Chris Anderson

Discover the wondrous history of chemistry and human's quest for the fundamentals that culminated in one man's dream that changed the way we see the world. Follow the life of Dmitri Mendeleyev, a nineteenth-century Russian scientist who fell asleep at his desk and awoke after conceiving the periodic table in a dream. Explore the birth of chemistry, from ancient philosophy to modern science, in this elegant and entertaining book by author Paul Strathern.

Explore the hidden realms of animal senses in An Immense World, the transformative book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ed Yong. Discover how every creature perceives the world differently through sights, sounds, smells, electric and magnetic fields, and more. From tracking magnetic fields to sensing courting bugs, Ed Yong takes us on a grand tour through the amazing sensory abilities of different animals. An Immense World will open your eyes to the extraordinary world around us, beyond the limits of our own senses.

"Termination Shock" by Neal Stephenson is a gripping technothriller that envisions a devastating future impacted by climate change. The story takes readers on a journey through a world ravaged by environmental disasters and killer viruses caused by global warming. With a Big Idea that could potentially reverse the effects of climate change, the novel asks the crucial question: what would be the cost to humanity if we apply a solution that is worse than the problem itself? Fascinating and thought-provoking, "Termination Shock" is an exhilarating must-read for fans of dystopian fiction.

Discover the origin of the Predator drone program and the dawn of unmanned warfare in Never Mind, We'll Do It Ourselves. This firsthand account from an Air Force team leader and a CIA team leader takes you inside secret government hangars and back offices where the robotic revolution started. Through conflicting perspectives of the defense and intelligence communities, experience the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the evolution of a program from passive surveillance to complex hunter-killers. This book is a must-read for those intrigued by modern warfare and those interested in the history and future of technology.

Explore the destruction of the cosmos in The End of Everything. Astrophysicist Katie Mack uses cutting-edge technology and theory to describe the different futures that could result from our incomplete understanding of reality. Will our universe collapse, rip apart, or succumb to an expanding bubble of doom? This fascinating and witty story of cosmic escapism shares the excitement of a leading astrophysicist while showing that we may not be able to change how it all ends, but we can begin to understand it.

This elegant exploration of time by a bestselling author will leave you pondering the nature of this mysterious concept. From the perspective of philosophy, science and literature, the author unravels the assumptions we hold about time, revealing a strange universe where time disappears at the most fundamental level. The poetic vitality of the prose makes this novel a vibrant appreciation of the mysteries of time.

Explore how new digital technology is unleashing a wave of creative production that is transforming our world. Discover how people are using new media to pool their efforts at low cost, creating mind-expanding reference tools like Wikipedia and life-saving Web sites like Ushahidi.com. Cognitive Surplus shows what's possible when people unite to use their intellect, energy, and time for the greater good.

Discover the revolutionary argument that growing technologically sophisticated market-based economies around the world is the key to increasing human prosperity while treading more lightly on our planet. More from Less provides masterfully researched evidence that America and other countries are now generally using less resources year after year, even as their economies and populations continue to grow, thanks to the collaboration between technology and capitalism. This book is a paradigm-shifting account of how humanity stumbled into an unexpectedly better balance with nature, offering the promise of a more abundant and greener future.

"Skunk Works" is a thrilling account of America's top-secret aerospace operation, from the development of the U-2 to the Stealth fighter. Ben Rich, the brilliant boss of the operation for nearly two decades, chronicles the high-stakes drama of cold war confrontations, Gulf War air combat, and extraordinary feats of engineering. This book features up-close portraits of the maverick scientists and engineers who made Skunk Works so renowned, along with firsthand accounts from CIA agents and Air Force pilots who flew on classified, risky missions. An engaging and action-packed read, this book is a tribute to the most spectacular aviation triumphs of the 20th century.