Also at The Guardian

Philip Pullman writes about the science of fiction. Scientists Tim Radford, Simon Rogers and Adam Rutherford give us their list of favorite science fiction writers. And a number of the world's best scientists have completed their summer essay What Science Fiction Means to Me which is much more interesting than the old standby "What I Did on My Summer Vacation." And finally, An excerpt from Iain M Banks new novel The Algebraist.