Helen Watson

From top experts in the world of science comes this definitive and clear guide to biology, published in partnership with the Royal Society of Biology. In Your Expert Guide: Biology for Young Scientists, discover the foundations of this crucial and exciting branch of science. Learn to think like a biologist, understand what makes up a living thing and explore the biological building blocks of everything around you - from the first organisms on Earth to the slime moulds in the forest, from the lab to the South Pole. Get an expert view of how biology underpins our understanding of life! Published in partnership with The Royal Society of Biology, a renowned organisation dedicated to a world that values biology's contribution to improving life for all. With approachable artwork by Ola Szpunar, curious readers age 8+ can see biology come alive. Books in the Your Expert Guide series: With Royal Society of Chemistry: The Periodic Table / Chemistry for Young Scientists With Royal Society of Biology: The Human Body / Biology for Young Scientists With Institute of Physics: The Universe / Physics for Young Scientists

In 2009, while the US Government is hunting down Osama bin Laden in the Middle East, Helen Watson and her husband Ed set off on a cycling expedition from Glasgow to China. Driven by a desire to understand the world beyond the media portrayal of George W. Bush's 'Axis of Evil', the couple pedal 15,000 km along the Silk Road - ancient trade routes that were undergoing rapid modernisation. Crossing deserts and mountains, minefields and military zones, they reach Muslim China via Syria, Turkey, Iran and Central Asia. Plagued by sandstorms, overzealous officials and endless punctures, Helen and Ed camp with Bedouin, sleep in farmers' houses, and are hosted by students and local dignitaries. They are waylaid with hundreds of cups of tea and interrogated about Western culture. and marriage. Soon after the couple return home, the Arab Spring breaks, and the world Helen and Ed have visited is plunged into war and unrest. Memories of the hospitality the pair received lead them to welcome refugees to Scotland through the UK's first community sponsorship scheme - and to Helen writing about their adventure. Tea and Grit: a Bicycle Journey along the Silk Road illuminates places rarely visited by Western travel writers. Through Helen's evocative prose, visit Homs, the most embattled city of the Syrian War; Raqqa, the former capital of Islamic State; the Kurdish heartland of Eastern Turkey; the Islamic Republic of Iran; the secretive state of Turkmenistan; and Kashgar in Uyghur China. Through Helen's eyes, gain privileged glimpses into the lives of women in parts of the world characterised by the oppression of female liberties. Join Helen and Ed as they forsake the white noise of everyday British life to focus on real decisions: where to sleep, what to eat, how to stay safe. Rich in insight and compassion, Tea and Grit is a book about the rich and poetic cultures of the Silk Road, which have become imperilled by the aftermath of 9/11. Above all, Tea and Grit is a book about why it is more important than ever before to drink tea with the people we fear as strangers.

From top experts in the world of science comes this definitive and clear guide to biology, published in partnership with the Royal Society of Biology. In Your Expert Guide: Biology for Young Scientists, discover the foundations of this crucial and exciting branch of science. Learn to think like a biologist, understand what makes up a living thing and explore the biological building blocks of everything around you - from the first organisms on Earth to the slime moulds in the forest, from the lab to the South Pole. Get an expert view of how biology underpins our understanding of life! Published in partnership with The Royal Society of Biology, a renowned organisation dedicated to a world that values biology's contribution to improving life for all. With approachable artwork by Ola Szpunar, curious readers age 8+ can see biology come alive. Books in the Your Expert Guide series:With the Royal Society of Chemistry: The Periodic Table and Chemistry for Young ScientistsWith the Royal Society of Biology: The Human Body and Biology for Young ScientistsWith the Institute of Physics: The Universe and Physics for Young Scientists

The City of the Dead is a vast cemetery close to the centre of Cairo which has become a permanent home for thousands of migrants from the countryside. For many of the women, though still living in poverty, migration has brought a taste of freedom, as the exclusively female gatherings which form the setting for this book clearly show. The author has spent long periods inside this environment, where autobiographical and fictional story-telling is a routine pastime. She transcribes the stories and introduces the tellers and their society.