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(Courtesy: Shutterstock/Dotted Yeti)"> <img src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-11-condensednatter-Mars-settlement-colony-1433158079-Shutterstock_Dotted-Yeti-635x357.jpg" srcset=" https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-11-condensednatter-Mars-settlement-colony-1433158079-Shutterstock_Dotted-Yeti.jpg 1200w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-11-condensednatter-Mars-settlement-colony-1433158079-Shutterstock_Dotted-Yeti-635x357.jpg 635w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 635w" alt="Artist impression of a colony on Mars" title="Artist impression of a colony on Mars" width="635" height="357" /> </a> <script type="application/json"> "\u003Cstrong\u003ESettling space\u003C\/strong\u003E A colony on Mars sounds exciting, and is probably feasible, but seems a terrible idea according to Kelly and Zach Weinersmith in their new book. (Courtesy: Shutterstock\/Dotted Yeti)" </script> <figcaption><strong>Settling space</strong> A colony on Mars sounds exciting, and is probably feasible, but seems a terrible idea according to Kelly and Zach Weinersmith in their new book. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Dotted Yeti)</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong><em>A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?</em><br /> </strong>By Kelly and Zach Weinersmith</p> <p>Husband-and-wife writing team Kelly and Zach Weinersmith were excited about human settlements in space when they started research for their new book <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/318993/a-city-on-mars-by-weinersmith-dr-kelly-weinersmith-and-zach/9780241454930"><em>A City on Mars</em></a>. But the more they learned, the more sceptical they became. From technology, practicalities and ethics, to politics and the legal framework, they uncovered profound problems at every step. With humorous panache and plenty of small cartoons by Zach, who also does the webcomic <a href="https://www.smbc-comics.com/"><em>Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal,</em></a> the book is a highly entertaining guide that will dent the enthusiasm of most proponents of settling space. <strong>Kate Gardner</strong></p> <ul> <li>2024 Particular Books</li> </ul> <p><strong><em>Einstein in Oxford<br /> </em></strong>By Andrew Robinson</p> <p>“England has always produced the best physicists,” Albert Einstein once said in Berlin in 1925. His high regard for British physics led him to pay three visits to the University of Oxford in the early 1930s, which are described by Andrew Robinson in his charming short book <a href="https://bodleianshop.co.uk/products/einstein-in-oxford"><em>Einstein in Oxford</em></a>. Sadly, the visits were not hugely productive for Einstein, who disliked the formality of Oxford life. His time there is best remembered for the famous blackboard – saved for posterity – on which he’d written while giving a public lecture. <strong>Matin Durrani</strong></p> <ul> <li>2024 Bodleian Library Publishing</li> </ul> <span class="mpu align-right" aria-hidden="true"><div id='div-gpt-ad-3759129-1'class="advert" > <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3759129-1'); }); </script> </div></span> <p><strong><em>Pillars of Creation: How the James Webb Telescope Unlocked the Secrets of the Cosmos<br /> </em></strong>By Richard Panek</p> <p>The history of science is “a combination of two tales” says Richard Panek in his new book charting the story of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). “One is a tale of curiosity. 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