Jo Marchant

Jo Marchant is an English freelance journalist and author specialising in science and history. She holds a BSc in genetics from University of Leicester^[1] and a PhD in genetics.^[2]

Career

Marchant began her career as a science writer and editor, serving as an editor at the science journal Nature and as opinion editor at New Scientist magazine in London.^[2] She has contributed to several major publications, including Scientific American,^[3] New Scientist,^[2] Aeon,^[4] and Smithsonian Magazine.^[5]

She is the author of several books, including:

• Decoding the Heavens (2009), an exploration of the history and significance of the Antikythera mechanism^[6]
• The Shadow King (2013), a study of the afterlife and scientific legacy of Tutankhamun
• Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body (2016), which investigates the mind-body connection and was shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize in 2016^[7][8]
• The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars (2020), which explores how the stars have shaped human history, imagination, and belief systems^[9]

Marchant has said the idea for her first book, *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."^[10]

She was awarded the 2023 Watson, Helen, Miles, and Audrey Davis Prize by the History of Science Society for The Human Cosmos.^[11]

Personal life

Marchant lives in Herne Hill, South London, with her partner and their two children.^[12]