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Jo Marchant is a freelance journalist specializing in science and history. After gaining a BSc in genetics from Leicester University [1] and a PhD in microbiology [2] she became a science writer, and is the author of Decoding the Heavens, [3] an exploration of the history and significance of the Antikythera mechanism, The Shadow King: The Bizarre Afterlife of King Tut's Mummy and Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body [4] [5](shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016). [6] A former editor of the science journal Nature and opinion editor at New Scientist magazine in London, she has written for The Guardian and The Economist. [2]

Marchant writes that "the idea for Decoding the Heavens came about in November 2006, when I was an editor at the science journal Nature. A research paper was due to be published revealing the workings of a sophisticated ancient device called the Antikythera mechanism. The story grabbed me immediately, and I was desperate to find out more about this mysterious contraption. I travelled to Athens to see the remains of the mechanism, and to meet those who have studied it and hear their stories." [7]

References

  1. ^ "Alumna wins top science writers award". Leicester University. 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Jo Marchant on science writing: 'You need a burning curiosity'". theguardian.com. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  3. ^ Collins, Paul (25 February 2009). "Decoding the Heavens by Jo Marchant". www.newscientist.com. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. ^ Senior, Jennifer (24 January 2016). "In 'Cure,' Accepting the Mind's Role in a Body's Health". New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  5. ^ Hall, Harriet (26 January 2016). "Cure Is About Caring, Not Curing: Placebos, Alternative Medicine, and Patient Comfort". Science Based Medicine. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Shortlist for The Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016 unveiled". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  7. ^ "About Jo Marchand". decodingtheheavens.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2013.