| An Outsider's Guide to Humans: What Science Taught Me About What We Do and Who We Are by Camilla Pang, PhDWhat it does: examines human behavior through the lens of autism, while using a variety of scientific concepts to explain it.
Topics include: what biochemistry can teach us about friendship, how game theory informs social etiquette, and why machine learning offers insight into human decision-making.
About the author: Camilla Pang, a biochemist with autism, ADHD, and generalized anxiety disorder, is both the youngest writer and the first person of color to win the Royal Society Science Book Prize. |
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Trees in Trouble: Wildfires, Infestations, and Climate Change by Daniel MathewsScrupulously researched, Trees in Trouble not only explores the devastating ripple effects of climate change, but also introduces us to the people devoting their lives to saving our forests. Mathews also offers hope: a new approach to managing western pine forests is underway. Trees in Trouble explores how we might succeed in sustaining our forests through the challenging transition to a new environment.
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| Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality by Frank WilczekWhat it is: a concise, accessible physics primer by a Nobel laureate that explains ten challenging yet essential concepts to non-scientists without sacrificing accuracy.
What sets it apart: Physicist Frank Wilczek places scientific discoveries in their historical context and clearly distinguishes between what we know and what we do not (yet) know.
For fans of: Carlo Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons on Physics or Brian Greene's Until the End of Time. |
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| When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep by Antonio Zadra and Robert StickgoldThe big idea: To explain why we dream, sleep scientists Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold introduce their NEXTUP (network exploration to understand possibilities) model, a form of "sleep-dependent memory process" that enables our sleeping minds to make connections that may elude us while we're awake.
You might also like: Alice Robb's Why We Dream. |
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Age Later: Health Span, Life Span, and the New Science of Longevity by Nir BarzilaiHow do some people avoid the slowing down, deteriorating, and weakening that plagues many of their peers decades earlier? Are they just lucky? Or do they know something the rest of us don't? Is it possible to grow older without getting sicker? What if you could look and feel fifty through your eighties and nineties? The founding director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine translates recent scientific findings into news readers can use to help treat age-related illnesses and increase lifespan.
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Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes
Our biology is set up to work in partnership with the sun. Little wonder then that humans have long worshipped and revered our nearest star: life itself arose on earth because its relationship with the sun was a special one, and that relationship still affects us well into the era of electric lighting, indoor workdays, and vitamin D supplements. The fascinating stories, innovative science, and unique perspectives in this book make it clear that the ancients were right to put the sun at the center of our world, and it is crucial that we remember this bond as we shape our lives today. |
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| An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune Systemby Matt RichtelContains: four case studies that illuminate the human immune system, including a man who contracted HIV in 1977, two women with autoimmune conditions, and the author's childhood friend, recently diagnosed with cancer.
Why you might like it: Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Matt Richtel interweaves profiles of individuals with the evolution of our understanding of the immune system and advances in immunology.
Reviewers say: "brilliantly blurs the lines between biology primer, medical historical text and the traditional first-person patient story" (Washington Post). |
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| The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence WilliamsWhat it's about: Science journalist Florence Williams, a contributor to Outside magazine, travels the world -- making stops in Idaho, Scotland, and South Korea -- to investigate the scientific benefits of being outdoors.
Food for thought: "We don't experience natural environments enough to realize how restored they make us feel, nor are we aware that studies also show they make us healthier, more creative, empathetic, and more apt to engage with the world and with each other." |
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