Quantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World by David Kaiser (University of Chicago Press, 2020). “The particularities of time and space can shape scientific research”, writes physicist and historian of science, David Kaiser, in the introduction to this collection of essays. Kaiser brings together his own writings from over the years that put scientists and scientific discoveries into their social and political contexts. Read about Dirac’s relationship with his father, how textbooks shape each generation of physicists and the impact of the Cold War on American physics. Part popular science, part popular history and part personal reflections, the book provides colour and context to the physics of the 20th century and opens up questions for the physics of the 21st.

The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another by Ainissa Ramirez (MIT Press, 2021). Many people think of ‘culture’ as synonymous with the arts: painting, theatre and so on. But our day-to-day lives are shaped just as much by technology: think of how our relationship with our own faces has changed in the past 100 years, from when photographs were rare, expensive and carefully posed, to today’s era of the ubiquitous selfie. Technology, in turn, is shaped by materials science, which is constantly making new functions possible. In each chapter of The Alchemy of Us, Ramirez discusses the history of a technology, how it was enabled by developments in materials science, and how it has changed our lives. Ramirez also portrays the people — both famous and lesser-known — behind the technologies, resulting in a book that is both fascinating and very human.

When Science Meets Power by Geoff Mulgan (Polity, 2023). There is no escaping politics in science. How the research landscape develops is shaped by political priorities. Yet politicians need science solutions. Geoff Mulgan explores this interdependence in When Science Meets Power. With some scientific and technological advances now threatening the survival of our species, he points out that political engagement to mitigate these threats depends on how we feel about what matters most. Mulgan proposes how to politicize science and scientize politics. He argues against scientific “objective detachment” and for the synthesis of science, politics and ethics. Then society as a whole can choose how to govern new technologies.

In a Flight of Starlings: The Wonder of Complex Systems by Giorgio Parisi (translated by Simon Carnell) (Penguin Press, 2023). Parisi’s goal in writing this book is to help non-scientists trust science, by not simply saying “trust us” but showing concretely how scientific consensus is achieved. Part explanation of complex systems science, part personal account of what it’s like to do physics research, In a Flight of Starlings feels a bit like sitting at a conference dinner table where an Italian physics professor is holding forth. Although some of the physics explanations may require some background knowledge to understand them, the more autobiographical passages are accessible to all, and make for an entertaining read.

The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (Bold Type Books, 2021). There is no shortage of popular science books that explain how the universe works. But rather than an abstract tale of quarks and gluons, Prescod-Weinstein grounds the explanations of the Big Bang and the standard model within her own story of being a Black woman physicist. This book is as much about people as it is about physics. Through the structure of the universe, the structure of society is revealed, complete with racism, sexism, classism and ableism. In doing so, Prescod-Weinstein challenges the scientific community that prides itself on empiricism to value the experiences and intellect of Black women physicists.