Invent or Discover: the art of useful science
A trio of accounts about how basic science research leads to transformative inventions. The stories of the original hepatitis B vaccine, and of the invention of synthetic insulin, are told and the unusual force of curiosity is explored.
Contrary Life and Technical Fixes - from malaria vaccine to hormone contraceptive
In this book I explore why it is often difficult to manage the natural living world for our own benefit. Answers emerge as the book progresses through short chapters drawn from the world of medicine.
Trees for People
There is growing awareness of the importance of forests and woodlands. They soak up and store carbon dioxide; they provide timber for building in new ways that can substitute for energy intensive steel and concrete; they can substitute for fossil fuels when burnt in useful ways; they improve air quality of urban areas and provide the aesthetic pleasure to us of their greenery. The chapters of this book provide biological, technical and social background of these developments.