What is our immune system, and how does it work? A vast array of cells, proteins and chemicals spring into action whenever our bodies are damaged, but immunity is not something you can see, touch or feel. It can fight off malicious bacteria and viruses, locate cancerous growths, and even re-wire our brains – but sometimes our own tissues can get caught in its crossfire, with catastrophic consequences.

Humans may be the most disease-ridden animals on the planet. Professor John Trowsdale shows how the immune system protects us, and how our bodies invest huge resources to keep it running. Immunity influences how we age, and controls how we learn to fight off recurring diseases, and how our bodies respond to chronic conditions such as heart disease and dementia. But, in the case of allergies and autoimmune conditions, it can also easily get things wrong.

What the Body Knows is a hugely readable account of a fascinating phenomenon-one which, for good or for ill, impacts every aspect of our lives.

A NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, MAIL ON SUNDAY and GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the dawn of life itself, every being that has ever lived owes its existence to the cell.

‘Will leave you in awe’ Guardian

The discovery of this vital form led to a transformation in medicine but also in our understanding of ourselves – not as bodies or machines but as ecosystems. It has also given us the power to treat a vast array of mortal maladies…and even to create new kinds of human altogether.

Rich with stories of scientists, doctors and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work, The Song of the Cell is a stunning ode to the building blocks of life and the cutting-edge science harnessing their power for the better.

‘Profound…As big a topic as life itself’ The Times

‘Medical magic’ Daily Telegraph

‘Vast…important…optimistic’ Mail on Sunday

Until now, the biological answer has been our genes. Leading biologist Alfonso Martinez Arias breaks with popular tradition to make a bold argument: what defines us is our cells.

Drawing on groundbreaking research, he reveals that we are composed of a thrillingly complex, constantly rearranging symphony of cells that know how to count, feel, and give form to our bodies. While DNA is important, nothing in your genes explains why your heart is on the left, why you have five fingers and not ten, why genetically identical twins have different sets of fingerprints, or why it’s possible for a mother to apparently share no DNA with the children she gave birth to! At the heart of it all is a powerful new conception of the essence of life. Our identities are shaped by the interconnections between cells, working cooperatively, creating something greater than its parts – the unbroken lineage that connects us to the fertilized egg from which we developed and back through the billions of years of our planet’s history, to the very first cell of all life on Earth.

A sweeping revision of both the present and the history of life, The Master Builder puts forward a new paradigm for understanding biology, transforming our approach to where we come from, what shapes us, and where we are going – as individuals, a species, and the community of life itself.

‘As big a topic as life itself; I’m not sure a writer could cover it better’ The Times

From the prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Song of the Cell tells the vivid, thrilling and suspenseful story of the fundamental unit of life.

In the late 1600s, a distinguished English polymath, Robert Hooke, and an eccentric Dutch cloth-merchant, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, look down their hand-made microscopes. What they see introduces a radical concept that alters both biology and medicine forever. It is the fact that complex living organisms are assemblages of tiny, self-contained, self-regulating units. Our organs, our physiology, our selves, are built from these compartments. Hooke christens them ‘cells’.

The discovery of cells announced the birth of a new kind of medicine. A hip fracture, a cardiac arrest, Alzheimer’s, AIDS, lung cancer – all could be re-conceived as the results of cells, or a cellular ecosystem, functioning abnormally. And all could be treated by therapeutic manipulations of cells. This revolution in cell biology is still in progress: it represents one of the most significant advances in science and medicine.

Both panoramic and intimate, this is Siddhartha Mukherjee’s most spectacular book yet.

‘Brilliant … medical magic’ Daily Telegraph

Welcome to a revolution in the science of you! This landmark new book from award-winning scientist Daniel M. Davis explores the future of the human body.

Imagine taking drugs to help you acquire new skills, or knowing years in advance the precise likelihood of developing specific cancers, or following a diet and health regime tailored to your microbiome, or even having continuous monitoring of your body’s workings and well-being.

Written by an award-winning scientist, this landmark book shows how these radical and disconcerting possibilities have been made real. It is at once a gripping drama of scientific ingenuity, discovery and collaboration, and a vision of the human body of dizzying complexity and wonder.

‘The startling new discoveries…are radically altering our understanding of how we function and what our future holds’ BRIAN COX

‘Thrilling’ BILL BRYSON
‘Brilliant’ TIM SPECTOR
‘Extraordinary’ ALICE ROBERTS

‘A startling wake-up call . . . Writing with the vim of a Bill Bryson and the technical knowledge of a scientist, Steele gives us a chance to grasp what’s at stake’ Independent‘An exhilarating journey . . . Steele is a superb guide’ Telegraph‘A fascinating read with almost every page bursting with extraordinary facts . . . Read it now’ Mail on SundayAgeless is a guide to the biggest issue we all face. Ageing – not cancer, not heart disease – is the world’s leading cause of death and suffering. What would the world be like if we could cure it?Living disease-free until the age of 100 is achievable within our lifetimes. In prose that is lucid and full of fascinating facts, Ageless introduces us to the cutting-edge research that is paving the way for this revolution. Computational biologist Andrew Steele explains what occurs biologically as we age, as well as practical ways we can slow down the process. He reveals how understanding the scientific implications of ageing could lead to the greatest discovery in the history of civilisation – one that has the potential to improve billions of lives, save trillions of dollars, and transform the human condition.