BOOK REVIEW27 February 2026Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.ByAndrew Robinson0Andrew RobinsonAndrew Robinson is a writer based in London and author of Earthshock (1993), The Story of Measurement (2007) and Einstein in Oxford (2024).View author publicationsSearch author on: PubMed Google ScholarDecoding the HandAlison Bashford Univ. Chicago Press (2025)In the mid-twentieth century, geneticist Lionel Penrose observed correlations between genetic abnormalities and the creases of the hand, publishing his final paper ‘Fingerprints and palmistry’ in The Lancet in 1973. The hand has long intrigued physicians, embryologists, endocrinologists, psychiatrists and physical anthropologists, notes historian Alison Bashford. This fascinating, well-illustrated history explores the “mysterious, curious, and often complex codes by which signs of the hand have been interpreted”.The Long HeatWim Carton & Andreas Malm Verso (2025)In 2023, the United States “pumped more oil and gas than any country had ever done in history”, note human geographer Wim Carton and human ecologist Andreas Malm. Their long, powerful and pessimistic book is a rallying cry to get global warming under control. Now that mitigation measures have fallen behind targets, Carton and Malm analyse three remaining options: adapting to rising temperatures; removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; and geoengineering to block incoming sunlight.Love, War, and DiplomacyEric H. Cline Princeton Univ. Press (2025)In 1887, revealing documents were discovered in Amarna, in the ruins of ancient Egypt’s capital Akhetaten. The Amarna letters are clay tablets written in Mesopotamian cuneiform — not Egyptian hieroglyphs — recording royal correspondence from the fourteenth century bc between pharaohs such as Akhenaten (the probable father of pharaoh Tutankhamun) and the Hittites, Babylonians and Assyrians. Archaeologist Eric Cline discusses the tablets’ discovery and dispersal around the world, as well as their intriguing contents.Go/No-GoMarianne Apostolides Book*hug (2025)doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00621-wCompeting InterestsThe author declares no competing interests.SubjectsArtsCultureLatest on:ArtsCultureJobs Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Catalysis)Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Catalysis) Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Pune or Delhi Application Deadline: Marc...Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Pune or DelhiSpringer Nature LtdAssociate or Senior Editor, Nature Computational ScienceTitle: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Computational Science Organization: Nature Portfolio Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Berlin or Pune - Hybr...Shanghai, Beijing, Berlin or Pune - Hybrid Working ModelSpringer Nature LtdApply for Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas) via China CDC (CAPE)Awardees will be employed at China CDC (CAPE) as Research Fellow or Associate Research Fellow155 Changbai Road, Changping District, Beijing 102206, Chinathe Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine)Programme Manager, Nature AwardsThis role will appeal to science graduates who want to stay close to research while developing broader skills.London - hybrid working modelSpringer Nature Ltd