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The Aventis Prize...

A Brief History... is one of six books short-listed for this year's prestigious Aventis Prize for science writing. The winner will be announced at a dinner in the Science Museum on May 23.

The Press Release announcing the short-list reads...

EMBARGO: Not for publication or broadcast before Thursday 27 April, 2000

GENERAL PRIZE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2000

A history of the internet, the unravelling of the human genome, the acceleration of human evolution and the quest for the 'theory of everything' are among the subjects covered in the shortlist for the General Prize of the Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2000 (formerly the Rhône-Poulenc Prizes).

The shortlist for the £10,000 Prize, selected from a record-breaking 117 entries submitted this year, is:

The White Death: A History of Tuberculosis, Thomas Dormandy, Hambledon Press

The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene, Vintage

A Brief History of the Future, John Naughton, Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Genome The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters, Matt Ridley, Fourth Estate

Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and his Quest for the Origins of Behaviour, Jonathan Weiner, Faber & Faber

Children of Prometheus: The Accelerating Pace of Human Evolution, Christopher Wills, Allen Lane

The Prizes - often called the scientific community's answer to the Booker Prize - were established in 1988 by the Science Museum and COPUS to encourage the writing, publishing and sale of popular science books for non-specialist readers. They are sponsored by the Aventis - Institut de France Foundation.

The General Prize Judges - Professor Lewis Wolpert (Chair); Dr Harriet Coles (Book Reviews Editor, Nature); Michael Hanlon (Science Editor, The Express); Professor David Saxon (Head of Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow) and Ian Taylor MP (MP for Esher & Walton, and member of the Science & Technology Select Committee) - meet on 23 May to decide the winner.

The shortlisted authors will be presented with £1,000 prizes at the gala dinner for the Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2000 to be held at the Science Museum, London, on Tuesday 23 May. The winners of the General Prize and the Junior Prize, each worth £10,000 will be announced on the same evening.

Notes to Editors

1. The judges and authors may be available for interview
2. Attached are details of the shortlist
3. The Rhône-Poulenc Prizes for Science Books will now be known as the Aventis Prizes for Science Books following a merger between the Prizes' sponsor Rhône-Poulenc and Hoechst AG to form a new world-leader in life sciences - Aventis.
4. The Prizes were originally established in 1988 by COPUS - the Committee on the Public Understanding of Science of the Royal Society, the Royal Institution and the British Association for the Advancement of Science - and the Science Museum. Rhône-Poulenc became involved in 1990 and the Prizes are now sponsored by Aventis - Institut de France.. All three partners share the same common objective of recognising and rewarding the best popular science writing
5. The Aventis - Institut de France Foundation is involved in a long-term commitment "Innovating for Life" which provides financial support and also shares technological and human skills to encourage scientific creativity for health and sustainable development.
6. Aventis SA is a world leader in life sciences. Focused on two core business areas - pharmaceuticals and agriculture - Aventis is dedicated to improving life through the discovery and development of innovative products in the fields of prescription drugs, vaccines, therapeutic proteins, crop production and protection, animal health and nutrition. With global corporate headquarters in Strasbourg, France, Aventis employs around 90,000 people in 120 countries.

For further information, interviews or photographs please contact: Reeta Bhatiani or Katherine Bench at Spirit Publicity on Tel: 020-7580-0386 Fax: 020-7637-4055 or e-mail: info@spiritpublicity.demon.co.uk

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