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Science and Technology February 2026 |
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Science: 50 Key Ideas Unpacked
by Anne Rooney
How did life emerge? What are the smallest elements of matter? How are planets formed? Over the centuries, brilliant men and women have sought to develop theories to answer the most compelling questions about the world around us. Through their amazing insights and conscientious efforts, they helped to create the world we know today. In this accessible guide, award-winning author Anne Rooney introduces you to the fascinating world of science and its greatest practitioners, ranging from evolutionary biology to quantum physics to chaos theory and featuring the ideas of such pivotal scientists as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Marie Curie. Illustrated throughout with diagrams and summary boxes, this fascinating compendium will bring you up to speed on all of the world's most important scientific discoveries.
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Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World
by Michael E. Mann
From pandemics to the climate crisis, humanity faces tougher challenges than ever. But our efforts to effectively tackle these existential crises are now hampered by a common threat: politically and ideologically motivated opposition to science. Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Hotez have spent the last twenty years on the front lines of the battle to convey accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information about science in the face of determined and nihilistic opposition. They reveal the five main forces threatening science: plutocrats, pros, petrostates, phonies, and the press. Armed with the information in this book, we can be empowered to promote scientific truths, shine light on channels of dark money, dismantle the corporations poisoning the planet, and ultimately avert disaster.
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| Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research by Melanie D.G. KaplanJournalist Melanie D.G. Kaplan was curious about her beloved rescue beagle Alexander Hamilton -- a.k.a. Hammy -- and his past as a test subject in an animal research lab. In the course of exploring Hammy’s history and the ways animals are used in biomedical research, product testing, and veterinary training, Kaplan poses thorny questions about ethics and animal rights in her moving debut. For more on these issues, try Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility by Martha C. Nussbaum. |
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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In the Shadow of the Bridge: Birds of the Bay Area by Dick EvansHaving explored San Francisco neighborhoods in three celebrated books, Dick Evans turns here to the avian species that call the Bay Area home. With his photographer's eye, he finds art and drama in the lives of birds, from the smallest sparrows to long-legged Great Blue Herons. He captures the pockets of wilderness in our cities that make the area a birder's paradise: from a marsh full of endangered birds wading in the reeds near the Oakland Airport to the isolated refuge of the Farallon Islands, home to a quarter-million seabirds and a handful of visiting scientists; from Crissy Field, flocked with egrets, to the pasturelands birds share with cattle. His vibrant images are interspersed with text by Hannah Hindley that weaves us more deeply into relationship with our avian neighbors, introducing readers to the natural history of the region, to themes of interdependence and ecology, and to the evolving challenges for birds in a densely settled urban environment. Evans's photos highlight the wonder of a world on the wing and the rich biodiversity of Bay Area birds.
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Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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901 Civic Campus Way 2nd Floor, Makerspace
This Black History Month we are celebrating Lewis Latimer, who invented a more efficient version of lightbulb filaments. Put on your engineering hats and let's explore with Snap Circuits.
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901 Civic Campus Way 2nd Floor, Community Room Learn about rainbows, light and flower genetics with Amgen scientists! Activities will include creating rainbows using light and triangular prisms, a genetic Punnett square lesson and a butterfly craft. (While supplies last!) |
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