Venus is too hot, Mars too cold, but Earth’s distance from the Sun makes it ‘just right’ for a thriving biosphere. As we search for other planets perfectly positioned to support living organisms, an astrobiologist explains what scientists can learn from research into the origins and evolution of life, as well as the study of ‘extremophile’ water bears, tiny aquatic creatures able to survive the harshest conditions on Earth.

Eric R Kandel, recipient of a Nobel Prize for his pioneering research, demonstrates how studies of brain disorders, including autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, have improved our understanding of the close connections between neurological and psychiatric illnesses. He discusses the ways in which these findings are not only contributing to the development of effective treatments but are also helping to explain the mysterious origins of consciousness and creativity in the intricate interactions of brain cells.

Off-mint.

Beginning with the earliest evidence of counting, this short history of mathematics focuses on the human stories behind each major advance and shows how these developments have fundamentally changed our view of the world.

Mariano Sigman’s bestselling examination of human thought begins by asking how babies communicate and goes on to explore how we relate to our unconscious mind, what happens when we dream and why the brain is constantly changing. This concise, approachable guide to neuroscience questions how we perceive, reason, feel and communicate, with the aim of better comprehending the inner workings of the human brain and understanding ourselves and others more deeply.

Professor Charles Cockell argues that evolution and natural selection have always been constrained by basic physical laws, from an atomic level to the animal realm. For instance, there are sound scientific reasons why creatures can’t evolve with wheels instead of legs, and why carbon-based cells are ideal for trapping energy, so life on Earth is far more understandable and predictable than we might imagine.

Dipping below the surface of oceans – and seas, rivers, lagoons and lakes – Helen Scales explores the lives of fish and their underwater world, describing how they move, find food, avoid predators, sing to each other, and use light and colour to send messages. The book reveals the spectacular diversity of species, including ‘ichthyo-curiosities’ and, by letting the wonders of fish capture our attention and respect, aims to convince us to better protect them and their aquatic environment.

What do we mean by ‘empty space’? Was Newton wrong to think of it as a kind of theatre in which physics could unfold? In this book a philosopher of science explains how the very process of adapting intuitive ideas to scientific theories causes radical changes to our conception of reality. He also describes physicists’ efforts to reconcile different meanings of ‘nothing’ in general relativity and quantum theory.

From smartphones to microwaves, invisible forms of light have a profound effect on our lives. This popular science book explains what they are, how they work and how they have been put to work in modern technology.

By building and populating a virtual universe, Clegg demonstrates that reality is not a system of immovable absolutes; instead, the ever-shifting world of relativity is what provides the frame of reference that allows us to understand both the universe and humanity’s place within it.

A neurologist at Harvard’s Brigham Hospital, Dr Ropper describes the neurologist’s response to cases – such as transient global amnesia or motor neuron disease – in which lives and minds hang in the balance.

The strongest substance ever discovered, a better conductor than any metal and able to act as a molecular sieve to purify water, graphene is set to revolutionize technology. This guide explores the properties and potential uses of this remarkable new material.

In this overview of our current knowledge about the universe a theoretical cosmologist discusses questions that have puzzled thinkers throughout history and the ways in which modern scientists have tried to answer them. He explains how astronomical observations and remarkable deductions have allowed us not only to look back 13.8 billion years to the origins of the universe but also to develop competing theories about its ultimate fate, either in a calamitous ‘Big Crunch’ or a gentler ‘Heat Death’.

Without an immune system, we could not survive the battle between our microscopic enemies and ourselves. Drawing on sources from ancient Egyptian medical texts to cutting-edge medical science, the academic Catherine Carver explores the many facets of our natural defence system – including how it knows what to attack and what to defend, how diseases try to evade it, and how researchers are designing new drugs to harness its power.

An intriguing and amusing insight into the animal world, this Popular Science title explains how 30 species have evolved to exploit the laws of physics, from how wet dogs shake themselves dry to how peacocks generate inaudible (to the human ear) sounds to attract a mate.

Since it appeared in 1936, this comprehensive course has helped demystify mathematics and clarify the practical applications of everything from simple arithmetic to calculus. Taking an unusual approach to the subject, Hogben sets mathematics in the cultural context of its intended use, whether to meet the needs of ancient pyramid architects or provide the celestial geometry required to navigate by the stars.

The Doctor's universe is rich with ingenious ideas and impossible but nevertheless plausible technology, not least his dimension-defying TARDIS. This companion to the series explores what makes the aliens and monsters tick as well as how the gadgets might work.