|
|
Nature and Science August 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet by Scott Weidensaul As populations fall and once-great migration multitudes wither away, the future of birds may seem grim. But surprisingly, some bird populations are soaring. Thanks to bird conservation, habitats and species that once neared extinction are now multiplying around. And, because birds are so diverse, so ubiquitous, and cover virtually every square mile of the Earth’s surface, the fight to save the birds is also one to save the world. The Return of the Oystercatcher is an inspiring story of what’s working in bird conservation―and what can work for the rest of the planet.
|
|
|
|
Why Do We Exist?: The Nine Realms of Universe That Make You Possible by Hakeem Oluseyi The universe gave rise to everything: stars and cells, minds and memories, purpose and pain. But it doesn't care about us. It follows its own rules. And now, according to Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, we finally understand enough about those rules to ask the big questions like we mean it: Why do we exist? Are we alone? How did we get here? What comes next? And--perhaps most urgently--is there reason to hope? Dr. Oluseyi argues that the story of existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms. In Why Do We Exist?, he cracks open these realms with clarity, humor, and radical honesty, bridging cutting-edge physics, personal narrative, and philosophy.
|
|
| The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, Deepmind, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian MallabyJournalist and author Sebastian Mallaby’s latest is both a rich examination of the innovations in artificial intelligence being created at Google’s DeepMind project and the story of its enigmatic genius co-founder, Demis Hassabis. Mallaby takes readers inside AI laboratories, filled with relentlessly ambitious researchers and investors chasing the exciting (and for some, terrifying) achievement of artificial general intelligence, or machine “superintelligence.” Wondering how me made it to this digital moment? The Innovators by Walter Isaacson offers a fascinating historical survey of the minds that created computers and enabled the digital era. |
|
|
|
Rocks: A Guide to the Stones Around Us and the Stories They Tell by Vojta HyblGeologist and science illustrator Vojta Hybl guides you through more than 100 rock types, explaining how they form, what they look like and the geological processes they represent. Alongside practical identification advice, Rocks invites you to see the ground beneath your feet in a new way, connecting everyday stones to billions of years of planetary change. Whether you're a curious hiker, an outdoor enthusiast, or simply fascinated by the natural world, this book will transform how you experience landscapes and help you read the stories written in stone.
|
|
|
|
The Oak and the Larch: A Forest History of Russia and Its Empires by Sophie Pinkham Russia’s forests account for nearly one-fifth of the world’s wooded lands. The Oak and the Larch is the first-ever English-language exploration of this vast expanse―a dazzling environmental history of Russia that offers an urgent new understanding of the nature of Russian power, and of Russia’s ideas of itself. Award-winning scholar Sophie Pinkham’s magisterial account spans centuries, revealing how forests have nourished ancient Siberian indigenous societies, defended medieval Slavic settlements from Mongol invasion, and served as both an essential natural resource and a potent cultural symbol for Russia in all its incarnations, from the days of the tsars to the Soviets to Putin’s Federation. For something smaller-scale, try Richard Forley's The Wood for the Trees, a year-long examination of the four acres of woodlands in the author's home of Oxfordshire, England.
|
|
|
|
Beginning in the late 1980s, a series of improbable bark beetle outbreaks unsettled iconic forests and communities across western North America. An insect the size of a rice kernel eventually killed more than 30 billion pine and spruce trees from Alaska to New Mexico. Often appearing in masses larger than schools of killer whales, the beetles engineered one of the world's greatest forest die-offs since the thirteenth century. Misguided science, out-of-control logging, bad public policy, and a hundred years of fire suppression created ideal conditions for the beetle’s spread. Drawing on first-hand accounts from entomologists, botanists, foresters, and rural residents, award-winning journalist Andrew Nikiforuk investigates this unprecedented beetle plague, its startling implications, and the lessons it holds. |
|
|
|
Insectopolis: A Natural History by Peter Kuper Kuper's stunning work of graphic nonfiction dives into a world where ants, cicadas, bees, and butterflies visit a library exhibition that displays their stories and humanity’s connection to them throughout the ages. Layering history and science, color and design, Kuper tells remarkable tales of dung beetles navigating by the stars, hawk-size prehistoric dragonflies hunting prey, and mosquitoes changing the course of human history. Alongside insect escapades, Kuper illuminates well-known naturalists and unheralded luminaries, from E. O. Wilson and Rachel Carson to Charles Henry Turner and Maria Sybilla Merian.
|
|
|
|
Through narrative, verse, and art, Where the Grass Still Sings celebrates the many tiny creatures that play crucial roles in our ecosystems―as well as the people on the front lines of the fight to save them. Weaving art and science with inspiring stories of people doing their part to protect insects and the environment, author Heather Swan takes readers around the globe to highlight practical solutions to safeguard our fragile planet. Against a backdrop of climate change, ecological injustice, and impending mass extinction, this book rekindles wonder and hope. |
|
|
|
Tales from the Ant World by Edward O. Wilson “Ants are the most warlike of all animals, with colony pitted against colony.... Their clashes dwarf Waterloo and Gettysburg, " writes Edward O. Wilson in his most finely observed work in decades. Wilson eloquently relays his brushes with fire, army, and leafcutter ants, as well as more exotic species: the Matabele, Africa's fiercest warrior ants; Costa Rica's Basiceros, the slowest ants in the world; and New Caledonia's Myrmecia apicalis, the most endangered of them all. A personal account by one of our greatest scientists, Tales from the Ant World is an indispensable volume for any lover of the natural world. For more on the social lives of insects, check out The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies by Bert Hölldobler.
|
|
|
|
Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps by Seirian SumnerDeemed the gangsters of the insect world, wasps are winged assassins with formidable stings. But do wasps deserve their reputation as horror movie protagonists? Sure, there are wasps that turn cockroaches into living zombies and wasps that live inside other wasps. But there are also wasps that build citadels with complex social structures and roles that put our own societies to shame. Beyond their fascinating behavioral quirks, wasps keep the planet's ecological balance in check in their capacity as predators and pollinators. In Endless Forms, Dr. Sumner demonstrates that a world without wasps would be just as ecologically devastated as a world devoid of bees, beetles, or butterflies.
|
|
|
|
The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World by Oliver MilmanFrom ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet's known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, acclaimed journalist Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. These losses imperil everything we hold dear, from the food on our supermarket shelves and the medicines in our cabinets to the riot of nature that thrills and enlivens us. Part warning, part celebration of the incredible variety of insects, The Insect Crisis is a wake-up call for us all. |
|
|
|
David M. Phillips has taken his life-long love of insect biology and microscopy and produced a mesmerizing look into the hidden world of the insect form. The 150 photographs in this book, all taken using an electron microscope, reveal an amazing variety of anatomical structures normally invisible to the human eye: a wax surface that prevents evaporation, antennae that sense molecules that are undetectable by other animals, and feet that allow insects to walk upside down on almost any surface. Organized with the nonscientific reader in mind, Art and Architecture of Insects explores the intricate structures of some of our planet's most fascinating residents. Whether you are a seasoned insect-lover or new exoskeleton aficionado, this book will fill you with a sense of wonder for the unseen universe around you.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books! |
|
|
The Public Library
501 Copper NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
505-768-5141abqlibrary.org |
|
|
|