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Nature and Science August 2018
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| Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything by Randi Hutter EpsteinWhat it is: a crash course in endocrinology, which illuminates the role of hormones in metabolism, the immune system, puberty, sex, and sleep.
Read it for: an eye-opening and engaging history involving resurrectionists, roosters, sideshow attractions, and horse urine.
For fans of: Mary Roach's Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. |
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| Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth by Adam FrankWhat it's about: According to author Adam Frank, civilizations are "just another thing the universe does." By his calculations, there exist some 10 billion trillion planets with the potential for civilizations to develop. What can such planets tell us about ourselves -- and our fate?
About the author: Adam Frank is an astrophysicist and the founder of NPR's 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog. |
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| Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures by Nick PyensonWhat it's about: Paleontologist Nicholas Pyenson recounts the evolution of whales from four-legged, dog-sized, land-dwelling creatures to today's aquatic leviathans, while contemplating their uncertain future.
Why you might like it: part natural history, part travelogue, Spying on Whales offers a glimpse at a hidden underwater world.
You might also like: Philip Hoare's The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea; Micheline Jenner's The Secret Life of Whales. |
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How Science Works : The Facts Visually Explained
by Inc. Dorling Kindersley
Using clear, easy-to-understand graphics, an ultimate science book explores answers to questions on 70 topics in the areas of matter, physics, energy, chemistry, life science, earth science, technology and the universe.
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Universe in creation : a new understanding of the big bang and the emergence of life
by Roy Gould
We know the universe has a history, but does it also have a story of self-creation to tell? Yes, in Roy R. Gould's account. He offers a compelling narrative of how the universe--with no instruction other than its own laws--evolved into billions of galaxies and gave rise to life, including humans who have been trying for millennia to comprehend it. Far from being a random accident, the universe is hard at work, extracting order from chaos. Making use of the best current science, Gould turns what many assume to be true about the universe on its head. The cosmos expands inward, not outward. Gravity can drive things apart, not merely together. And the universe seems to defy entropy as it becomes more ordered, rather than the other way around. Strangest of all, the universe is exquisitely hospitable to life, despite its being constructed from undistinguished atoms and a few unexceptional rules of behavior. Universe in Creation explores whether the emergence of life, rather than being a mere cosmic afterthought, may be written into the most basic laws of nature. Offering a fresh take on what brought the world--and us--into being, Gould helps us see the universe as the master of its own creation, not tethered to a singular event but burgeoning as new space and energy continuously stream into existence. It is a very old story, as yet unfinished, with plotlines that twist and churn through infinite space and time.
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| Still Waters: The Secret World of Lakes by Curt StagerWhat it is: a deep dive into the ecology of lakes, ponds, and inland seas by science writer Curt Stager, who reveals the "secret worlds within worlds hiding in plain sight."
Read it for: a highly literate and philosophical tour of the world's lakes, from Walden Pond to Lake Victoria.
For fans of: Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Culpeper County Library 271 Southgate Shopping Center Culpeper, Virginia 22701 540-825-8691
www.cclva.org
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