The Royal Society has revealed the shortlist for the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2022, sponsored by Insight Investment. This year’s shortlisted books, chosen from a record number of 267 submissions, represent the best in popular science writing from around the world for a non-specialist audience. 

Royal Society Science Book Prize 2022 Shortlist

• The Greywacke: How a Priest, a Soldier and a School Teacher Uncovered 300 Million Years of  History by Nick Davidson (Profile Books)
• Different: What Apes Can Teach Us About Gender by Frans de Waal (Granta)
• Spike: The Virus vs. The People – the Inside Story by Jeremy Farrar with Anjana Ahuja (Profile  Books)
• A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters by Dr Henry Gee  (Pan Macmillan)
• Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life by Professor Rose Anne  Kenny (Bonnier Books)
• Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial by Professor Peter Stott (Atlantic Books)

The winner of the 2022 Prize will be named at a ceremony at the Royal Society on November 29. The  winner receives £25,000 (US$26,969) with £2,500 (US$2,696) awarded to each of the five shortlisted authors.

Chair of the jury is neuroscientist Maria Fitzgerald, the daughter of Booker Prize winning novelist Penelope Fitzgerald. Joining her are broadcaster and technology consultant Rory Cellan-Jones; novelist Mike Gayle; television presenter and author Kate Humble; and experimental physicist and Royal Society university research fellow Josh Mcfayden.