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Nature and Science October 2025 |
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The Intelligence Explosion: When AI Beats Humans at Everything
by James Barrat
With the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence, both existential fears and uncritical enthusiasm for AI systems have surged. In this era of unprecedented technological growth, understanding the profound impacts of AI — both positive and negative — is more crucial than ever. The author of The Final Invention offers an easy-to-read and fast-paced exploration of the myriad issues raised by generative AI.
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| Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines by Matthew Gavin FrankFolded into author Matthew Gavin Frank’s thought-provoking survey of humankind’s urge to explore the ocean depths from deep-water submersibles lies a much darker obsession -- the “strong undercurrent of violence and misogyny” (Kirkus Reviews) running through the amateur sub community that arguably led to the 2017 murder of journalist Kim Wall. Readers who want more adventures beneath the waves can try The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey. |
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We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate
by Michael Grunwald
Investigates how global agriculture threatens the climate through land use and emissions, critiques misguided sustainability efforts, and highlights innovative technologies, policies and individuals working to reduce farmland's footprint and reshape food systems to meet future demands without further environmental destruction.
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| Intraterrestrials: Discovering the Strangest Life on Earth by Karen G. LloydMicrobial biogeochemist Karen G. Lloyd introduces us to a mind-bending branch of science in her debut. It turns out that most life on Earth is composed of microbes living beneath the Earth’s crust or the ocean floors, derives energy from chemicals rather than light, and might have the ability to survive for eons. Science readers will be enthralled by these ideas that “defy assumptions about the laws of nature” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Strata: Stories from Deep Time by Laura PoppickGeologist Laura Poppick debuts with a detailed yet energetic trip down the geologic timeline, offering an intriguing window onto her work and showing readers just how much information about Earth’s natural history and ecosystems has been revealed through examining its sedimentary layers. For further sweeping geological insights, try: A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew H. Knoll. |
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The Place of Tides
by James Rebanks
Rebanks recounts a season spent on a remote Norwegian island with an aging woman who harvests eiderdown, exploring her vanishing way of life, the harsh beauty of the Arctic landscape, and the author's gradual discovery of unexpected kinship, meaning and personal transformation.
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Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource
by Sam Bloch
Studies the overlooked importance of shade in urban environments, tracing its historical role in city design, examining how its absence contributes to health and social disparities, and highlighting efforts by planners and innovators to reintroduce shade as a vital tool for climate resilience.
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| Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door by Thor HansonConservation biologist Thor Hanson empowers readers to observe their environment with new eyes, showing us that poking around literally just outside one’s door (city or country, no matter) reveals a surprising diversity of wildlife waiting to be discovered. Hanson gives clues as to where to look while pushing the idea of “citizen science.” If you like this, try Never Home Alone by Rob Dunn. |
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| Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto by Kōhei Saitō; translated by Brian BergstromUniversity of Tokyo philosopher Kōhei Saitō tackles climate change from both scientific and political angles. According to Saitō, any capitalistic model for combatting climate change is inherently flawed, and he calls instead for a halt to urban development, scaling back industrial manufacturing to focus on quality rather than quantity, and an emphasis on local economies to curb greenhouse emissions and allow nature to heal itself. It’s an unusual yet persuasive idea that Saitō supports with a “conversational, gentle, yet urgent tone” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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The Urban Naturalist: How to Make the City Your Scientific Playground
by Menno Schilthuizen
A manifesto for a new dawn of natural history, practiced by community scientists in their own urban jungle. At a time when the only nature most people get to see is urban, The Urban Naturalist demonstrates that understanding the novel ecosystems around us is our best hope for appreciating and protecting biodiversity.
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