Could the dodo make a comeback? What does science tell us about the sex in Fifty Shades of Grey? Is giving up meat really the greenest option? Can you use tweets to spot a psychopath? What do the Cold War and climate science have in common? The Best Australian Science Writing 2013 brings together great writing about life and the universe, including contributions from poets and psychologists, neuroscientists and novelists, star-gazers and science journalists.