Talent does not stem from our genes alone, argues science writer David Shenk in The Genius in All of Us (Doubleday, 2010). Favouring nurture over nature, he examines the science of genetics, cognition and human development and concludes that top performers are moulded by hard work and circumstance, not their biological blueprint. Although the idea of preprogrammed success has been promulgated for decades, Shenk shows instead that human intelligence and talent are abundant resources that society should tap into.

Wisdom is the theme explored by Stephen Hall in his interweaving of neuroscience and philosophy. He explains in Wisdom (Knopf, 2010) how thinking about intellect, emotion and ethics has influenced social change over the centuries. In the past 50 years, scientific advances have given us insight into decision-making, emotion and cognition, compassion and empathy. Yet chance and stress still alter the degree to which we can apply our wisdom in the world.

Evolutionary biologist David Stern argues in his book that evolution and development are inextricably intertwined, concluding that the evolution of genomes is foreseeable. In Evolution, Development, & the Predictable Genome (Roberts, 2010), he focuses on the individual steps of evolutionary change, examining how certain genetic and developmental traits are favoured within populations. He explains how new data are emerging that will allow us to test patterns of biological diversity.