ҹ1000

The top 10 science books of 2012

See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog

Here is New Scientist‘s pick of books you should not miss this year

What holds the essence of who we are? It’s all in the way our 100 billion neurons link up, says computational neuroscientist Sebastian Seung.

Natural selection operates at a cosmic level, as this book reveals, with black holes driving the universe’s evolution.

The neurologist and prolific author aims to dispel the stigma that often surrounds hallucinations, and shares his own bewildering experiences – including a chat he had with a spider.

Death both fascinates and frightens us. It is also a force for progress, says Stephen Cave, who argues that our desire to live forever spurs ingenuity.

How feasible is virgin birth? Aarathi Prasad looks to the animal kingdom and our history of biological tinkering to suggest that conception without sex or pregnancy could soon be a real possibility.

In this lyrical exploration of our powers of recall, psychologist and novelist Charles Fernyhough argues that our memories are worth cherishing – even though some of what we think we remember is, in fact, fiction.

Synthetic biology could extend life and even revive extinct species, but as this book reveals, we must face up to the ethical issues it brings, and soon.

Why do people lie and cheat? Dan Ariely explores how we all have an “acceptable” level of dishonesty dictated by our own unique balance between rationality and its opposite.

Was a hormone to blame for the financial collapse of 2008? In this book, neuroscientist and former trader John Coates makes a compelling case that testosterone may have been a major force on the road from risk to ruin.

Being in the headlines for weeks has not made the Higgs boson any easier to understand – so allow yourself to be filled in by this fascinating book, in which cosmologist Sean Carroll does not shy away from the difficult stuff.

WIN a set of these books! For a chance to win all 10, go to:

Connectome

Sebastian Seung

Allen Lane/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Gravity’s Engines

Caleb Scharf

Allen Lane/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Hallucinations

Oliver Sacks

Picador/Knopf

Immortality

Stephen Cave

Biteback/Crown

Like a Virgin

Aarathi Prasad

Oneworld

Pieces of Light

Charles Fernyhough

Profile

Regenesis

George Church and Ed Regis

Basic Books

The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty

Dan Ariely

HarperCollins

The Hour Between Dog and Wolf

John Coates

Fourth Estate/Penguin

The Particle at the End of the Universe

Sean Carroll

Oneworld/Dutton

Topics: Books and art

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features