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2F618EY Landing of the James Caird On South Georgia, 1916

Presence review: A lively look at why we experience ghostly presences

29 March 2023

Many people feel an uncanny "presence" when no one is there. Ben Alderson-Day explores why this is, in a lively and comprehensive book

2B034C5 In addition to Herman Melville's own experience on the whaling ship Acushnet, two real events served as the genesis for his Moby Dick. One was the sinking of the Nantucket ship Essex in 1820, after a sperm whale rammed her 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the western coast of South America. The other event was the alleged killing in the late 1830s of the albino sperm whale Mocha Dick, in the waters off the Chilean island of Mocha. Mocha Dick was rumored to have 20 or so harpoons in his back from other whalers, and appeared to attack ships with premeditated ferocity.

Once Upon a Prime review: The connections between maths and fiction

29 March 2023

Sarah Hart's engaging book about how central maths is to literature by authors from George Eliot to Georges Perec is a homage to both subjects

Springtime on Mars: Hubble's Best View of the Red Planet

The First City on Mars review: How to make life on Mars a reality

8 February 2023

Living on Mars will take enormous work, but urban planner Justin Hollander is already on the case in this guide to settling the Red Planet

Uncertain young woman standing on the street at night. This is entirely 3D generated image.

Arch-Conspirator review: Ancient Greek tragedy spun into sci-fi gold

1 February 2023

Veronica Roth's dystopian take on Sophocles's 2500-year-old tragedy reminds us that human nature is timeless, finds Sally Adee

small group of people meditating on the beach. doing yoga when the sun rising.

Why We Meditate review: A convincing argument for regular meditation

18 January 2023

Meditation seems to divide people into hardline converts or sceptical questioners. Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche's new book comes ready to answer any doubts

Attention Span review: A welcome injection of evidence

11 January 2023

Gloria Mark has studied distraction since 2004. Her first book is a valuable guide to how to balance work and well-being in a world increasingly dependent on tech

The broad fish tapeworm, Diphyllobothrium sp., that infected this Alaskan brown bear, escapes out of the host's anus. 2007. Photograph by Scott Davis. Used with permission.

Parasites review: A fascinating tour of supremely successful invaders

4 January 2023

Parasites get everywhere. From 30-metre-long tapeworms in blue whales to leeches living in hippos' anuses, Parasites: The inside story explores what its authors believe is the most successful lifestyle on Earth

F6T2WJ Caucasian skier on mountaintop, Mont Blanc, Chamonix, France

Awe review: Neglected feeling of awe could help battle climate change

4 January 2023

We pay little attention to the feeling of awe, but, as Dacher Keltner's new book argues, it can make our lives more meaningful – and could even help us engage with huge problems like the climate crisis

Man hiker solo on the mountain during golden hour reading e-book

The best popular science books out in 2023

28 December 2022

Discover a quantum world of numbers, the amazing new science of the human electrome and long views of Earth and its wonders in this look at the best non-fiction coming this year