Nature and Science February 2020 Recent Releases Heaven on Earth: How Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo Discovered the Modern... by L.S. Fauber What it's about: four 16th-century astronomers -- Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and Galileo Galilei -- whose work transformed our understanding of the cosmos.  Why you might like it: This engaging collective biography reveals its subjects' feet of clay without shortchanging their scientific achievements. Want a taste? "[Tycho Brahe] became the dean of astronomers, not by virtue of brilliance, but by hard work, constant reading, independent wealth, and the forced enslavement of a couple hundred peasants."  Anthropocene / Examines the impact of humans on the planet and the new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene, featuring archival footage, stills, and interviews The pollinator victory garden : win the war on pollinator decline with ecological gardening : how to attract and support bees, beetles, butterflies, bats, and other pollinators by Kim Eierman An environmental horticulturalist and landscape designer shows us how to create a beautiful landscape that attracts and supports many different specials of pollinators so that we can win the war against the demise of these essential animals. Original. Illustrations. Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time by Gaia Vince What it does: Examines human evolution through four key "drivers": Fire, Language, Beauty and Time, while arguing that it is collective culture, not individual intelligence, that sets humans apart. About the author: Journalist Gaia Vince won the Royal Society Insight Investment Prize for her debut, Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made. For fans of: Diane Ackerman's The Human Age. Snow: A Scientific and Cultural Exploration by Giles Whittell What it is: a wide-ranging, trivia-rich guide to the white stuff by a self-proclaimed "snow addict." What you'll learn about: the number of snowflakes that fall each year, the science of avalanches, the history of snow in art, the filming of the opening scene of The Spy Who Loved Me, and the estimated date that climate change will finally put an end to snow. Reviewers say: This book is "downright giddy with enthusiasm for its subject" (The Boston Globe). Focus on: Genes DNA is Not Destiny: the Remarkable, Completely Misunderstood Relationship... by Steven J. Heine What it's about: Cultural psychologist Steven Heine discusses the genomics revolution, reflecting on how ill-equipped we are to handle its revelations. Read it for: the author's insightful discussion of the cognitive biases that make us susceptible to essentialist thinking, the oversimplification of complex concepts, and the lofty promises of direct-to-consumer genetic testing services. Food for thought: "Yet we persist in this belief that our genes control our lives. We are genetic fatalists." The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee What it's about: Describing the concept of heredity as a form of information transmission, physician and science writer Siddhartha Mukherjee considers the gene, its long and winding road to discovery, and its future as bioengineering becomes more common. Why you might like it: From Mendel and Darwin to the Human Genome Project, this sweeping, thought-provoking book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Emperor of Maladies artfully explores both the scientific and cultural significance of genes. She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl Zimmer What it is: a comprehensive yet accessible examination of heredity that "masterfully blends exciting storytelling with first-rate science reporting" (Publishers Weekly). Why it's important: In addition to exploding common myths and misconceptions about the science of biological inheritance, science writer Carl Zimmer also discusses its (often unsavory) cultural history. Did you know? It wasn't until the 1830s that the word "heredity" acquired its present meaning of a biological inheritance (as opposed to a material one). Contact your librarian for more great books!