I. Long essay reviews
Technology of our time
Nanotechnology – M. Köhler, W. Fritzsche
A big book of small technology
Springer handbook of nanotechnology – Bharat Bhushan (ed.)
Perfectly formed
Nanochemistry – Geoffrey A. Ozin, André C. Arsenault
Heady metals
Neurodegenerative diseases and metal ions – A. Sigel et al. (eds.)
Being Sage
JD Bernal: The sage of science – Andrew Brown
Musical metaphor
The music of life – Denis Noble
Fish tales
When a gene makes you smell like a fish – Lisa Seachrist Chiu
Molecules in motion
Middle world – Mark Haw
The world according to Bart
What’s science ever done for us – Paul Halpern
Right answers for wrong questions
10 questions science can’t answer (yet) – Michael Hanlon
Microbe hunters become the hunted
Deadly companions – Dorothy H. Crawford
Celebrate our luck
The drunkard’s walk – Leonard Mlodinow
Life’s enduring mystery
Origin of life – Piet Herdewijn, M. Volkan Kisakürek (eds.)
For better, for worse
The alchemy of air – Thomas Hager
Reasons for asymmetry
The origin of chirality in the molecules of life – Albert Guijarro, Miguel Yus
Teaching DNA new tricks
Aptamers in bioanalysis – Marco Mascini (ed.)
Psychic papers
Plastic fantastic – Eugenie Samuel Reich
Going solar
The solar century – Jeremy Leggett (ed.)
Little giants
Giant molecules – Walter Gratzer
II. Short reviews
Sinful thoughts
The genetic inferno – John Medina
Back to basics
Basic biotechnology – Colin Ratledge and Bjørn Kristiansen (eds.)
Entertaining tales
Stories of the invisible – Philip Ball
Happily ever after
Girls, genes and Gamow – James D Watson
Transforming bioenergetics
Wandering in the gardens of the mind – John Prebble, Bruce Weber
Small is beautiful
Lab-on-a-chip – R.E. Oosterbroek and A. van den Berg (eds.)
Analysing with proteins
Protein microarray technology – Dev Kambhampati (ed.)
Missing out on interdisciplinarity
Nanoparticles – Günter Schmid (ed.)
“Where is Waldo?” goes nano
Bionanotechnology – David S. Goodsell
In praise of blue skies
Pioneering research – Donald W Braben
Catalysis uncovered
Concepts of modern catalysis and kinetics – I. Chorkendorff, J.W. Niemantsverdriet
Guide for the inexperienced
Guide to analysis of DNA microarray data – Steen Knudsen
The mature ribosome
Protein synthesis and ribosome structure – K.H.Nierhaus, D.N.Wilson (eds.)
Nano A-Z
What is what in the nanoworld – Victor E. Borisenko, Stefano Ossicini
Soft landing
Soft machines – Richard A. L. Jones
Nanotech for students
Nanoscale science and technology – R. Kelsall et al. (eds.)
Cool Science
Cryogenic engineering – Thomas M. Flynn
Chemistry in all its beauty
Elegant solutions – Philip Ball
Biochemistry rediscovered
Chemical biology – Herbert Waldmann, Petra Janning
Haber revisited
Between genius and genocide – Daniel Charles
Small wonders
Nanofabrication towards biomedical applications – C. Kumar et al. (eds.)
The Borrowers
Biocatalysts and enzyme technology – K. Buchholz et al.
The big picture
Systems biology in practice – Edda Klipp et al.
Nanotechnology sliced
Nanotubes and nanowires – CNR Rao, A Govindaraj
Nano future
The nanotech pioneers – Steven A. Edwards
Beyond evolution
Engineering the genetic code – Nediljko Budisa
Speeding things up
Metal catalysis in industrial organic processes – G. P. Chiusoli, P. M. Maitlis (eds.)
Size matters
Nanoscopic materials – Emil Roduner
Not a mirror image
Asymmetric synthesis – M. Christmann, S. Bräse (eds.)
Science goes bonkers
Bonk – Mary Roach
A plodding life
Max Perutz and the secret of life – Georgina Ferry
Digital takeover
The chemistry of photography – David Rogers
Put another nickel in
Nickel and its surprising impact in nature – A. Sigel et al. (eds.)
Nature’s chemistry kit
The ubiquitous roles of cytochrome P450 proteins – A. Sigel et al. (eds.)
Genome FAQs
A short guide to the human genome – Stewart Scherer
Shrouded in mystery
Titan unveiled – Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline Mitton
Why music doesn’t add up
How equal temperament ruined harmony – Ross W. Duffin
Silly questions
Can cows walk down stairs? / Do cats have bellybuttons? – Paul Heiney (ed.)
Balancing biological resources
Biocatalysis and bioenergy – Ching T. Hou, Jei-Fu Shaw (eds.)
Every spin-out tells a story
Spin-outs – Graham Richards
Collision course
Collider – Paul Halpern
III. Literary reviews
Measuring the World
Die Vermessung der Welt – Daniel Kehlmann
The artist inside
El cristo feo – Alicia Yanez Cossio
Going loco
El pergamino de la seduccion – Gioconda Belli
Culture clash
K – the art of love – Hong Ying
It’s quite a tale, but I’m kind of detached from it
Daughter of the river – Hong Ying
Elective affinities updated
Seduce me – Megan Clark
Beware of orange trees
La mujer habitada – Gioconda Belli
Renaissance Man
The mercurial emperor –Peter Marshall
Seeing the funny side of failure
Verre Cassé – Alain Mabanckou
Every picture tells a story
Luna cornata – Elvira Vargañón
Exploring Bohemia
Among the Bohemians – Virginia Nicholson
Public enemy
Ulrike Meinhof – Jutta Ditfurth
Intimate adventures of a scientist
The intimate adventures of a London call girl – Belle de Jour
Orient meets Occident
The enchantress of Florence – Salman Rushdie