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Nature and Science August 2025 |
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| More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to... by Adam BeckerMany of today’s tech industry leaders advance wildly optimistic visions of a future in which people will live on Mars, become immortal, and exist in simulation. Interrogating these scenarios with real science, journalist Adam Becker runs through the multitude of reasons why they aren’t achievable, and why we wouldn’t want them to be. Try this next: Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis. |
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| Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software by Darryl CampbellTech insider Darryl Campbell concludes that the era of ubiquitous computing has so far failed to deliver on its promise to humanity due to lack of oversight and profit-obsessed executives. Without sweeping industry regulations, Campbell foresees a time when applications actually impede human well-being in this “disturbing look at the evolution of digital technology” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance by Laura DelanoLaura Delano shares her experiences as an over-prescribed psychiatric patient. After being diagnosed with several psychiatric “conditions” starting in her teens, Delano came to the stark realization in her late twenties that the combination of psychotropic drugs that she was taking was causing a cascade of interrelated symptoms. Unshrunk is an emotionally powerful cautionary tale, suitable for readers who enjoyed Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne. |
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| Slither: How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World by Stephen S. HallScience writer Stephen S. Hall has been fascinated by snakes since childhood, and his enthusiasm comes through in this sweeping overview of all things herpetological. Hall covers topics including people’s fear of snakes, snake venom, locomotion, evolutionary history, religious symbolism, and the ease with which snakes adapt to their surroundings. An enticing choice for snake lovers (and haters!). |
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Forest Euphoria : The Abounding Queerness of Nature
by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
A queer, neurodivergent scientist shows how fungi, amphibians and other overlooked organisms challenge rigid norms, celebrate diversity and offer profound lessons about identity, acceptance and the natural world's hidden complexities.
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Strata : Stories from Deep Time
by Laura Poppick
Science writer Laura Poppick decodes strata to lead us on a journey through four global transformations that made our lives on Earth possible: the first accumulations of oxygen in the atmosphere; the deep freezes of "Snowball Earth"; the rise of mud on land and accompanying proliferation of plants; and the dinosaurs' reign on a hothouse planet. She travels to sites as various as a Minnesotan iron mine that runs half a mile deep and a corner of the Australian Outback where glacial deposits date from the coldest times on Earth. Ultimately, she demonstrates that the planet's oceans, continents, atmosphere, life, and ice have always conspired to bring stability to Earth, even if we are only just beginning to understand how these different facets interact.
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| Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum by Daniel TammetEssayist and memoirist Daniel Tammet, a writer who is himself on the autism spectrum, focuses on the lives of nine autistic individuals, highlighting the diversity of their various talents. It’s a sweeping and inspiring own voices journey that “captures the unique modes of autistic thought with sensitivity and lyrical flair” (Publishers Weekly). For fans of: We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation by Eric Garcia. |
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| Supermassive: Black Holes at the Beginning and End of the Universe by James Trefil and Shobita SatyapalPhysicists James Trefil and Shobita Satyapal do an admirable job of explaining the complex astronomical phenomena known as black holes, as well as the astrophysical theories that underpin them and the advancements that led to their discovery. The authors’ evident passion for this difficult subject matter brings their “thrilling tour of the universe” (School Library Journal) to life. For another accessible yet informative read on this topic, try Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes by Chris Impey. |
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Cloud Warriors : Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos--and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting
by Thomas E. Weber
Veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber takes us on a fascinating tour of how meteorologists, scientists, and officials track and prepare for major weather events, such as hurricanes, tornados, floods, forest fires, extreme heat, and winter storms. As climate change is altering our planet and making weather events more extreme, readers will meet those on the front lines of weather preparation and prediction. We travel from coast-to-coast, to space and back, from National Weather Service to AccuWeather, meeting TV meteorologists and storm chasers, city planners and backyard weatherman. This is a book about the weather-and the power of being able to see it coming.
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