14 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Bill Bryson's 2003 journey through the history of science — covering the big bang, evolution, plate tectonics, quantum mechanics, and human origins — told through the stories of the eccentric scientists who made the discoveries, winning the Royal Society Prize for Science Books.
American-British author who wrote A Short History of Nearly Everything — the most widely read popular science book of the 21st century — as well as beloved travel books about America, Australia, Europe, and walking the Appalachian Trail.
Italian theoretical physicist — developer of loop quantum gravity — author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Helgoland — the most widely read popular science writer in Italy and among the most widely read globally.
Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner's 2005 book — applying economic analysis to unconventional questions (do real estate agents serve clients' interests? does sumo wrestling involve cheating? did abortion reduce crime?) — the best-selling popular economics book of the 2000s.
Popular science book tracing the evolutionary and cultural history of human mating behavior from ancestral environments through modern dating apps — applying evolutionary psychology to explain contemporary relationship dynamics.
Philipp Dettmer's 2021 beautifully illustrated guide to the human immune system — from the creators of Kurzgesagt — providing the clearest popular account of how the immune system works, from innate to adaptive immunity.
American author and biochemistry professor who wrote more than 500 books — including the Foundation series, the Robot series, and the Three Laws of Robotics — and who is considered one of the Big Three of science fiction alongside Clarke and Heinlein.
Carlo Rovelli's 2014 essay collection — 7 brief chapters on general relativity, quantum mechanics, the architecture of the cosmos, particles, time, and the nature of the mind — the most widely read popular physics book in Italian history.
American science writer who wrote Where Good Ideas Come From, The Ghost Map, How We Got to Now, and Emergence — examining how innovation, cities, epidemiology, and complex systems work — one of the most popular science writers of the 21st century.
Levitt and Dubner's 2009 sequel to Freakonomics — covering global warming, terrorism, and other topics through economic analysis — controversial for its climate chapter.
Steve Stewart-Williams's 2018 book examining what evolutionary psychology and memetics reveal about human nature — written as if an alien scientist were studying humans — covering sex differences, altruism, cooperation, and cultural evolution.
Charles Duhigg's 2012 bestseller synthesizing neuroscience research on habit formation — presenting the habit loop (cue, routine, reward) as the fundamental mechanism underlying behavioral patterns in individuals, organizations, and societies.
Jerry Coyne's 2009 book presenting the evidence for evolution by natural selection across multiple domains — fossil record, genetics, biogeography, vestigial structures — as the most comprehensive popular science case for evolution.
Bestselling 2011 book by David Eagleman arguing that the vast majority of brain activity occurs below conscious awareness and that the self is a post-hoc narrator rather than an agent in control. Draws on clinical cases, experiments, and evolutionary reasoning to dismantle the Cartesian homunculus.