How near is biology to completing the puzzle of life? Despite huge strides in the past 75 years, a recent forum suggests to Jon Turney that there’s still a way to go before biologists’ deep insights at the micro level are mirrored at the macro By Jon Turney 21 February
The Third Lens: Metaphor and the Creation of Modern Cell Biology, by Andrew S. Reynolds Describing the building blocks of life in terms of other structures plays a crucial scientific role, says Jon Turney By Jon Turney 6 September
A History of the Future: Prophets of Progress from H. G. Wells to Isaac Asimov, by Peter J. Bowler Book of the week: The reality of the present world has fallen short of science fiction’s predictions, says Jon Turney By Jon Turney 9 November
Age of Discovery: Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance, by Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna Optimism and realism vie in a study telling us where we are, where we’re going and how best to get there, says Jon Turney By Jon Turney 23 June
Life’s Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code, by Matthew Cobb Jon Turney lauds a fresh telling of a towering achievement of 20th-century science By Jon Turney 25 June