Popular science

The author examines the strategies of pseudo-scientific arguments, from negationist creationisms to philosophical creationisms which call on the scientific community to participate in a "quest for meaning". Through the theory of evolution and its appropriation by the public, the book raises the issue of scientificity criteria.

What do the Brittany beaches, the Venice lagoon and the Qingdao Chinese coast have in common? All three made the headlines due to the impressive “green tides” caused by the summer accumulation of macroalgae. What is causing this sudden disruption? And is there a solution? This little book responds without being complacent or alarmist, well away from debates that all too often hide reality.

Ignorance can go beyond lack of wisdom or being deprived of knowledge which others have access to: it can be overcome, but it can also be produced. What are the varieties and modes of ignorance, and why is it so essential to take these into account when debating environmental and health issues? This book covers the various forms and the dynamics of ignorance, the return to vogue of controversy and the influence of what are known as conspiracy theories. The author sets out his analysis using many widely-debated examples, such as endocrine disruptors, toxicity of chlorine, smoking, etc.

“A robot in every home”. That is what Bill Gates is predicting for the not-too-distant future! But where exactly do they come from, these robots which are increasingly beginning to play a role in our daily lives? Housework, transport, leisure, care ... which areas have already become the robots’ domain? Do they perform better than humans? Employment, security, human relations ...: might they just turn out to be dangerous? And looking into the future, just how far will they go? All questions for which this book has answers, based on interviews with renowned roboticists and computer scientists ...

Will cities of the future seem like Paradise on Earth, ensuring well-being and good health for all city dwellers? It may sound like a surprising question. And yet from Zurich to Tokyo, via Nantes or Lyon, researchers, businesses and ordinary citizens are working together to invent metropolises of the future that will be great places to live... With the help of around a dozen experts, this book – which takes neither a rashly ecological nor a blindly technical standpoint – explores current changes by pointing out advances as well as limitations.

Who are the untold geniuses of the avian world, what is it that makes them so clever and what exactly do we mean by “intelligence”?

A fascinating and superbly illustrated exploration of birds’ intelligence, in all its forms: spatial and relational memory, ability to use tools, recognition of self and companions, etc.

This exploration reveals how modern science explodes the myth of our feathered friends’ “bird brains” and reveals a different take on the concept of intelligence.

This book presents the 27 species and hybrids of frogs, toads, tree frogs, etc. resident in France, giving an insight into their biology and their curious habits in over 300 magnificent photos taken in their natural environment. Discover the outstanding morphology and behavioural techniques which these amphibians use to eat, breathe, move, hide, help their offspring or optimize their chances of survival. Follow the various phases of their love lives, an astonishing saga that is at once both hilarious and tragic.

Through her patient observations, the author shares with us the unusual beauty of these creatures which represent symbols and beliefs.

For all Nature-lovers, this book takes us on a journey through a silky universe populated by creatures of unsuspected diversity in terms of their appearance, their hunting techniques, their childcare and their capacity to produce the silk so coveted by biotechnologists. Ensuring ecological balance as formidable predators, spiders form an essential link in the food chain. And are they truly dangerous for us humans? Taking an approach that is at one and the same time both scientific and artistic, this finely illustrated work comes up with some beautiful portraits of spiders.

Perchlorate, nonylphenol, ultraviolet rays, ozone, DDT, climate change ... This book provides for the first time a comprehensive overview of environmental pollutants and their effects on human health. Their visible health consequences, but also the unseen ones, are presented with great clarity. By providing specific examples of how the risks posed by some of these products are managed, it highlights the very different ways in which our society deals with health threats.

Avec la soutien de la Fondation de France. 

“Transforming lives while preserving the planet” is the aim of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), the global framework for action adopted by all UN member states in September 2015. A critical analysis of each of these objectives, their interactions as well as the contradictions inherent in them.

Consult Philippe Poupon 's foreword