The Social Conquest of Earth

  • Edward O. Wilson
(Liveright, 2013; $17.95)

Distinguished sociobiologist E. O. Wilson asks how social creatures like humans and ants have achieved such evolutionary success. The key, he suggests, is in the way they form communities: with multiple generations, a division of labour and altruistic behaviour. Although Wilson's emphasis on group selection is controversial, this is a masterly amalgam of biology, linguistics, psychology, economics and the arts. (See James H. Fowler's review: Nature 484, 448–449; 2012.)

Darwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists

  • Rebecca Stott
(Bloomsbury, 2013; £8.99)

Science historian Rebecca Stott probes the intellectual origins of the theory of natural selection, showing that Charles Darwin stood on the shoulders of giants, from Aristotle to Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. (See Andrew Berry's review: Nature 485, 171–172; 2012.)

The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body

  • Frances Ashcroft
(Penguin, 2013; £9.99)

As you read this, ion channels regulate the electrical activity in your neurons and muscle cells. Physiologist Frances Ashcroft offers a brilliant treatment of the 'body electric', mixing research, science history and personal stories.

Ocean of Life: How Our Seas Are Changing

  • Callum Roberts
(Penguin, 2013; £10.99)

Overfishing, acidification, plastic pollution, biogeographical shifts: marine conservation biologist Callum Roberts lucidly lays out the range of issues affecting the world's oceans. A sobering look at Earth's biggest biosphere. (See Stephen R. Palumbi's review: Nature 484, 445–446; 2012.)

Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of the World's Most Mysterious Continent

  • Gabrielle Walker
(Bloomsbury, 2013; £8.99)

Science writer Gabrielle Walker unveils Earth's southernmost 'wild lab' in this vivid and accessible mix of researchers' stories and environmental writing. (See Francis Halzen's review: Nature 483, 272–273; 2012.)

The Landgrabbers: The New Fight Over Who Owns the Earth

  • Fred Pearce
(Eden Project Books, 2013; £9.99)

Delving into the recent 'land grabs' in developing countries, science journalist Fred Pearce mulls over solutions, such as including African smallholders in the global agricultural economy. (See Wendy Wolford's review: Nature 485, 442–443; 2012.)

The Chemistry of Tears: A Novel

  • Peter Carey
(Vintage, 2013; $15)

The history of science and engineering flavours this moving novel centring on a nineteenth-century automaton. Peter Carey's meditation on time and early 'artificial life' raises questions about what it means to be human. (See Minsoo Kang's review: Nature 484, 451–452; 2012.)

The Infinity Puzzle: The Personalities, Politics, and Extraordinary Science Behind the Higgs Boson

  • Frank Close
(Oxford Univ. Press, 2013; £10.99)

Particle physicist Frank Close pins down the elusive Higgs boson in this account of the search that led up to its 2012 discovery. With a Nobel prize in the offing, the vexed question of credit adds edge. (See Edwin Cartlidge's review: Nature 478, 315–316; 2011.)

Feynman

Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick. (First Second, 2013; $19.99)

The playful creativity and genius of theoretical physicist Richard Feynman are brilliantly brought to life in Jim Ottaviani's graphic biography, illustrated by Leland Myrick. (See Marc Weidenbaum's Q&A: Nature 477, 32; 2011.)

Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything

  • Philip Ball
(Vintage, 2013; £9.99)

Humanity's burning urge for knowledge drives science. Philip Ball's scintillating history of curiosity brims with treats — such as seventeenth-century philosopher Francis Bacon's use of a Pan myth as an allegory for the quest to learn from nature.

Genentech: The Beginnings of Biotech

  • Sally Smith Hughes
(Univ. Chicago Press, 2013; $16)

The history of Genentech, the company that kick-started the biotech industry, is compellingly told by Sally Smith Hughes. Studded with in-depth portraits of its pioneers. (See Linnaea Ostroff's review: Nature 478, 456; 2011.)

The Signal and the Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction

  • Nate Silver
(Penguin, 2013; £8.99)

Statistician Nate Silver reveals how 'noise', a random component of data, often clogs up the complex process of forecasting. Silver makes a convincing case for a Bayesian approach (See Paul Ormerod's review: Nature 489, 501; 2012.)

Cosmic Numbers: The Numbers that Define Our Universe

  • James D. Stein
(Basic Books, 2013, $15.99)

Key numbers in physics, chemistry and astronomy star in this mathematical history. James D. Stein captures ideas from luminaries such as Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler to characterize these 'universal' measurements.

Wired for Culture: The Natural History of Human Cooperation

  • Mark Pagel
(Penguin, 2013; £9.99)

Culture has shaped us, besting even genes, says evolutionary biologist Mark Pagel. Full of gems, such as the similarities between 'tree' diagrams for languages and for related species. (See Peter Richerson's review: Nature 482, 304–305; 2012.)

Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History

  • Florence Williams
(W. W. Norton, 2013; $15.95)

In this meticulously researched environmental history, Florence Williams covers the human breast from puberty to menopause and beyond. Fascinating, from its unique development to the toxins lurking in breast milk. (See Josie Glausiusz's review: Nature 485, 306–307; 2012.)