The Wonder of Genetics

The Creepy, the Curious, and the Commonplace

By Richard V. Kowles

This refreshingly clear layperson’s overview of genetics shows how heredity actually works and how it is studied in plants and animals, clearly explaining these concepts without an overload of technical jargon. The author devotes separate chapters to such popular topics as: the genetic differences between males and females, the potential effects of radiation on the human genome, eating irradiated or genetically modified foods, cloning, genetic therapy, stem-cell research, nature vs. nurture, and how genes are related to many diseases, psychological disturbances, and possibly other behaviors. The book concludes by addressing common misconceptions about genetics and emphasizing the discipline’s potential for curing some diseases, extending human lifespan, enhancing medicine and agriculture, and generally improving society.

The layperson’s introduction to genetics.

Prometheus

November 2023

337 pages

Trade paperback

978 1 6338 8946 0 eBook

978 1 6161 4262 9

Science • Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics

Uncovering the Hidden Connections Between Life and the Universe

By Nicholas Golledge

We live in a world where things come and go, rise and fall, grow and decay, tracing out cycles of change that are ordered and predictable. But amongst those wellbehaved rhythms hide other phenomena, pulsing and fizzing and refusing to play by the same rules. Earth and the life upon it have evolved over billions of years to be right where we are now only because of feedbacks that pushed those systems until they broke. And then those systems adapted, reorganized, and rebuilt. With each new cycle of growth it was feedbacks that created order from disorder and gave rise to a world perfectly optimized for everything it needed to be. Now the latest scientific research is revealing that the exact same patterns that describe plate tectonics, evolution, and mass extinctions also emerge in the heartbeat of our everyday lives, underpinning everything from the cohesion of our social networks and personal relationships to our emotional well-being and spiritual beliefs.

In Feedback, we embark on a backstage journey revealing how these lesser-known processes keep us operating right where we need to be, poised at the edge of chaos. In a world simultaneously threatened with social and environmental disasters this journey uncovers the hidden connections that unite us not just to those around us but also across vast scales of time and space to the very fabric of the universe.

Nicholas Golledge is an internationally recognized climate scientist based in Wellington, New Zealand. He uses a combination of field, laboratory, and computerbased techniques to answer fundamental questions about how the Earth works. He is frequently interviewed for television, radio, and print media and his work has been covered by publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and National Geographic

How the power of feedback initiates adaptation, reorganization and reconstruction.

Prometheus

January 2023

250 pages

Hardback

978 1 6338 8933 0 eBook

978 1 6338 8934 7

Science • Philosophy & Social Aspects

Kepler and the Universe How One Man Revolutionized Astronomy

By David K. Love

A colourful portrait of a key figure of the Scientific Revolution.

A contemporary of Galileo and a forerunner of Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was a pioneering German scientist and a pivotal figure in the history of astronomy. This colorful, wellresearched biography brings the man and his scientific discoveries to life, showing how his contributions were every bit as important as those of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton.

Intermingling historical and personal details of Kepler’s life with lucid explanations of his scientific research, this book presents a sympathetic portrait of the man and underscores the critical importance of Kepler’s discoveries in the history of astronomy.

Shadows of Science

How to Uphold Science, Detect Pseudoscience, and Expose Anti-Science in the Age of Disinfor-mation

By Kendrick Frazier

In his final book, science journalist Kendrick Frazier shares his experiences, his knowledge and insights, and his love and passion for our ability to learn.

In this enlightening and entertaining book, author and Skeptical Inquirer editor Kendrick Frazier takes readers on a journey to the contentious boundary zone between science and its antago-nists: pseudoscience (pretend science) and anti-science (open hostility to science).

Kendrick Frazier was a science journalist. He was editor of the Skeptical Inquirer and Science News and author or editor of ten books. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Prometheus

February 2024 • 254 pages

Trade paperback 978 1 6338 8947 7

Previously published in hardback 978 1 6338 8106 8 eBook 978 1 6338 8107 5

Science • History

Prometheus

January 2024 • 256 pages • 2 illustrations

Hardback 978 1 6338 8938 5 eBook 978 1 6338 8939 2

Science • Philosophy & Social Aspects