A NEW SCIENTIST PICK FOR 2026

'Won't just shift your perspective but rather catapult it into another dimension' GAIA VINCE

What if the present moment - the 'now' we all inhabit - isn't just a tick of the clock?

We feel that the present is everything; all we can know. Yet physics finds no universal 'now'. To explore what a moment really is, In Search of Now draws on state-of-the-art discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, cosmology and quantum physics, revealing a dynamic, creative process in which we all play a part.

Jo Marchant shows how we each carve out our lived experience - sensations and emotions, actions and decisions - through our interactions with the world. Far from being an illusion or a mere slice of time, she argues that this evolving, interconnected tapestry is the source of our lives and selves, and perhaps even reality itself.

Join Jo to explore the secrets of how our lives really unfold - and rediscover the creative power of 'now'.

'Illuminating . . . will change the way you think' CLAUDIA HAMMOND
'Fascinating' Mail on Sunday

A superb, illuminating book that will change the way you think about the present moment -- CLAUDIA HAMMOND
Expertly weaving together physics, philosophy and neuroscience, Jo Marchant's book will change the way you think, and maybe the way you live too. Make time for it -- ANIL K. SETH
An existential quest: drawing on neuroscience, psychology, cosmology, religion, history and much more. In it, Marchant delves deep into the weeds of lived experience (mystical or otherwise) and possibly the nature of reality itself * * New Scientist * *
In this profound and brilliant treatise on the nature of reality, Marchant asks the greatest question: what does it mean to exist? The answer brings a dazzling exploration of science and philosophy, from consciousness to quarks, illuminating our embodied experience within the grandeur of an unfolding unfeeling Universe. A phenomenal, wonderful, ambitious work that won't just shift your perspective but rather catapult it into another dimension -- GAIA VINCE
This is a proper safari of science: from Amazonians with no word for time, to Apollo astronauts staring at the infinite, Jo Marchant's new book that will change the way you think about flow of time and the passing of every moment -- KEVIN FONG
In clear and engaging prose, Jo Marchant guides us through the maze that intertwines our notions of time, causality, identity, and reality - and points us in the direction of a new reframing. In Search of Now is a splendid example of the best sort of synthetic thinking and writing -- ALICIA JUARRERO
The present moment is all we ever experience, but what does 'now' actually mean? In this tour-de-force of science writing, Jo Marchant explains how the answer to that question takes in everything from the innermost workings of our minds to the limits of space and time. Profound, lively and accessible, it will leave you thinking for much longer than a moment -- SUMIT PAUL-CHOUDHURY
I came to In Search of Now with high expectations, and they were happily exceeded. Fuelled by the deceptively simple question 'What is now?' Jo Marchant proves to be a captivating guide through the slippery terrain of consciousness, illuminating both the limits and potentials of the human experience. This fascinating book will leave readers wiser after every turn of the page -- SUSANNAH CAHALAN
Fascinating . . . Enthralling * * Mail on Sunday * *
We are intimately familiar with Now, indeed everything we experience is embedded in it. And yet it is a mystery. In this illuminating new book, Jo Marchant takes us on a marvellous personal and scientific voyage into this mystery -- DEAN BUONOMANO

Dr Jo Marchant is an award-winning science journalist whose writing explores our place in the universe, from the mind-body connection to the inspirational power of the night sky. Her other books include Decoding the Heavens, The Human Cosmos, and the New York Times bestseller Cure: A journey into the science of mind over body, which was shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books and longlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. She presented the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series More Wow, investigating the life-changing emotion of awe. She has worked as a senior editor at New Scientist and Nature, and her articles have appeared in publications including Smithsonian, the Guardian, Economist and New York Times. She has a PhD in genetics.

@JoMarchant | jomarchant.com