Swarm Enemy: Book 2 (Swarm Rising)

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Artificial intelligence Explore the ways in which today’s world relies on AI, and ponder how this technology might shape the world of tomorrow Education and outreach Learn about novel approaches to educating and inspiring the scientists of the future Features Take a deeper look at the emerging trends and key issues within the global scientific community Create a Physics World account to get access to all available digital issues of the monthly magazine. Your Physics World account is separate to any IOP accounts you may have. It was an excellent read as it was fast paced and believable and I didn't want it to end. - Toppsta reviewer, aged 10

Adi – Alien Digital Intelligence in the form of a girl – can bend the laws of physics and control digital data, but as a digital being she wants to know what it’s like to be human. Which is where Danny comes in. Business and innovation Find out how recent scientific breakthroughs are driving business innovation and commercial growth For fans of Alex Rider, Young Bond and Cherub, this exciting action-adventure is the first children's book from astronaut Tim Peake and bestselling author Steve… Faraday Discussion – Challenges and prospects in organic photonics and electronics 6—8 November 2023 | Osaka, JapanThe books take place “five years from now”, when there’s 6G, self-driving taxis and delivery drones. The story begins in Swarm Rising when Danny’s mum – a researcher in radio astronomy at the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank in the UK – rushes home from work to analyse some unusual fast radio bursts (FRBs). Plugging in her data-filled USB device, she unwittingly releases an “alien digital intelligence” called Adi that gets into Danny’s devices, and (rather creepily) befriends him by claiming she’s a friend’s cousin. The Nobel Prize for Physics Explore the work of recent Nobel laureates, find out what happens behind the scenes, and discover some who were overlooked for the prize Having encountered aliens in their first adventure (NB Swarm Enemy works perfectly well as a stand-alone story), Jamila has been left with some strange, extra-terrestrial powers and this makes her a target for some very unscrupulous characters. Trying to save her, Danny himself needs help from Swarm (alien) agents. The story is full of twists and turns, cleverly orchestrated by Cole, and the action culminates in a trip to the International Space Station, where Peake is obviously very much at home. With the action and science both in the hands of experts, this is really good reading, but I like too the way that it reminds us throughout that the future of the planet and our species is in the hands of young readers, who the authors clearly see as smart, committed and ingenious as their protagonists.

Thankfully, the supernatural elements of the books blend neatly with the science. Take Adi’s powers, which allow her to do things like drive a car on water, bend buildings and walk through walls. She compares it to rolling a dice with an infinite number of sides, explaining how she simply rolls it enough times to get the outcome she desires, no matter how improbable it is. “At the quantum level, Danny, everything comes down to chance and probability.” Naturally, chaos ensues, and the race to save the world includes superpowers related to quantum physics, aliens trying to understand the concept of individualism, and the protagonists travelling across space as digital intelligences transmitted via radiowaves. It’s a whirlwind – and educational – adventure, and I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t your stereotypical alien invasion. The notion that children – the target readers in other words – will have to fix the mess of previous generations runs strong throughout the books, and, although I think the environmental foreboding is perhaps repeated too often, the plotline is a clever way of inspiring action. There are other, more subtle messages skilfully woven into the stories that are more delicately handled. These include the fight to be an individual in a society that expects you to be a certain way, the importance of empathy and understanding, and the realistic mental-health impacts of being thrown into a world of aliens. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider, Young Bond and Cherub, this fast-paced action-adventure is the second thrilling story from astronaut Tim Peake and bestselling author Steve Cole. The alien Swarm is rising once more... A ground-breaking human history of space by beloved British astronaut and bestselling author Tim Peake.

Science, superpowers and lack of subtlety

Supercool physics Experiments that probe the exotic behaviour of matter at ultralow temperatures depend on the latest cryogenics technology

Very atmospheric, thrilling and occasionally chilling which I really love - Toppsta reviewer, aged 13 Nanotechnology in action The challenges and opportunities of turning advances in nanotechnology into commercial products The science and business of space Explore the latest trends and opportunities associated with designing, building, launching and exploiting space-based technologiesAs a writer-editor he has worked with the families of Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie and Ian Fleming, and at the BBC was in charge of Doctor Who publishing. Her alien-enhanced DNA can be used to clone super-strong beings with super-powers, and now it's not just the Swarm who are after her. Danny needs to find Jamila - and a new version of Adi, the friendly Swarm scout - and together they must stop both humans and aliens from destroying the human race. About This Edition ISBN: Revolutions in computing Find out how scientists are exploiting digital technologies to understand online behaviour and drive research progress