Human universe (HarperCollins Publishers)

The nation's favourite scientist looks at the origins of life in our Universe. For somehow the laws of nature conspired to create a naked ape that can look up at the stars and wonder where it came from. In this spectacular new book, Professor Brian Cox will take readers out of this world and into a whole new dimension as he gives us a new perspective on human life. Following the spark of human curiosity from its ignition in the distant past to its journey into the future, the book will span the history of the Universe, as Brian attempts to understand the greatest wonder of them all - humankind. He will reveal how time, physics and chemistry came together to create a creature that can wonder at its own existence, blessed with an unquenchable thirst to discover not just where it came from, but where it is going and if it is alone. Combining dramatic photography and innovative CGI with the magical storytelling that has become Brian's trademark, Brian will give us his personal take on the past, present and future of this unlikely and unfathomably precious phenomenon - the story of humanity from the birth of the Universe to the ultimate fate of our species.