Nietzsche, narwhals and the burden of consciousness
Justin Gregg’s witty exploration of animal intelligence is a useful guide – but there is more to human life than…
ByScience books
Discover our best-rated science books with the New Statesman’s expert reviews. From scientific histories to in-depth examinations and essays.
What cells tell us about life
Siddharta Mukherjee’s new study of how cells work reveals the complexities of the human body – and the science that…
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Books of the year 2022
New Statesman writers and guests choose their favourite reading of the year.
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How oil become the world’s most contested resource
Keith Fisher’s A Pipeline Runs Through It charts how oil revolutionised transport and war, and continues to shape today’s geopolitics.
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The 15 best books for summer
The New Statesman’s selection of essential recent releases.
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A creed for the anthropocene
Staving off climate change will entail not only a technological revolution but transforming our relations with the natural world.
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The psychoactive plants that change our consciousness
It is fascinating to learn how three plant-derived drugs – caffeine, opium and mescaline – can shape society.
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A timely check-up on the GP’s vital role in the community
Updating John Berger’s 1967 classic, A Fortunate Woman shares the devotion and anguish of a modern family doctor.
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How animal senses reveal hidden worlds
Ed Yong’s fascinating new book on the complex behaviours of creatures uncovers a universe of unfathomable beauty.
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A history of nuclear catastrophe
Seen by many as a route to net zero, nuclear power is haunted by its past disasters.
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Desperate Remedies: A new work charts the cruel and often gruesome history of mental health treatments
The sociologist Andrew Scull acknowledges that contemporary psychiatry is more rigorous – but is it more effective?
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The myth of the white male scientific genius – and why its time is up
Darwin and Newton acknowledged their debt to other cultures. Why don’t we?
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Who is to blame for 30 years of climate change inertia?
Two new books trace the history of global inaction over the climate emergency, and seek to identify the culprits.
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Where the internet went wrong – and how we can reboot it
The online world is run by tech companies that we depend on but deeply distrust. New books by Justin EH…
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What rocks teach us about the human condition
In Hugh Raffles’ profound, genre-straddling new book, stones and minerals reveal the pain of loss and the secrets of time.
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Bill Gates on the pandemic: a misplaced faith in innovation
The tech billionaire believes business can shield us from future diseases – but the market is part of the problem.
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Are premonitions more than coincidence?
The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight is a propulsive but flawed examination of the rationality of chance.
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Morality after the Bomb
How Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley and Iris Murdoch transformed philosophy for a postwar world.
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The politics of working out
Two books explore how exercise has been shaped by science, culture and the quest for autonomy. But does keeping fit…
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What to read in 2022: non-fiction
From politics and science to history and pop, the essential books for the year ahead.
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