Stuff Matters scoops Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books
And the winner is….. Read more
Book 2: Gulp by Mary Roach (2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books)
I feel I must start with a confession. I love science. It’s dominated my working life and I get to enjoy finding out about new research every day at Nature. But when I’m at home, well, I often reach for a great novel over non-fiction. So I was amazed to find myself eschewing the joys of the latest from the New York Times bestseller list in favour of Gulp and racing through the chapters with the greatest of relish. Read more
Book 1: Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik (2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books)
There is a lot of stuff in Mark Miodownik’s fascinating book Stuff Matters, an account of the materials science underlying everyday objects, and little room for nonsense. Miodownik illustrates his efforts with the aid of a photograph of himself on the roof of his London home. Each chapter delves into the surprising properties of one of the ten materials featured in the photograph, from a steel table to a porcelain tea cup. Read more
Alice’s Analysis – 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books
Over the coming month, the Nature Press Office will be reading and reviewing the books shortlisted for the 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, cramming in a book or two a week until the winner is announced on the 10th November 2014. Read more
Bill Bryson: A champion of science and science communication
Bill Bryson’s bestselling travel books include The Lost Continent, A Walk in the Woods and Notes from a Small Island, which in a national poll was voted the book that best represents Britain. Read more
Human enhancement will change how we work, says report
If I told you that you could be more productive at work, make better decisions and even enjoy the worst parts of your job more, would you be tempted? Read more
Royal fellows
This year’s fellows for The Royal Society — one of the most coveted fellowships in the world of science — announced today, include six names of Indian origin. The fellowship is made up of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth. It boasts of more than 80 Nobel Laureates among its fellows. Read more
Female scientists in UK report improved prospects – but there’s still a long way to go
The gap between men’s and women’s careers in academia in the UK is closing as women become more ambitious, according to the 2010 Athena Survey of Science, Engineering and Technology (ASSET) summary report published earlier this month. Read more
Science owes much to both Christianity and the Middle Ages
This week’s guest blogger is James Hannam, he has a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge and is the author of The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution (published in the UK as God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science). Read more
Knowledge, networks and nations
This week’s guest blogger is James Wilsdon, Director of the Science Policy Centre at the Royal Society since 2008. Prior to this, he was Head of Science and Innovation at the think tank Demos. His publications include ‘See-Through Science’ (Demos, 2004) ‘The Public Value of Science’ (Demos, 2005), ‘The Atlas of Ideas’ (Demos, 2007) and ‘China: the next science superpower?’ (Demos, 2007). At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, China failed even to field a team. Eighty years later, in Seoul, they finished in 11th place. And in 2008, as Beijing played host to the most spectacular Olympics in history, … Read more
