A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane, by Samanth Subramanian Richard Joyner enjoys a vivid account of a larger-than-life scientist and reflects on whether Haldane’s career would be possible today By Richard Joyner 29 October
Einstein in Bohemia, by Michael D. Gordin Richard Joyner enjoys an account of a largely neglected phase in the life of the greatest modern physicist By Richard Joyner 27 February
Find Your Path: Unconventional Lessons from 36 Leading Scientists and Engineers, by Daniel Goodman Richard Joyner enjoys a striking collection of testimonies that should help students settle on a suitable career path By Richard Joyner 28 November
Here Comes the Sun: How It Feeds Us, Kills Us, Heals Us and Makes Us What We Are, by Steve Jones Richard Joyner considers a lively overview of all things solar By Richard Joyner 31 October
Science Policy under Thatcher, by Jon Agar Richard Joyner remembers a difficult era for British science By Richard Joyner 1 August
Hot Carbon: Carbon-14 and a Revolution in Science, by John F. Marra Richard Joyner applauds a book celebrating the many applications of carbon dating By Richard Joyner 27 June
The Workshop and the World: What Ten Thinkers Can Teach Us about Science and Authority, by Robert P. Crease Book of the week: Richard Joyner praises a bold attempt to get to grips with ‘science denial’ By Richard Joyner 16 May
Solving Chemistry: A Scientist’s Journey, by Bernard J. Bulkin Richard Joyner assesses an argument that all the major questions in the discipline have now been answered By Richard Joyner 4 April
The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life, by Paul Davies A scientist argues that the secret of life itself lies in networks of data, says Richard Joyner By Richard Joyner 21 February
Strong bonds: the state of chemistry Seven academic chemists give their views on the field’s health By Oliver A. H. Jones 7 February
Helmholtz: A Life in Science, by David Cahan Book of the week: an intellectual superstar’s work merits more space amid the social history, says Richard Joyner By Richard Joyner 25 October
The Ascent of John Tyndall: Victorian Scientist, Mountaineer, and Public Intellectual, by Roland Jackson Once he had conquered one intellectual peak, this Irishman simply found another, says Richard Joyner By Richard Joyner 16 August
Biography of a scientist: may (not) contain science Richard Joyner gives his ‘Description of Science’ scores for scientists’ biographies that are written by academics, which, he says, can often contain no details of the subject’s work at all By Richard Joyner 13 July
Science not Silence: Voices from the March for Science Movement, edited by Stephanie Fine Sasse and Lucky Tran Richard Joyner on a heartening collection of accounts by more than 40 people who participated in worldwide demonstrations for science By Richard Joyner 17 May
From Madman to Crime Fighter: The Scientist in Western Culture, by Roslynn D. Haynes Do you recognise seven stereotypes in literature and film? Richard Joyner appraises a study ranging from Sherlock to Frankenstein By Richard Joyner 23 November
Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker Book of the week: Richard Joyner on how insomnia damages our well-being – and how to get a good night’s rest By Richard Joyner 5 October
Transmaterial Next: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine Our Future, by Blaine Brownell Richard Joyner enjoys a tour of the novel substances that might give tomorrow its form, including a substance seven times less dense than air By Richard Joyner 27 July
William Robert Grove: Victorian Gentleman of Science, by Iwan Rhys Morus The inventor of the fuel cell deserves a biography, but more detail of his work and his life would be welcome, says Richard Joyner By Richard Joyner 2 March
Popularizing Science: The Life and Work of JBS Haldane, by Krishna Dronamraju Book of the week: Richard Joyner on a proselytiser for science who emphasised the ethical issues of advancement By Richard Joyner 23 February
The Ethics of Invention: Technology and the Human Future, by Sheila Jasanoff A clear-eyed study of shiny and new inventions calls for better oversight, says Richard Joyner By Richard Joyner 3 November
The Physics of Life: The Evolution of Everything, by Adrian Bejan From climate change to artificial intelligence, constructal law has a theory, says Richard Joyner By Richard Joyner 25 August
The Dancing Bees and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language, by Tania Munz Richard Joyner on the Austrian scientist Karl von Frisch, who discovered and deciphered bees’ communicative choreography By Richard Joyner 9 June
The Experimental Self: Humphry Davy and the Making of a Man of Science, by Jan Golinski Richard Joyner on a biography seeking to reveal the chemist’s talent for reinvention By Richard Joyner 5 May
The Penultimate Curiosity: How Science Swims in the Slipstream of Ultimate Questions, by Roger Wagner and Andrew Briggs Richard Joyner on who is ahead in the race for dominance between science and religion By Richard Joyner 17 March
