets that you will want to impress your friends and family with.' PROF. JIM AL-KHALILI, NYT bestselling author of The World According to Physics'This is a lovely, fascinating book. It blends history, geology, chemistry, philosophy and, of course, physics in a way that's delightful to read.' - ABIGAIL BEALL, author of The Art of Urban Astronomy--------Discover the secrets of one of the biggest puzzles in our history - Time. As a subject, it has perplexed and fascinated generations of scientists, historians and more, and continues to spark the most intriguing questions being asked in science today. Can time be stopped? Is time travel possible? Does time even exist...? In these ten bite-sized essays, Colin Stuart delves into these big questions and uncovers the most awe-inspiring and revealing things we should all know about time. Perfect for readers of Carlo Rovelli and anyone fascinated by space and the universe, this is a must-read for those short on time, but not curiosity. Read more

Robert Lanza is one of the most respected scientists in the world — a US News & World Report cover story called him a “genius" and a “renegade thinker," even likening him to Einstein. Lanza has teamed with Bob Berman, the most widely read astronomer in the world, to produce Biocentrism, a revolutionary new view of the universe. Every now and then a simple yet radical idea shakes the very foundations of knowledge. The startling discovery that the world was not flat challenged and ultimately changed the way people perceived themselves and their relationship with the world. For most humans of the 15th century, the notion of Earth as ball of rock was nonsense. The whole of Western, natural philosophy is undergoing a sea change again, increasingly being forced upon us by the experimental findings of quantum theory, and at the same time, towards doubt and uncertainty in the physical explanations of the universe's genesis and structure. Biocentrism completes this shift in worldview, turning the planet upside down again with the revolutionary view that life creates the universe instead of the other way around. In this paradigm, life is not an accidental byproduct of the laws of physics. Biocetnrism takes the reader on a seemingly improbable but ultimately inescapable journey through a foreign universe—our own—from the viewpoints of an acclaimed biologist and a leading astronomer. Switching perspective from physics to biology unlocks the cages in which Western science has unwittingly managed to confine itself. Biocentrism will shatter the reader's ideas of life--time and space, and even death. At the same time it will release us from the dull worldview of life being merely the activity of an admixture of carbon and a few other elements; it suggests the exhilarating possibility that life is fundamentally immortal. The 21st century is predicted to be the Century of Biology, a shift from the previous century dominated by physics. It seems fitting, then, to begin the century by turning the universe outside-in and unifying the foundations of science with a simple idea discovered by one of the leading life-scientists of our age. Biocentrism awakens in readers a new sense of possibility, and is full of so many shocking new perspectives that the reader will never see reality the same way again. Read more

An alternative history of the universe. New theory explains the timing of mass extinctions which result from echoes of the ‘Big Bang’. Read more

What the Scientists Say About Time Travel It’s fair to say that most scientists today will tell you that time travel is impossible. Three of today’s top physicists - Charles Liu, Brian Green and Michio Kaku - all hold that time travel is, if not impossible, unlikely in the extreme. However, one of the most brilliant minds of our time, physicist Stephen Hawking, disagrees - although only partially. He believes that time travel is theoretically possible, but only into the future. …. But What Do Real People Experience? The opinion of science, however, has never stopped thousands of people around the world from reporting what they firmly believe are actual experiences of spontaneous time travel! Still others insist that time travel is not only possible, but they have already done it as part of top secret government programmes. Claims for time travel range from the highly flaky to the astoundingly believable. They are especially difficult to dismiss when time travel reports come from absolutely ordinary, rock-solid people who have nothing to gain by proclaiming they travelled in time. Many people who report time travel experiences don’t necessarily believe it themselves. What happened to them was so strange, so unexpected, yet so real; they simply have no other good explanation for their experience. You will meet a number of such individuals in this book, most of their stories straight out of the headline of local newspapers. No doubt, a story or two will strike the reader as pure balderdash. On the other hand, some of these cases of time travel are tantalizing and unexplainable. They also come with a certain amount of solid evidence, such as stopped clocks, frozen machines and electromagnetic devices acting in inexplicable ways. Physicist and NASA scientist Tom Campbell said that scientific advances always ‘come from the fringe.’ Thus, even if you consider some of these stories stepping dangerously ‘out there’ onto that fringy edge, remember that many of yesterday’s fringe theories are today’s scientific fact. At the very least, it doesn’t hurt to approach the idea of time travel with an open mind and a sense of wonder. Contents Include: * The Man Who Froze Time * Time Storms * Andrew Basiago * Planes, Trains & Automobiles…..and Ships * Liverpool * Back in Time – Retro-causation * The Kersey Time Slip * Remote Time Read more

**THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**'To read it is ... to experience how freedom might feel' Oliver Burkeman'The visionary author of How to Do Nothing returns ... Expect to feel changed by this radical way of seeing' EsquireWe're living on the wrong clock. And it's destroying us.Our life is dominated by the corporate clock that so many of us contort ourselves to fit inside. It wasn't devised for people, but for profit. We need to embrace a whole new concept of time: one that gives us and our planet a brighter future.In Saving Time, Jenny Odell, bestselling author of How to Do Nothing, examines how we got to the point where time became money. Taking inspiration from the pre-industrial, ecological and geological rhythms of our world, she offers us radical new models to live by that make a more humane, more hopeful existence seem possible.Now is our moment to rethink. And if we do, time might just save us.'An inimitable gift' Jia Tolentino'One of the most important books I've read in my life' Ed Yong Read more

Every significant choice, every important decision we make, is determined by our perception of time. This is the most influential force in our lives, yet we are virtually unaware of it. In this fascinating book, the award-winning past president of the American Psychological Association, Philip Zimbardo, and his co-author, John Boyd, show how:- the way you perceive time is as unique as your fingerprints- these individual time perspectives shape your life, and the world around you- you can change the way you perceive time, so you get the most out of every minute- if you don't, the power of time in the modern world is so immense that it will take its toll on youThe Time Paradox is a highly readable, stimulating look at a subject that absorbs us all. Read more

Four iconic novels of adventure, science, and fantasy from a master storyteller far ahead of his time. In Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a monster wreaks havoc in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The US government sends a French marine biologist, his servant, and a Canadian harpoonist to take care of the problem. But instead of a mythic beast, the team finds the submarine Nautilus and its fearsome helmsman, Captain Nemo. Around the World in Eighty Days follows Phileas Fogg and his eccentric manservant, Passepartout, on an epic quest to circumnavigate the globe. Pursued by a Scotland Yard detective, derailed by a herd of bison, and attacked by Sioux Indians, the travelers use every mode of transportation possible to race from one exotic exploit to the next. From the sands of Egypt to the icy waters of the Pacific, Fogg and Passepartout never lose sight of their goal—even when they stop to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress. Journey to the Center of the Earth is a cornerstone of science fiction and one of the greatest stories ever told. A dirty slip of parchment paper falls from the pages of an ancient manuscript. Deciphered by the indefatigable Otto Liedenbrock, professor of geology, and his reluctant nephew, Axel, the parchment's coded message asserts that a volcano in Iceland contains a passageway to the center of the earth. Two days later, the adventurers embark on a journey so fantastic it will alter the very meaning of history. In The Mysterious Island, a hot air balloon hijacked by captured Union army soldiers is blown far, far away from its point of departure in Richmond, Virginia. When the craft crash-lands on an island in the South Pacific, the prisoners must contend with wild animals, pirates, and an active volcano—in a fight for their very survival. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices. Read more

Explores the central role played by the galaxy in both ancient and modern times in the transformation of the human spirit. • Extends Jenkins' groundbreaking research in Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. • Reveals how the coming Galactic Alignment of era-2012 promises a renewal of human consciousness. • Uncovers the galactic vision of Mayan, Egyptian, Greek, and Vedic cosmologies. The Galactic Alignment is a rare astronomical event that brings the solstice sun into alignment with the center of the Milky Way galaxy every 12,960 years. Building on the discoveries of his book Maya Cosmogenesis 2012, Jenkins demonstrates that the end-date of 2012 does not signal the end of time but rather the beginning of a new stage in the development of human consciousness. He recovers a striking common thread that connects the ancient cosmological insights of the Maya not only to Egyptian thought and Vedic philosophy but also to the diversity of humankind's metaphysical traditions ranging from Celtic sacred topography and Medieval alchemy to the Kabbalah and Islamic astrology. His work presents us with a groundbreaking synthesis of lost wisdom once common to ancient cosmologies that will help us understand the significance of this transformative cosmic milestone. Read more

What is time? The 5th-century philosopher St Augustine famously said that he knew what time was, so long as no one asked him. Is time a fourth dimension similar to space or does it flow in some sense? And if it flows, does it make sense to say how fast? Does the future exist? Is time travel possible? Why does time seem to pass in only one direction? These questions and others are among the deepest and most subtle that one can ask, but Introducing Time presents them - many for the first time - in an easily accessible, lucid and engaging manner, wittily illustrated by Ralph Edney. Read more

In 1900 a group of sponge divers blown off course in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck near the island of Antikythera dating from around 70 BC.Lying unnoticed for months amongst their hard-won haul was what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock, which turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this 'Antikythera mechanism' - an ancient computer - puzzled academics, but now, more than 2000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings.In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant tells for the first time the story of the 100-year quest to understand the Antikythera mechanism. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters - ranging from Archimedes to Jacques Cousteau - and explores the deep roots of modern technology not only in Ancient Greece, the Islamic world and medieval Europe. Read more