Who is afraid of quantum mechanics? Books in brief

"The BBC's first cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy, travels the world interviewing high-profile cybercriminals and cybersecurity experts - part of a growing industry worth US$200 billion. What most intrigues him after a decade is how often hackers are solitary teenage boys, teaming up from their bedrooms, often thousands of kilometres apart, to "cause mayhem". Why? Some want to hurt people, but a "decent chunk" have no idea of the harm and chaos they cause."

"Before the nineteenth century, science did not know of extinct species. Then, fossil evidence introduced the concept of natural extinction, which was fully accepted in the theory of evolution. This period coincided with major colonial empires. Many white European naturalists and colonizers "argued that colonized peoples were on the verge of extinction", writes historian of science, race and empire Sadiah Qureshi in her groundbreaking book. Some even thought this justified persecution of colonized peoples, and perhaps genocide."

"Quantum physics has long been mysterious, even for specialists, yet husband-wife duo physicist Frank Verstraete and linguist Céline Broeckaert succeed, often with brilliance, in making its history and mind-blowing ways accessible to lay readers. "Like listening to music," they advise, "you don't have to understand the mathematical underpinning to enjoy it." A pity, however, that they don't discuss Thomas Young's 1801 double-slit experiment - which is "the heart of quantum mechanics", according to physicist Richard Feynman."

A BBC cyber correspondent interviews high-profile cybercriminals and cybersecurity experts across a US$200 billion industry. The reporting finds many hackers are solitary teenage boys who team up from bedrooms, often across great distances, to cause mayhem; some intend harm while a decent chunk lack awareness of the resulting chaos. Fossil evidence introduced the concept of natural extinction, a notion that gained acceptance alongside nineteenth-century colonial expansion. Some white European naturalists portrayed colonized peoples as vanishing, a rhetoric sometimes used to justify persecution and even genocide. A physicist and a linguist present quantum physics accessibly, advising that enjoyment does not require full mathematical understanding while noting the omission of Young's double-slit experiment.

Read at Nature