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Enter our prize draw: Click here for a chance to win all 12 books reviewed in this week’s CultureLab

by Emily Anthes, Oneworld/Scientific American Books, £8.99/$26
From glow-in-the-dark cats to cyborg insects, Anthes explores the possibilities and pitfalls of genetically engineering animals. Fascinating, sharp and a bit scary.

by Mike Power, Portobello Books, £14.99
Power takes a trip through the secretive world of the online recreational drug industry. A clear-headed look at a hidden subculture.

by Jo Marchant, Da Capo Press, £17.99/$26.99
Marchant dispels the myths around ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaoh, revealing what we can and can’t know about Tutankhamun. An unusual, gripping spin on the familiar.

by Mark Miodownik, Viking, £18.99
Materials scientist Miodownik reveals the secrets of marvellous man-made materials, such as silica aerogel, the lightest solid in the world, and how they changed our lives. A treasure trove for the curious.

by Jim Baggott, Oxford University Press, £8.99/$15.95
A thorough and readable explanation of the lengthy hunt for the Higgs boson and why its discovery last year is so important.

by Frank Swain, Oneworld, £8.99/$15.95
Discover the little-known science of mind and body control, including some ghoulish remote-controlled rats. Rollicking good fun.

by Amy Stewart, Timber Press/Algonquin Books, £14.99/$19.95
A cook’s tour of the stupefying array of plants that we ferment for their intoxicating properties, plus some delicious-looking cocktail recipes: from gin with violet flowers to vodka with walnuts, just reading them will set your tastebuds tingling.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Hand luggage”