| When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance by Riley BlackScience writer Riley Black stuns with a panoramic natural history that acquaints readers with the interactive nature of life among Earth’s plants, animals, and habitats through the eons. Black’s accessible writing “illuminat[es] natural history into sparkling descriptions of what the Earth was like millions of years ago” (Publishers Weekly). Read-alike: A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll. |
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| Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart by Nicholas CarrJournalist Nicholas Carr argues convincingly that social media has taken over our society and brains so rapidly that we haven’t been able to formulate a response, much less calculate the damage it’s wreaking. Carr points to research citing epidemic levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among users, especially teenagers. Other revealing reads on this topic include Alone Together by Sherry Turkle and The End of Absence by Michael Harris. |
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Literary theory for robots : how computers learned to write
by Dennis Tenen
"Intelligence expressed through technology should not be mistaken for a magical genie, capable of self-directed thought or action. Rather, in highly original and effervescent prose with a generous dose of wit, Yi Tenen asks us to read past the artifice-to better perceive the mechanics of collaborative work. Something as simple as a spell-checker or a grammar-correction tool, embedded in every word-processor, represents the culmination of a shared human effort, spanning centuries.Smart tools, like dictionaries and grammar books, have always accompanied the act of writing, thinking, and communicating. That these paper machines are now automated does not bring them to life. Nor can we cede agency over the creative process. With its masterful blend of history, technology, and philosophy, Yi Tenen's work ultimately urges us to view AI as a matter of labor history, celebrating the long-standing cooperation between authors and engineers"
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| Out of Your Mind: The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain by Jorge Cham & Dwayne GodwinWant a book about the complexities of the human brain that isn’t quite so…well, brainy? Author and cartoonist Jorge Cham teams with neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin to tackle the subject and answer some difficult questions in an amusing, upbeat, and accessible style, complete with illustrations. Other entertaining books about brain function include The Brain by David Eagleman and Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness by Patrick House. |
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| Raising Hare by Chloe DaltonDebut memoirist Chloe Dalton, a political consultant, spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic raising a baby hare she rescued near her country home. This fascinating, endearing, and rarely domesticated creature became Dalton’s companion for a time, awakening her senses to the natural world around her. For more moving encounters with wildlife, try The Puma Years by Laura Coleman or Alfie & Me by Carl Safina. |
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| Creature Needs: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Conservation by Christopher Kondrich, Lucy Spelman, and Susan Tacent (editors)Creature Needs is an unusual collection of essays, stories, and poetry organized around the basic needs of survival: air, water, food, shelter, freedom of movement, and companionship. The writers explore these facets with both intellect and emotion in a way that “bridg[es] the gap between the worlds of science and art” (Library Journal). For more profound musings about the natural world, try Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. |
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Origin Story: The Trials of Charles Darwin
by Howard Markel
Howard Markel’s biographical account of Charles Darwin’s publication of The Origin of Species focuses on the contentious arguments among Darwin’s peers when his theories were introduced, as well as his debilitating stomach ailments which some scholars attribute to stress from all the harsh criticism. Other noteworthy histories of science include: Tripping on Utopia by Benjamin Breen; Radical by Nature by James T. Costa.
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| Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe by Carl ZimmerScience writer Carl Zimmer puts airborne pathogens under the microscope, taking readers on a tour spanning from the 14th century to COVID-19 that exposes how much we have yet to learn about communicable diseases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Other accessible reads about microbes and disease include The Secret Body by Daniel M. Davis and Immune by Catherine Carver. |
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