What if we could have babies without having to bear children, eat meat without killing animals, have the perfect sexual relationship without compromise or choose the time of our painless death? To find out, Jenny Kleeman has interviewed a sex robot, eaten a priceless lab-grown chicken nugget, watched foetuses growing in plastic bags and attended members-only meetings where people learn how to kill themselves. Many of the people Kleeman has met say...

We take thousands of inventions for granted, using them daily and enjoying their benefits. But how much do we really know about their origins and development? This absorbing new book tells the stories behind the inventions that have changed the world.

Explore the science, innovation and sheer genius it takes to transform the most basic ingredients into powerhouse machines. From aircraft to big rigs to earth movers, venture deep inside factories and witness the hard work and craftsmanship necessary to build these incredible machines. Uncover the hidden stories of human ingenuity that have transformed the earth's most essential raw materials into monumental marvels of modern technology. Natural resources,...

With an average of one take-off every three seconds, short-range regional jets are the backbone of domestic air travel. To withstand this high volume of flights, these jets need to be comfortable, durable, and fuel efficient, just like the Bomardier CRJ-1000. Raw materials come together to make these planes succeed in the mission to provide safe, comfortable and affordable travel to the one hundred passengers on each flight.

To extract precious metals found beneath the earth requires a massive 232-ton, two-story-tall dump truck with a load capacity of 320 tons - a giant earth-mover like the Komatsu 930E. This amazing engineering achievement is made possible by five essential raw ingredients: coal, chromium, mineral oil, latex rubber and sulphuric acid, an electron superhighway that generates massive power.

From the author of the international bestseller Debt: The First 5,000 Years comes a revelatory account of the way bureaucracy rules our lives. Where does the desire for endless rules, regulations, and bureaucracy come from? How did we come to spend so much of our time filling out forms? And is it really a cipher for state violence? To answer these questions, the anthropologist David Graeber-one of our most important and provocative thinkers-traces...

Introduces some of the men and women who are working in the field of biomimicry--a science that studies nature's models and then imitates them to solve human problems--and considers the implications of such studies for the future of mankind.

In every area of our lives, technology has become a pervasive force. And yet, few understand how much of the technology we use on a daily basis works. This visual guide presents the most cutting-edge applications of technology, detailing who invented different types of technology, what they're made of, and the potential applications they have. Advanced topics such as nanotechnology, bionic implants, and pioneering medical advances are covered in a...

In this four-part special, technology columnist and best-selling author David Pogue takes a wild ride through the cutting-edge science that is powering a next wave of technological innovation. Pogue meets the scientists and engineers who are plunging to the bottom of the temperature scale, finding design inspiration in nature, and breaking every speed limit to make tomorrow's "stuff" "Colder," "Faster," "Safer," and "Wilder."