Books & Arts in 2015

Xu Xing relishes a bilingual book on the evolution of vertebrate life in his fabulously fossil-rich country.

John Gilbey delights in a vast, technologically charged tale from a science-fiction supremo at the top of his game.

Alison Abbott encounters the discoveries of Renaissance anatomist Andreas Vesalius.

Tim Radford revels in Oliver Sacks's memoir of his youth as a biker, druggie, muscle-builder — and scientist.

Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week's best science picks.

John Burnside reflects on the role of art and myth in the health of the hive.

Henry Nicholls examines a clear appraisal of what it would really take to resurrect extinct species.

Michael Grubb is both swept away and frustrated by Nicholas Stern's argument for tackling climate change.

Nathaniel Comfort unpicks the metaphors in a trio of books exploring the 'junk'-ridden genome.

Tilli Tansey extols a biography of determined vaccine trailblazer Jonas Salk.

Adrian Woolfson enjoys two studies on microbial life's trek towards complexity.

Pedro Ferreira looks back at how Einstein himself and a panoply of other physicists have framed the theory.

Mark Dybul applauds the latest chapter in an account of a life at the leading edge of HIV research and policy.

Michael Lesk assesses a work on the fate of the library at a time of economic and technological upheaval.

Nick Hanley weighs up a study that probes the economic value of nature.

Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week's best science picks.

Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard applauds a cogent guide to scientific cartography.

The first geological map of a nation was made 200 years ago by British surveyor William Smith; the rediscovery of a first-edition copy in the archives of the Geological Society of London was announced last month (see go.nature.com/oogpht). As researchers gather for a conference to celebrate the anniversary of the 1815 chart of England and Wales, John Henry, chair of the society's history group, talks about the map and its pioneering creator.

Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week's best science picks.