Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Century

  • Masha Gessen
(Icon Books, 2011; £14.99)

In 2002, reclusive mathematician Grigory Perelman solved the Poincaré conjecture, one of the world's greatest intellectual puzzles. Shunning all publicity, he refused to accept the prestigious Fields Medal for his achievement and vanished from the public gaze. Journalist Masha Gessen attempts to discover more about him by travelling to Russia to interview Perelman's colleagues and teachers and discussing his behaviour with psychologists.

Human Anatomy: Depicting the Body from the Renaissance to Today

Benjamin A. Rifkin, Michael J. Ackerman and Judith Folkenberg. (Thames & Hudson, 2011; £19.95)

This beautifully produced book presents more than 500 years of anatomical illustration. It charts how our knowledge about the body has changed along with our interpretation of what we see within it.

Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell

  • Dennis Bray
(Yale Univ. Press, 2011; $18)

By treating a single-celled organism as a computational system, biologist Dennis Bray explains how it balances internal chemistry, responds to light and hunts prey — all without a nervous system. He sees cells as unique molecular circuits that perform logical operations.

Life from an RNA World: The Ancestor Within

  • Michael Yarus
(Harvard Univ. Press, 2011; $17.95)

Many biologists think that today's DNA-based life forms evolved from RNA molecules. Biochemist Michael Yarus marshals arguments in support of that theory in his book, which explores the principles of Darwinian evolution, the tree of life and the diverse abilities of RNA.

Biology is Technology

  • Robert H. Carlson
(Harvard Univ. Press, 2011; $21.95)

Robert Carlson explains how to build synthetic biological systems from basic components and the technology used to manipulate them. “An informative view of the future prospects for biotechnology and its regulation,” wrote reviewer Michael Goldman (Nature 464, 1129–1130; 2010).

Banquet at Delmonico's: The Gilded Age and the Triumph of Evolution in America

  • Barry Werth
(Univ. Chicago Press, 2011; $19)

Philosopher Herbert Spencer took Charles Darwin's ideas to the United States in 1882. Barry Werth focuses on the influential diners at a banquet held in Spencer's honour, describing how they used evolutionary ideas in an attempt to improve society.

Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origin of Mutual Understanding

  • Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
(Belknap Press, 2011; $19.95)

In her provocative book, anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy argues that because human infants are too expensive to be raised by mothers alone, both parents must invest heavily in social skills to bargain with other group members for resources.

Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates

  • Adrian Johns
(Univ. Chicago Press, 2011; $22.50)

Intellectual piracy, as historian Adrian Johns explains, is nothing new. From the invention of the printing press to modern file-sharing, Johns explores the wars that have arisen over intellectual property rights. (See Steven Shapin's review: Nature 466, 563; 2010.)

Power Struggles: Scientific Authority and the Creation of Practical Electricity Before Edison

  • Michael Brian Schiffer
(MIT Press, 2011; $19)

Behavioural archaeologist Michael Schiffer investigates electricity technologies before Thomas Edison's success. He shows why some made an impact while others failed, and the role of scientific authority in determining their fate.

Fermilab: Physics, the Frontier, and Megascience

Lillian Hoddeson, Adrienne W. Kolb and Catherine Westfall. (Univ. Chicago Press, 2011; $30)

For 40 years, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois has stood at the frontier of high-energy physics. The book charts the rise of this institution, detailing the difficulties of balancing pioneering science with tightened budgets.

The Eerie Silence

  • Paul Davies
(Mariner Books, 2011; $15.95)

Astrophysicist Paul Davies describes the 50-year Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence project. He proposes other approaches, from scouring Earth for microscopic aliens to seeking intelligence on planets beyond the Solar System. (See Chris McKay's review: Nature 464, 34; 2010.)

A PhD is Not Enough! A Guide to Survival in Science

  • Peter J. Feibelman
(Basic Books, 2011; $14.95)

Climbing the scientific career ladder is difficult, and the first steps from doctoral student to postdoc are the most precarious. Drawing on his experience as a physicist in academic and government labs, in his new edition Peter Feibelman offers career guidance to those entering the research job market.

Poseidon's Steed: The Story of Seahorses, from Myth to Reality

  • Helen Scales
(Gotham Books, 2010; $15)

The weird world of the seahorse is explored by marine biologist Helen Scales. She describes its peculiar biology and the threats it faces, and reveals its importance to humans, from its role in Chinese medicine to ancient seahorse myths.

About a Mountain

  • John D'Agata
(W. W. Norton, 2011; $14.95)

Writer John D'Agata investigates the US government's plan to store nuclear waste beneath Yucca Mountain in Nevada. He documents the history of the project, its supporters and detractors, and muses on atomic-bomb tests and Las Vegas's diminishing water supply and high suicide rate.

Nature's Palette: The Science of Plant Color

  • David Lee
(Univ. Chicago Press, 2010; $22.50)

The science of plant colour is explored by botanist David Lee, from the decorative use of plant dyes to the chemistry of plant leaf colour. “A compelling case that botany is full of intellectual challenges, many shamefully neglected,” wrote Philip Ball in his review (Nature 449, 982; 2007).

Living at Micro Scale: The Unexpected Physics of Being Small

  • David B. Dusenbery
(Harvard Univ. Press, 2011; $22.95)

The size, shape and behaviour of tiny organisms are challenged and constrained by physics. Biologist David Dusenbery describes how factors that larger organisms can ignore — such as the viscosity of water or air — affect microrganisms.

Diversity and Complexity

  • Scott E. Page
(Princeton Univ. Press, 2010; $19.95)

Complex systems respond to diversity in sophisticated ways — some of which enhance system performance. Theorist Scott Page explains how diversity affects biological, ecological and social systems from tropical environments to the economy.