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Kris Tompkins holds up a heartshaped rock during her hike up the mountain range in Patagonia, Chile. (Jimmy Chin)

Wild life review: The couple who bought up Chile to conserve it

14 June 2023

What made Doug and Kristine Tompkins quit their corporate lifestyle and start buying swathes of unused land in South America? An engrossing documentary tells their story, says Simon Ings

2NMX51D This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows a tropical storm east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, at 7:50am EST, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. The National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm warnings for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where forecasters expected the potential cyclone to strengthen Tuesday into the sixth named storm, Fred, of the Atlantic hurricane season. (NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES via AP)

The Universe in a Box review: Why all cosmic quests start on laptops

14 June 2023

Grasping anything much about our universe depends on complex computer models that can simulate reality. Andrew Pontzen was sceptical about such simulations but now, as his new book shows, he's an enthusiastic guide

Group of young skateboarders sitting in discussion with mature skateboarder in neighborhood skate park

Generations review: Zoomer, boomer, millennial – what's your tribe?

14 June 2023

For good or ill, dividing people up along generational lines with names and traits to fit seems hard to resist. What's going on, asks a new book that sets out to find the real differences

Fire Weather review: Why Canada’s wildfires will only get worse

9 June 2023

John Vaillant chronicles the most destructive fire in Canada’s history, and explores what lies ahead, in this timely book

Actress Amber Heard attends the 50 million US dollars Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 13 April 2022.

Depp V Heard review: Scary documentary shows power of social media

7 June 2023

An alarming documentary about the court case of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard shows how a powerful, untamed social media has the potential to undermine our justice systems

Orion Nebula in Infrared NASA ID: PIA25434 This new image of the Orion Nebula produced using previously released data from three telescopes shows two enormous caverns carved out by unseen giant stars that can release up to a million times more light than our Sun. All that radiation breaks apart dust grains there, helping to create the pair of cavities. Much of the remaining dust is swept away when the stars produce wind or when they die explosive deaths as supernovae. This infrared image shows dust but no stars. Blue light indicates warm dust heated by unseen massive stars. Observed in infrared light ? a range of wavelengths outside what human eyes can detect ? the views were provided by NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which now operates under the moniker NEOWISE. Spitzer and WISE were both managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, ...more 508 Description:This infrared image of the Orion Nebula features plenty of dust but no stars. In these infrared wavelengths, it's possible to see hot spots where new stars are forming, while unseen bright, massive stars have carved out caverns of empty space. Date Created:2022-11-22 Center:JPL Keywords: Herschel Space Observatory , Spitzer Space Telescope , Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) , Orion Nebula Secondary Creator Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech Visit JPL Website

Under Alien Skies review: A terrific guide to our spectacular universe

7 June 2023

Phil Plait, the man behind the Bad Astronomy blog, is a great guide to the wonders of the cosmos. But would it be a bad thing if his new book created a fresh reverence for our home planet among some readers?

Male and female snow leopards come together.

An Atlas of Endangered Animals review: Great stories to prompt action

7 June 2023

Megan McCubbin's mini-anthology of animals at risk is full of striking tales, including ones about snow leopards and partying orcas. It should provide a powerful motivation for concerned humans

Asteroid City review: Is Wes Anderson film all style over substance?

7 June 2023

A junior astronomy competition is spectacularly derailed by world-changing events in this star-studded film by Wes Anderson, but what is really going on? It’s complicated

Tin Can review: Fix your escape pod in this fantastic video game

31 May 2023

In Tin Can, you have to patch up a spaceship's disintegrating escape pod – or die. Though the whole game takes place in a single space, exploring its extraordinary detail is a real joy, says Jacob Aron

A painting of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, in London, 1767, wearing a blue suit with elaborate gold braid and buttons, a far cry from the simple dress he affected when he served as ambassador to France in later years. During his time in London, Franklin was the leading voice of American interests in England. He wrote popular essays on behalf of the colonies and was instrumental in securing the repeal of the 1765 Stamp Act. The painting is by David Martin and is currently on display in the White House. The bust on the left side is that of Isaac Newton. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The Limits of Genius review: What made Newton and Einstein stupid?

31 May 2023

Being a genius doesn't stop you looking directly at an eclipse or letting a trivial row prevent you finding a planet, says Katie Spalding in her new book