Doctor Who battles tortoise for book prize

A book about the science of Doctor Who, a biography of a tortoise and a compilation of Sun headlines are among the contenders for the most prestigious awards in popular science writing.
Twelve books feature on the longlist for the Royal Society prizes for science books (formerly known as the Aventis prizes). They cover science in all its diversity, from climate change and genetics to psychology, astronomy and neuroscience. The list also pits established scientists, including Sir Patrick Moore and Nobel prize winner Eric R Kandel, against less obvious candidates such as the Queen guitarist Brian May and Sun journalist John Perry.

Perry's book, written with experienced science writer Jack Challoner is one of the more intriguing on the list. It uses mock-ups of front pages of the tabloid to explain important scientific discoveries, using colour illustrations and photographs to convey the history of scientific invention in an accessible way.
Similarly accessible is Paul Parson's The Science of Doctor Who, in which the editor of the BBC's science magazine, Focus, explains the scientific reality behind the programme. He even tackles the tricky questions of how a sonic screwdriver would work and where the toilets are on the Tardis.
Bang! The Complete History of the Universe also benefits from the TV recognition factor. Brian May, Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott (best known as Moore's co-presenter on The Sky at Night) tell the story of how the world came about from that moment when time and space came into existence, through the formation of the first stars, galaxies and planets to the evolution of human beings. The collaboration is not quite as unlikely as it sounds - Brian May was working towards a PhD in interplanetary dust at Imperial College London, but abandoned his studies when Queen went supernova.
On more traditional science writing territory, this longlist sees the return of Matt Ridley, who has been shortlisted for the Aventis prizes four times previously. He is in the running with his colourful life of Francis Crick, one of the people who revealed the structure of DNA.
Turning from the micro to the macro, there's Homo Britannicus by Chris Stringer, a professor at the Natural History Museum and expert on human origins. He traces the epic history of man's battle for survival in Britain, from first footsteps to the present day.
Neuroscience and psychology get a good showing in this longlist, represented by Cordelia Fine's A Mind of its Own, Eric R Kandel's In Search of Memory and Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness.
Animals, however, have to make do with a single candidate: the appropriately entitled Lonesome George by Henry Nicholls. Subtitled "The life and loves of a conservation icon" the book tells the life story of a 5ft long, 90kg Galapagos tortoise who is the sole survivor of his species. Detailing the efforts of conservationists to preserve the Galapagos' unique biodiversity, the tale of George also draws together the islands' geology, evolution and history of human exploitation.
The survival - or not - of the entire planet is the subject of The Rough Guide to Climate Change. It's the first time the travel guide group has been in the running for a major book prize. The book looks at arguably the greatest threat to humankind's existence from all angles, including sceptics' grounds for disagreement with global warming orthodoxy; what computer simulations of climate reveal about our past, present, and future; and lifestyle advice for consumers who want to make a difference to tomorrow's climate.
Also on the longlist are The Goldilocks Enigma by cosmologist Paul Davies, and Adam Wishart's One in Three - a story of cancer that was inspired by the author's search for information after his father was diagnosed with the disease.
The longlist will be whittled down to a shortlist on April 26 and a winner, announced on May 15. The winner receives a prize of £10,000 while all six shortlisted authors will receive £1,000.
The panel of judges is led by Colin Pillinger, professor of planetary sciences at the Open University, and includes Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the wind-up radio and Louisa Bolch, commissioning editor for science at Channel 4.