BOOK REVIEWS

Life’s Greatest Secret: The race to crack the genetic code

Matthew Cobb
Profile Books, £25.00

This book is a thrilling read. After the elucidation of the structure of DNA, the unravelling of the genetic code – which allows DNA to direct protein synthesis – was one of the great achievements of 20th century biological science.

Cobb sets the topic in context by discussing the history of genetics and

The Sting of the Wild

Justin O Schmidt

Johns Hopkins University Press, £16.00

The Cell: A Visual Tour of the Building Block of Life

Jack Challoner and Dr Phil Dash (ed)

Ivy Press, £19.99

Death on Earth: Adventures in Evolution and Mortality

Jules Howard
Bloomsbury Sigma, £16.99

We need to talk about death. That is the central premise of the engaging quest to understand this ultimate taboo from a logical and evolutionary as well as personal and emotional perspective.
Jules Howard goes to some impressive experimental lengths to explore questions surrounding death, including taking a trip to

Quantitative Viral Ecology (Winner, Graduate Textbook Prize)

Joshua S Weitz
Princeton University Press, £51.95

In the preface, the author declares that the "study of the viruses of microbes is in its infancy" and that "this book is an opening salvo". As openings go, Quantitative Viral Ecology is an outstanding one, representing an impressive scholarly endeavour and overview of the field. The book has three

Synthetic Biology: A Primer

Paul S Freemont et al
Imperial College Press, £24.00

Synthetic Biology: A Primer is a compact and current overview of the field of synthetic biology and its underlying concepts. It's an impressive-looking book, produced on high-quality paper and full of colour images. It's also very competitively priced.

The book provides an overview

Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells

Helen Scales
Bloomsbury Sigma, £16.99

They have been sources of food, medicine, jewellery and even ancient body armour, and this lovely book charts the spiralling story of the molluscs – some of the most ancient and successful creatures on the planet.

Spirals in Time is as much cultural as scientific in its telling of fascinating stories

An Introduction to Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics (second edition)

Lindell Bromham
Oxford University Press, £38.99

This textbook is well laid out and makes some demanding subject matter both interesting and accessible. Its excellent synthesis nicely combines evolutionary biology with modern genetics, and traditional systematics with cutting-edge bioscience. It offers a fine example of modern