Jo Marchant

Jo Marchant is a freelance journalist specializing in science and history. After gaining a BSc in genetics and a PhD in microbiology^[1] she became a science writer, and is the author of Decoding the Heavens, an exploration of the history and significance of the Antikythera mechanism and of The Shadow King: The Bizarre Afterlife of King Tut's Mummy. A former editor of the science journal Nature and opinion editor at New Scientist magazine in London, she has written for The Guardian and The Economist.^[1]

Marchant writes that "the idea for 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." ^[2]

References