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Nature and Science February 2026 |
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| Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia... by Jonathan C. SlaghtIn conservation biologist Jonathan C. Slaght’s Tigers Between Empires, he describes a coordinated effort between Russian and American scientists to rescue the wild tigers of the Amur River basin -- a forested area straddling Russia and China -- from unchecked hunting and habitat loss. After decades of work, the population of these magnificent predators is robust and growing. For fans of: The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant. |
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Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind: In Pursuit of Remarkable Mushrooms
by Richard Fortey
A magical, deeply informed book that takes us from familiar places into the strange world of fungi. The secret world of fungi is another kingdom. They do things differently there. Diverse beyond our wildest imaginations, fungi don't obey rules. They pop up unbidden and often dressed in curious reds and greens. They do not seem of this world, yet fungi underpin all the life around us: the wood wide web links the trees by a subterranean telegraph; fungi eat the fallen trunks and leaves to recycle the nutrients that keep the wood alive; they feed a host of beetles and flies, which in turn feed birds and bats. Fungi produce the most expensive foods in the world but also offer the prospect of cheap protein for all; they cure disease, and they both cause disease and kill; they are the specialists to surpass all others; their diversity thrills and bewilders. Professor Richard Fortey has been a devoted field mycologist all his life. He has rejoiced in the exuberant variety and profusion of mushrooms since reading as a boy of nuns driven mad by ergot (a fungus). Drawing on decades of experience, Fortey starts with the perfect fungus day--eating ceps in Piedmont. He introduces brown rotters, earthstars, and death caps; fungal annuals and perennials, dung lovers and parasites, even fungi that move through the trees like mycelial monkeys. We learn that the giant puffball produces more spores than there are known stars in the universe and fetid stinkhorns begin looking like arrivals from the planet Tharg. He tells of the fungus that turns flies into zombies, the ones that clean up metallic waste, and the delicious subterranean fungi truffe de Perigord, the delight of gourmets. Amongst these and many other close encounters, Fortney attempts to answer the questions: what exactly are fungi? Why did their means of reproduction escape discovery for so long? What role do they play in the development of life? The vast kingdom of fungi is more diverse and species rich than plants or animals. By exploring their glorious profusion, Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind reveals so much about their world--and ours.
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| The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind by Simon WinchesterAuthor and journalist Simon Winchester presents a celebration of wind. Drawing fascinating references from science, engineering, and literature, Winchester is clearly enraptured by this natural force, evidenced by his vivid depictions of its role in civilization’s destruction (typhoons, tornadoes, wildfires) and salvation (wind-powered energy solutions). This is a captivating ode to elemental nature in the vein of Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History. |
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The Genius Bat: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal
by Yossi Yovel
A] wonderful book. --NatureAn awe-inspiring tour of bat world by the world's leading expert With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of mammalian species. The most successful and most diverse group of mammals, bats come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, from the tiny bumblebee bat to the giant golden-crowned flying fox. Some bats eat fruit and nectar; others eat frogs, scorpions, or fish. Vampire bats feed on blood. Bats are the only mammals that can fly; their fingers have elongated through evolution to become wings with a unique, super-flexible skin membrane stretched between them. Their robust immune system is one of the reasons for their extreme longevity. A tiny bat can live for forty years. Yossi Yovel, an ecologist and a neurobiologist, is passionate about deciphering the secrets of bats, including using AI to decipher their communication. In The Genius Bat, he brings to vivid life these amazing creatures as well as the obsessive and sometimes eccentric people who study them-bat scientists. From muddy rainforests to star-covered night deserts, from guest houses in Thailand to museum drawers full of fossils in New York, this is an eye-opening and entertaining account of a mighty mammal.
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The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature's Clues
by Tristan Gooley
The Sherlock Holmes of Nature.--BBC From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Learn to spot the endlessly unfolding clues and signs that reveal the hidden ways nature changes every day of the year Gooley preaches attention to common patterns in nature like a sommelier describing wine--the shadows cast by the sun here, the tree angled there, the moss greener on this side of the rock.--The New York TimesOne of the most skilled navigators on the planet.--Smithsonian
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Math Cats: Scratching the Surface of Mathematical Concepts
by Daniel M. Look
Math + cats = an infinitely more entertaining exploration of the concepts and principles that are the foundation of our understanding of mathematics. In Math Cats, mathematician and professor Daniel Look, along with a clowder of his feline friends, reveals the charming connections between mathematics and cats with 22 fun and fur-filled lessons. We know all cats are cute, but only some are acute. Others are obtuse (no offense) and more are always right (and never let you forget it), as you'll learn by exploring how kitties represent different types of angles. When they curl out for a mid-day catnap, they perfectly represent the concept of a golden spiral. And when they squeeze into too small boxes or balls, they're providing a geometric lesson in topological equivalence. Packed with illustrations, this collection of proofs, theorems, and formulas is equal parts delightful and educational, and perfectly sized for your own cat to knock off our bookshelf.
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The Web Beneath the Waves: The Fragile Cables That Connect Our World
by Samanth Subramanian
What if the Internet goes dark? We think of the Internet as wireless, weightless, ever-present-but its true foundation lies in the ocean's depths, where nearly 900,000 miles of fiber-optic cables quietly pulse with all the world's information. In The Web Beneath the Waves, the acclaimed journalist Samanth Subramanian travels from remote Pacific islands to secretive cable-laying operations to reveal the astonishing world of undersea infrastructure. He reveals the fate of Tonga after a volcanic eruption severs its only undersea link to the Internet, meets the men and women engaged in the fiendishly complex work of laying submarine cables, and scrutinizes the acts of grey zone warfare, in which ghost ships cut the cables of other countries. Subramanian charts the deep geopolitical tensions, corporate power grabs, environmental risks, and quiet heroics involved in maintaining the Internet's unseen circulatory system. With his signature clarity and curiosity, he brings to life the cables that stitch continents together--and exposes just how vulnerable our connected lives really are. This is narrative nonfiction at its most urgent and eye-opening: a book that asks what happens when the world goes offline, and who controls the switch.
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Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story
by Jeffrey Kluger
After we first launched Americans into space but before we touched down on the moon's surface, there was the Gemini program. It was no easy jump from manned missions in low-Earth orbit to a successful moon landing, and the ten-flight, twenty-month celestial story of the Gemini program is an extraordinary one. There was unavoidable darkness in the program --the deaths and near-deaths that defined it, and the blood feud with the Soviet Union that animated it. But there were undeniable and previously inconceivable successes. With a war raging in Vietnam and lawmakers calling for cuts to NASA's budget, the success of the Gemini program--or the space program in general--was never guaranteed. Yet against all odds, the remarkable scientists and astronauts behind the project persevered, and their efforts paid off. Later, with the knowledge gained from the Gemini flights, NASA would launch the legendary Apollo program--
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| How Birds Fly: The Science and Art of Avian Flight by Peter CavanaghAuthor, photographer, and pilot Peter Cavanagh is uniquely suited to the subject of How Birds Fly, his illustrated exploration of this amazing natural phenomenon. Filled with fascinating facts about bird anatomy and aerodynamics as well as the author’s gorgeous photographs of various species in every stage of flying, this comprehensive volume will delight fans of Supernavigators: The Astounding New Science of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie. |
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| Bird City: Adventures in New York's Urban Wilds by Ryan GoldbergJournalist Ryan Goldberg debuts with a vividly descriptive account of urban birdwatching in New York City. The author shares his enthusiasm with an expansive community of birders who join him in his forays through the parks and neighborhoods that provide sanctuary to over 400 species. Along the way, readers will learn about urban environmentalism, wildlife hazards, and little-known facts about the author’s home city. Read-alike: Birding Without Borders by Noah Strycker. |
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| Starlings: The Curious Odyssey of a Most Hated Bird by Mike StarkEven bird lovers have a love-hate relationship with the European, or common, starling. They are an extremely invasive species that were introduced in the late 19th century and quickly spread across North America, competing with native birds for food and nesting space. Yet these clever creatures are skilled mimics and hypnotic to watch in flight, wheeling in enormous, agile flocks called “murmurations.” Author Mike Stark gives a comprehensive look in this “captivating read” (Booklist). |
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| The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne by Chris SweeneyJournalist Chris Sweeney's richly detailed debut profiles pioneering forensic ornithologist and Smithsonian Institution taxidermist Roxie Laybourne (1910-2003), who utilized her avian expertise to solve murders, investigate poaching activities, and inspect bird-related plane crashes, the latter of which led to aircraft safety reforms. For fans of: The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson. |
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| Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili TaylorAward-winning actor Lili Taylor first became a birdwatcher and nature advocate about 15 years ago during a break between film projects. She noticed how observing the sparrows and jays outside her house awakened her senses, especially her ability to listen, a skill she prizes in her acting work. Today she goes birding whenever she can, in the city and country, and will inspire her readers to rediscover the gift of noticing the world around them. For fans of: Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Rochester Hills Public Library
500 Olde Towne Rd
Rochester, Michigan 48307
248-656-2900www.rhpl.org/ |
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