BOOK REVIEW23 October 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 ScholarView saved researchWonders of the Quantum WorldDanni Holmes Melbourne Univ. Press (2026)“If a fully-fledged quantum computer arrived on our doorstep today, it would be like giving a caveman a smartphone,” writes physicist Danni Holmes. Her first book is a sparkling analysis of the quantum world. It takes the non-physicist reader through the laws of classical physics discovered by Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell to more-recent fascinating facets of the field, such as the reason why black holes don’t last forever and whether human consciousness could have a quantum origin.The Age of CuresBarry Werth Simon & Schuster (2026)Any study of the US pharmaceutical industry involves finance as well as science, as journalist Barry Werth unpacked in his first book, The Billion-Dollar Molecule. His latest book discusses the United States’ “eighty-year-long preeminence in drug research”, which began during the Second World War under the direction of presidential science adviser Vannevar Bush. Focusing on Bush and five post-war leaders in the field of pharmacology, such as Max Tishler, Werth illuminates the value of long-term investment in science.Divination EnginesXiaochang Li Univ. Chicago Press (2026)Communication researcher Xiaochang Li describes her complex book as a cultural history of both technology and communication. It analyses “how words became data, how data became imperative, and how the problem of language came to shape the very foundations of algorithmic culture” — including for large language models and artificial intelligence. Li recounts vigorous debates between linguists, computer scientists and communication engineers, triggered by the thorny relationship between speech and writing.The Matter of ArchitecturePaul Dobraszczyk Reaktion (2026)Nature 658, 1126 (2026)doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03395-3Competing InterestsThe author declares no competing interests.SubjectsArtsCultureLatest on:ArtsCultureJobs Otolaryngology Tenure Track Research FacultySeeking an outstanding investigator at any career stage for a tenure-track position in basic/translational hearing or vestibular research.Saint Louis, MissouriWashU MedicinePostdoctoral in Structural studies of mitochondrial DNA replicationThe University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large an...Gothenburg (Kommun), Västra Götaland (SE)University of GothenburgDirector of Awards/Chief Scientific OfficerDIRECTOR OF AWARDS/CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) is seeking a Director of Awards/C...Strasbourg, FranceHFSPO