From The Guardian:
In an Aventis prize shortlist of books whose authors cover the gamut of scientific concerns, from the meaning of life to why we get spots, one author is attracting unprecendented attention.
Jared Diamond, the only author in the prize’s history to have won the award twice, is in the running to win the prize for a third time with his account of the collapse of previous civilisations, How Societies Choose to Fail to Succeed. Diamond previously won the prize in 1998 with Guns, Germs and Steel and in 1992 with The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee. In his latest book, he examines societies ranging from Easter Islanders to the Mayans and analyses what it was that caused them to self-destruct.
More here.