Superhero fiction has been with us for almost a century; high-octane tales crammed with concepts and contrasting themes, from superpowers and the post-human, to masked vigilantes and immortality. In that time, superwomen have evolved from comic book caricatures (created by men, for men) to stronger representations of female power.

The Science of Superwomen looks at this evolution, from its hypersexualized origins to today's more nuanced diversity. Focusing on characters from Star Wars and X-Men, as well as the likes of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Captain Marvel, Harley Quinn, Wednesday Addams, Doctor Who, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Science of Superwomen explores the relationship between superhero film and fiction and the underlying science of our ever-evolving universe.

Star Wars has captured the hearts and imaginations of sci-fi fans worldwide. We all marvel at its dazzling variety of aliens, spaceships, and planets. That's because there's something revolutionary about the actual science in Star Wars. These painted pictures from the movies make us see the universe in a new light. They inspire us to ask questions such as:

• How much would it cost to build a Death Star?
• Did Star Wars predict the existence of exoplanets?
• Could a single blast from the Death Star destroy the earth?
• Could Starkiller Base suck the energy from a star?
• And many more

The insanely popular Harry Potter books and movies have brought the idea of magic and sorcery into mainstream. Modern muggle scientists have uncovered explanations to the seemingly impossible, including answers to such questions as:

• Will we ever see an invisibility cloak?
• How hazardous is a flying broomstick like the Nimbus 2000?
• How has medicine made powerful potions from peculiar plants? (Felix Felicis, anyone?)
• Can scientists ever demonstrate Wingardium Leviosa, or the flying power of a Golden Snitch?
• Is it possible to stupefy someone?
• And many more

The Science of Harry Potter examines the scientific principles behind some of the spells, scenes, and games that Harry, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore love best. Author Mark Brake, whose The Science of Star Wars was a knockout success, has found the answers to satisfy the curious spirits of muggles everywhere. Here is a perfect Harry Potter gift for anyone obsessed enough to stand in line to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Witches and wizards and even muggles everywhere will be fascinated by the merging of this improbable realm and real science

Movie-goers and young readers the world over have been spellbound by the tales of the boy who lived. J. K. Rowling's stories have conjured ideas of magic and sorcery into our minds like no other book series before. But nature is its own magic. And Muggle scientists have uncovered answers for the weird and wonderful questions from the magic world. Questions such as:

• Who was the real Merlin?
• Who really was the last great wizard?
• Do real-life love potions work?
• Platform 93/4 are there real hidden railway stations in London?
• And many more

What's the difference between me, a planet and a star? Does the Universe follow a recipe? If a wardrobe has three dimensions, what is the fourth?

These are some of life's biggest questions, and you are a daring thinker for even thinking about them! So open your mind and prepare to explore some of the biggest, boldest ideas about astrophysics, space and time--from the ridiculously silly to the strikingly serious. Each question in Really Big Questions For Daring Thinkers: Space and Time will unlock new ways of thinking and may lead you to some intriguing answers. If you're daring enough to take on this mind-expanding challenge, then read on!

Written by science communicator and space expert Mark Brake, the easy-to-understand text, intriguing mind-teasers, and incredible thought experiments make this philosophic journey unforgettably fun!

Star Wars dominates the film world. The combined box office revenue of the Star Wars movies equates to over $10 billion, making it the second highest-grossing film franchise of all time. But this franchise is no blaster from the past. Its fantastically successful films have now been followed by multiple television series set in that same galaxy far, far away. The franchise's flagship television series, and likely the firmest fan favorite for some time to come, is The Mandalorian.

Tracing the tale of the titular bounty hunter, traveling across the furthest reaches of that mythic galaxy, The Mandalorian has been greatly praised and highly acclaimed for creating characters with gravitas and originality, worlds with depth and impact, resulting in some of the best Star Wars content ever. Even though it's set in deep space, The Mandalorian has as much in common with Western movies as it does with science fiction. Saloons. Bandits. Gun duels. Bounty hunters. Outlaws with a price on their heads. Space exploration as a final frontier. And a wild hero who doesn't quite belong in a lawless part of the Galaxy after the fall of the Empire.

The Science of The Mandalorian takes you on a badass journey with a mysterious, lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, where your beskar armor will protect you from many things, but not the sight of a small, green, carnivorous humanoid with big black eyes and mysterious powers. This is the way.

From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, James Bond is the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. Out-grossing Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the world's most iconic and international secret agent has a shelf life of almost six decades, from Dr. No to Spectre. As nuclear missile threats are replaced by a series of subtler threats in a globalized and digital world, Bond is with us still.

In The Science of James Bond, we recognize the Bond franchise as a unique genre: spy-fi. A genre of film and fiction that fuses spy fiction with science fiction. We look at Bond's obsessions with super-villains, the future, and world domination or destruction. And we take a peek under the hood of trends in science and tech, often in the form of gadgets and spy devices in chapters such as:

• Goldfinger: Man Has Achieved Miracles in All Fields but Crime
• You Only Live Twice: The Race to Conquer Space
• Live and Let Die: Full Throttle: Bond and the Car
• Skyfall: The Science of Cyberterrorism
• And more

Sherlock Holmes is the world's greatest-ever consulting detective. The huge popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional creation, and his sixty stories, made Sherlock one of the most famous characters of Victorian London.

All evidence suggests Sherlock's fan adoration has lasted almost one and a half centuries through many adaptations. There is Sherlock fan fiction in China, Sherlock manga in Japan, and tribute pop songs in Korea. Guinness World Records awarded Sherlock Holmes the title of most portrayed literary human character in film and television thanks to the popular Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr., series like Elementary starring Lucy Liu, Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and so many more.

Sherlock's enduring appeal shows that his detective talents are as compelling today as they were in the days of Conan Doyle. The Science of Sherlock gives you an in-depth look at the science behind the cases Sherlock cracked in those Ripper streets of old.

As space telescopes continue to search for life in this unearthly Universe, the crucial questions remain unanswered. Are we awake to the revolutionary effects on human society and science that alien contact will bring? And how is it possible to imagine the unknown? The Science of Aliens tells the compelling story of how the portrayal of alien life has evolved over time.

Taking examples from science, film, and fiction, this book showcases how scholars, filmmakers, and authors have devoted their energies to imagining life beyond this Earth. From Copernicus to Kubrick, The Science of Aliens is a fascinating account for anyone interested in extraterrestrials.

Otherworldly topics include:

• What Xenomorphs from Alien and Na'vi from Avatar have in common
• Darwin among aliens
• Extraterrestrials in Einstein's sky
• Aliens in our space age
• And so much more

It all began in 1993. Jurassic Park was a movie landmark in the development of computer-generated imagery and animatronic visual effects. Jurassic Park became the highest-grossing movie of that year, and the highest-grossing film ever at the time, a record held until the 1997 release of Titanic. The field of dinosaur science has blossomed by leaps and bounds and branched out in recent years, in no small part to this iconic movie series.

In The Science of Jurassic World, we experience the amazing story of the birth of the dinosaurs, how they evolved to world dominance, how some became gargantuan in size, how others grew wings and flew, and how the rest of them met an untimely end. Chapters include:

• How did Jurassic Park transform dinosaur science?
• Was Dr. Alan Grant's job a walk in the park?
• What's with the giant dinosaur poop?
• When will we clone dinosaurs?
• And so much more!

Star Trek is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. It has changed our cultural landscape in so many ways since it first aired in 1966. The franchise has generated billions of dollars in revenue, leading to a wide range of spin-off games, novels, toys, and comics. Star Trek is noted for its social science, too, with its progressive civil rights stances and its celebration of future diversity that began with The Original Series, one of television's first multiracial casts.

The Science of Star Trek explores one of the greatest science-fiction universes ever created and showcases the visionary tech that inspired and influenced the real-world science of today. The perfect Star Trek gift for fans of the franchise, this book addresses many unanswered, burning questions, including:

• What can Star Trek tell us about aliens in our Milky Way?
• How has Star Trek influenced space culture?
• What can Star Trek tell us about planet hunting?
• What Star Trek machines came true?
• When will we boldly go?

With well over two hundred episodes and a dozen seasons, The Big Bang Theory is one of America's favorite television series, bringing a new class of character to mainstream television: the science nerd.

In spite of its evident popularity and influence in shaping public attitudes to science and scientists, there are relatively few books that explore the show's culture and social dimension. The Science of The Big Bang Theory looks behind the comedy scenes and scripts of this long-running and successful TV show to explore topics such as:

Planet Earth. Four elements. One incredible story. Lonely Planet Kids' The Big Earth Book takes children on a rollercoaster ride through history, geography, science and more to show how four elements - earth, fire, air and water - created the world and everything that exists today in. Amazing facts, photography, and illustrations bring our planet and its past to life in an exciting, engaging way.

Written by Mark Brake, a science writer and broadcaster who's worked for NASA, the BBC, and the National Science Museum of Thailand. Created in consultation with Dr Mike Goldsmith, a research scientist and writer with a PhD in astrophysics from Keele University in the UK.

Highlights include:

Earth:

• How the Earth was formed
• The structure of the Earth
• Plate tectonics and rocks
• Earthquakes and volcanoes
• Humans in the stone age
• Hunter-gatherers and farming
• Fossils and digging for treasure
• DNA: the code of life

Fire:

• Ingredients for fire
• Fire and humans
• The history of fire
• The dangers of wildfire
• The Great Fire of London
• Gunpowder and fireworks
• The combustion engine
• Carbon and global warming

Air:

• What's air made of?
• The Northern Lights
• How animals learned to fly
• Dinosaurs in the air
• Birds and bats
• The history of flight
• Speech and language
• Music and instruments
• Weather and climate

Water:

• The origins of water
• Rivers and oceans
• The water cycle
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Canals, bridges and dams
• Exploring the seas
• The age of exploration
• Tsunamis and waterfalls

About Lonely Planet Kids: Come explore! Let's start an adventure. Lonely Planet Kids excites and educates children about the amazing world around them. Combining astonishing facts, quirky humor and eye-catching imagery, we ignite their curiosity and encourage them to discover more about our planet. Every book draws on our huge team of global experts to help share our continual fascination with what makes the world such a diverse and magnificent place-inspiring children at home and in school.

When folk look back in two hundred years time at our culture, whose music will have survived from today? Who will be our equivalent of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven? The big story of contemporary popular music has been The Beatles. They were the chief architects of the fusion of classical and popular music to create a new musical mainstream.

From the time we humans first made our art, music and technology have been inseparable. And that symbiotic relationship has never been so excitingly orchestrated than with the musical history of The Beatles. They absorbed many other styles around them in an extraordinary and unprecedented melting pot of music. And they embraced new technologies with enthusiasm and imagination.

As pioneers of recording tech and artistic presentation, making American music with a British twist, The Beatles revolutionized many aspects of music tech, and became leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements. Their music was both genuinely sophisticated and hugely popular. For a generation, they were the most important composers in the world, and became the most influential band of all time.

Putting the band's thirteen legendary studio albums under a microscope, The Science of The Beatles looks at the science, poetry, and raw-power in the music that started a revolution.

Media headlines declare this the age of automation. The TV talks about the coming revolution of the robot, tweets tell tales of jets that will ferry travelers to the edge of space, and social media reports that the first human to live for a thousand years has already been born. The science we do, the movies we watch, and the culture we consume is the stuff of fiction that became fact, the future imagined in our past--the future we now inhabit.

The Science of Science Fiction is the story of how science fiction shaped our world. No longer a subculture, science fiction has moved into the mainstream with the advent of the information age it helped realize. Explore how science fiction has driven science, with topics that include:

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Is Space Full of Extraterrestrials?
• Jacking In: Will the Future Be Like Ready Player One?
• Mad Max: Is Society Running down into Chaos?
• The Internet: Will Humans Tire of Mere Reality?
• Blade Runner 2049: When Will We Engineer Human Lookalikes?
• And many more

Capturing the imagination and hearts of crowds worldwide, Star Wars is a fantastic feat of science fiction and fantasy. The Science of Star Wars addresses 50 topics that span the movies' universe such as battle technology, alien life, space travel, etc. You'll find fascinating explorations of the physics of Star Wars, its plausibility, and more. The perfect Star Wars gift for fans of the saga, this book addresses many unanswered, burning questions, including:

• How long before we get a Star Wars speeder off the ground?
• What exactly is the Force?
• How could Kylo Ren stop a blaster shot in mid-air?
• How could we live on a gas giant like Bespin, or a desert planet like Tatooine?
• Nature versus nurture: How does it play out in the making of Jedi?
• How much would it cost to build the Death Star?
• And much more

The Science of Star Wars explains to non-technical readers how physics and fantasy might merge to allow for the possibility of interstellar travel; communication with foreign but intelligent lifeforms; human-like robots; alien planets fit for human life; weapons and spacecraft such as laser guns, light sabers, and the Millennium Falcon; and Force-like psychokinetic powers.

In the 21st Century, we're on the edge of developing much of the technology from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... These fantasies aren't as impossible as you might think Written for every fan of George Lucas's films, you don't need to be a Jedi or an astrophysicist at NASA to appreciate all of Mark Brake and Jon Chase's fun and informative analysis of this classic series in The Science of Star Wars. Prepare your mind to make the jump to light speed and find out about the facts behind one of our favorite modern epics

The concept of the superhero has permeated our culture. They fascinate their fans with their incredible superhuman abilities and impressive technology. But do you ever wonder if any of it is plausible or rooted in fact?

Enter The Science of Superheroes, which address more than fifty topics that span the worlds of your favorite superheroes and villains. Explore and examine their amazing abilities and fantastic gadgets with a detailed scientific lens.

The scientific questions examined within this book include:

• Can an Iron Man suit be made?
• How does Thor's hammer work?
• Could any known forms of radiation cause superpowers?
• How many calories does Superman need each day?
• Could you cross a Lamborghini and a hummer to make the Batmobile Tumbler?
• And many more!

What's the difference between me, a planet and a star? Does the Universe follow a recipe? If a wardrobe has three dimensions, what is the fourth?

These are some of life's biggest questions, and you are a daring thinker for even thinking about them! So open your mind and prepare to explore some of the biggest, boldest ideas about astrophysics, space and time - from the ridiculously silly to the strikingly serious. Each question in Really Big Questions For Daring Thinkers: Space and Time will unlock new ways of thinking and may lead you to some intriguing answers. If you're daring enough to take on this mind-expanding challenge, then read on!

Written by science communicator and space expert Mark Brake, the easy-to-understand text, intriguing mind-teasers, and incredible thought experiments make this philosophic journey unforgettably fun!