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Nature and Science December 2025 |
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Just Visiting This Planet: Further Scientific Adventures of Merlin From Omniscia by Neil Degrasse TysonContains: In this companion volume to "Merlin's Tour of the Universe," we visit again with Merlin, a timeless traveler from Planet Omniscia, who answers a collection of imaginative questions about the cosmos from curious stargazers. Whether waxing poetic about Earth and its environs, the Sun and its stellar siblings, physical laws, or galaxies near and far, Merlin's remarks are witty, humorous, and clear as a starry night sky.
Why you might like it: If you like Neil Degrasse Tyson or his original 1998 book "Just Visiting This Planet," you'll love this new updated and revised version.
Other books by this author: "Cosmic Queries," "Starry Messenger," To Infinity and Beyond" and "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry."
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Slither: How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our Worldby Stephen S. HallWhat's inside: A naturalistic, cultural, ecological, and scientific meditation on these loathed yet magnetic creatures. Hall explores the biological aspects of the snake and not only what neurologically triggers our wary fascination with these limbless creatures, but also how the current generation of snake scientists is using cutting-edge technologies to discover new truths about these evolutionarily ancient creatures—truths that may ultimately affect and enhance human health.
Did you know?: One timber rattlesnake can consume between 2,500 and 4,500 ticks per year.
You may also like: "Great Adaptations" by Kenneth Catania, "Your Inner Fish" by Neil Shubin and "The Evolution of Beauty" by Richard Prum.
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The Neck: A Natural and Cultural History by Kent DunlapWhat it's about: Biologist Kent Dunlap relates an exhaustive history of this peculiar body part that first appeared some 375 million years ago. Filled with amusing cultural references and covering human and animal necks in their wide variety of shapes and functions, Dunlap’s well-researched book illustrates how having a neck presents both evolutionary advantages and vulnerabilities.
What reviews say: "A novel blend of history, art, and science that tells readers everything they’ll ever need to know about a crucial body part." ― Kirkus Reviews
For similar anatomical musings: Bill Schutt's "Bite" and "Pump," and Roy Meals' "Muscle."
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Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind: In Pursuit of Remarkable Mushroomsby Richard ForteyWhat it is: A magical, deeply informed book that takes us from familiar places into the strange world of fungi. Many people find them alien - their strange forms and colors; their reputation as poisoners. But for Fortey, the extraordinary nature of fungi makes him wonder, think and marvel.
About the author: Richard Fortey was a renowned British palaeontologist, natural historian, author, and science communicator known for his extensive research on trilobites at the Natural History Museum in London.Further reading: "Mushrooming" by Diane Borsato, "Dr. Fun Guy's Passport to Kingdom Fungi" by Gordon Walker, and "Go Forth and Forage" by Whitney Johnson.
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The Ocean's Menagerie: How Earth's Strangest Creatures Reshape the Rules of Life by Drew HarvellWhat's inside: Marine biologist Drew Harvell amazes with a rich and descriptive catalog of ocean invertebrates, a group that outnumbers backboned species 30 to one and includes octopuses, jellies, crustaceans, and sea stars. Harvell details these creatures' superpowers, hardly an exaggeration given their potential benefits to the environment and human life.
You'll learn: About corals many times stronger than steel or concrete, sponges that create potent chemical compounds to fight off disease, and sea stars that garden the coastlines, keeping all the other nearby species in balance. Also, learn about the biomedical, engineering, and energy innovations of these wonderous creatures.
For readers of: David Scheel's "Many Things Under a Rock," Bradley James' "Deep Water" and Amorina Kingdon's "Sing Like Fish."
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Focus on: Science Biographies
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Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural Worldby Christian CooperContains: Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and primer on the art of birding, this is Cooper’s story of learning to claim and defend space for himself and others like him, from his days at Marvel Comics introducing the first gay storylines to vivid and life-changing birding expeditions through Africa, Australia, the Americas, and the Himalayas.
What reviews say: “I cannot think of a better guide to teach us all to slow down, look, listen, and grab our binoculars than Cooper, a self-described Black queer nerd, who delivers the best nature bath ever, in lyrical, lush, relatable prose.” - Brittney Cooper, PhD (author of "Eloquent Rage")
Similar reads: "The Private Lives of Public Birds" by Jack Gedney, "Bird Brother" by Rodney Stotts and "The Backyard Bird Chronicles" by Amy Tan.
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Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist by Richard MunsonWhat it is: In this incisive and rich account of Benjamin Franklin’s life and career, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin’s story, reveals his modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator, and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence.
Line from the book: "Benjamin Franklin, forty-six years old in June 1752, strode into a field just north of the burgeoning village of Philadelphia. He had told no one... about his plan to demonstrate the connection between lightening and electricity, both of which were then considered mysterious and terrifying."
Try these next: James Gleic's "Isaac Newton," Richard Holmes' "The Age of Wonder" and David Wootton's "The Invention of Science."
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The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Scienceby Dava SobelWhat it's about: Dava Sobel crafts a luminous chronicle of the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science, and the untold story of the many young women trained in her laboratory who were launched into stellar scientific careers of their own.
Read it because: Dava has written a radiant biography and a masterpiece of storytelling, illuminating the life and enduring influence of one of the most consequential figures of our time.
Other books by this author: "The Glass Universe," "Longitude" and "Galileo’s Daughter."
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The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne by Chris SweeneyWhat it is: The fascinating and remarkable true story of the world's first forensic ornithologist, Roxie Laybourne, who broke down barriers for women, solved murders, and investigated deadly airplane crashes with nothing more than a microscope and a few fragments of feathers.
Why you might like it: "The Feather Detective" takes readers deep within the vaunted backrooms of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to tell the story of a burgeoning science and the enigmatic woman who pioneered it.
Similar reads: "The Feather Thief" by Kirk Johnson, "Insectopolis" by Peter Kuper and "Feathered Marvels" by Dominic Sherony.
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Lab Girlby Hope JahrenWhat's Inside: In these pages, Hope takes us back to her Minnesota childhood, where she spent hours in unfettered play in her father’s college laboratory. She tells us how she found a sanctuary in science, learning to perform lab work “with both the heart and the hands.” She introduces us to Bill, her brilliant, eccentric lab manager. And she extends the mantle of scientist to each one of her readers, inviting us to join her in observing and protecting our environment.
Line from the book: "I have a particular tree that I remember from my childhood. It was a blue-tinged spruce that stood defiantly green through the long months of bitter winter... it seemed a perfect role model for the stoicism being cultivated in me."
For readers of: Elisabeth Tova Bailey's "The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating," Michael Pollan's "The Botany of Desire" and Suzanne Simard's "Finding the Mother Tree."
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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