After gaining a BSc in genetics from Leicester University[1] and a PhD in genetics[2] she became a science writer, and is the author of Decoding the Heavens,[3] an exploration of the history and significance of the Antikythera mechanism, The Shadow King: The Bizarre Afterlife of King Tut's Mummy and Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body[4] (shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016).
[2] 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.