JO MARCHANT IS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST SPECIALIZING IN SCIENCE AND HISTORY. AFTER GAINING A BSC IN GENETICS FROM LEICESTER UNIVERSITY AND A PHD IN MICROBIOLOGY SHE BECAME A SCIENCE WRITER, AND IS THE AUTHOR OF DECODING THE HEAVENS,AN EXPLORATION OF THE HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM, THE SHADOW KING: THE BIZARRE AFTERLIFE OF KING TUTS MUMMY AND CURE: A JOURNEY INTO THE SCIENCE OF MIND OVER BODY(SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY INSIGHT INVESTMENT SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2016). 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. 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.

जो मर्चंट या पुरस्कार प्राप्त विज्ञान पत्रकार आहेत. त्यांनी इम्पेरियल महाविद्यालयातून एमएसस्सी, तर लंडन येथील सेंट बार्थोलोमू वैद्यकीय महाविद्यालयातून त्यांनी जेनेटिक्स एण्ड मेडिकल मायक्रोबायोलाॅजी विषयात पीएचडी केली आहे. न्यू सायन्टिस्ट एण्ड नेचर मासिकात त्यांनी संपादक म्हणून भूमिका बजावली आहे. गार्डियन, वायर, आॅब्जर्वर, न्यू याॅर्क टाइम्स आणि वाॅशिंग्टन पोस्ट सारख्या वर्तमानपत्रातून त्यांचे लेखन प्रसिद्ध झाले आहे. राॅयल सोसायटी प्राईजसाठी विज्ञान विभागात नामांकन मिळालेल्या डिकोडिंग द हेवन्स या पुस्तकाच्या त्या लेखिका आहेत.