Popular science

Every year, readers send in thousands of questions to New Scientist, the world's best-selling science weekly, in the hope that the answers to them will be given in the 'Last Word' column - regularly voted the most popular section of the magazine.

Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?

How can you measure the speed of light with chocolate and a microwave?

Do Polar Bears Get Lonely?

Science tells us grand things about the universe: how fast light travels, and why stones fall to earth.

A relatable, interactive, and funny exploration of algorithms, those essential building blocks of computer science - and of everyday life - from the author of the wildly popular Bad Arguments.

'A beautifully crafted love letter to physics.

'This witty book reveals the humbling vastness of our ignorance about the universe, along with charming insights into what we actually do understand' Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Reality Is Not What It SeemsIn our small corner of the universe, we know how some matter behaves most of the time and what even less of it looks like, and we have some good guesses about where it all came from.

Well, why not?

In August 1931, New Zealand farmer Richard Buckley hit the local headlines - or rather his trousers did.

The 2011 'Last Word' collection featured, for the first time, 108 full-colour photographs showing the beauty, complexity and mystery of the world around us.

Why do birds sing at dawn?

Zero, zip, nada, zilch.

All science begins with questions.

For you to be here today reading this requires a mind-boggling series of lucky breaks, starting with the Big Bang and ending in your own conception.

There is currently huge interest in the question of human nature and identity, and what the human future might look like.

A myth-busting, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping and fun-filled expedition through the world of Game of Thrones.

Congratulations!

If you thought you knew who you were, THINK AGAIN.

Introduction by Professor Stephen Hawking.

What's the nature of reality?

It's lucky you're here.

A Sunday Times bestsellerHow long is 'now'?

There's a whole universe out there.

Where did we come from?

The ancient Greeks called it Gaia; the Romans Terra.

Think of a number between one and ten.

Ever wondered what's going on inside your head?

Forget everything you thought you knew about reality.

From the No.

Emma Young has no history of mental illness, just like everyone else, occasionally she gets down, anxious and disproportionately stressed.

Mathematics often gets a bad press.

Discover the second volume of an epic, beautifully illustrated graphic history of humankind, based on Yuval Noah Harari's multi-million copy bestselling phenomenon.

'Terrifying yet funny, surprising yet predictable, simple yet poignant' Chris PackhamA shocking but informative, eye-catching and witty book of maps that illustrate the perilous state of our planet.

'Game-changing.

Increasing evidence suggests that hidden, low-level inflammation may be the number one cause of modern disease.

The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in our mental health, and how diet and micronutrients can be used to help treat and prevent anxiety, depression, ADHD and other mental health disorders.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Read this book, then look and wonder' Sunday Times *A TLS Book of the Year*We have to learn to live as part of nature, not apart from it.

We don't know what we've got until it's gone.

The funny and practical guide on how succeed when everything goes wrong, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Surrounded by Idiots.

The funny and practical guide on how to free yourself from the tyranny of narcissists, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Surrounded by Idiots.

Legendary record producer-turned-brain scientist explains why you fall in love with music.

By the end of this century, living beyond 100 will be the rule rather than the exception.

A lively, practical, first-of-its-kind guide to understanding cold, clinical data and harnessing it to tell a persuasive story.

For the first time, The Child Code brings genetics out of the lab and onto the parent's lap, offering a smarter and much more effective way of parenting.

A frank, funny and inspiring new memoir from the bestselling author of The Language of Kindness about the search for meaning in midlife'Brilliant.

* Confidence makes your brain work better and boosts your performance* Confidence acts like a mini-antidepressant, lifting your mood* Confidence is contagious* Confidence is anxiety's greatest antidote* Confidence is a set of habits that feel fake at first but become real with practice* Confidence makes boys bullsh*t more than girls* Overconfidence can have disastrous consequences_________'Brilliant .

'A rich feast of his essays, reviews, forewords, squibs and conversations, in which talent and passion are married to deep knowledge.

The first volume of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari's global phenomenon and smash SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER.

Join science journalist Sabrina Imbler on an astonishing journey which will completely redefine the way you think about nature and the ocean'An astonishing debut' GUARDIAN'Reveals just as much about our fascinating, mysterious world as it does about our fascinating, mysterious selves' NEW YORK TIMESIn My Life in Sea Creatures we encounter: the mother octopus, starving herself while watching over her eggs; the yeti crab, thriving in crushing pressure and oppressive darkness; the cuttlefish, able to change its appearance in a fraction of a second; and many other creatures lurking in the depths of the ocean.