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Nature and Science August 2026 |
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Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony
by Kate Murphy
In Why We Click, Kate Murphy, author of the international bestseller You're Not Listening, explores the emerging science and powerful impact of interpersonal synchrony, the most consequential social dynamic most people have never heard of. What is interpersonal synchrony?The magical yet now scientifically documented tendency of human beings to fall into rhythm and find resonance with one another. Not only do we subconsciously mirror one another's movements and facial expressions, we also sync up our brain activity, heart rates, and hormonal levels. This stunning ability is the basis of human empathy, attachment, and bonding. The more in sync you are with another person, the more connected you tend to feel. From the bedroom to the boardroom, Murphy shows how our instinct to sync drives much of our social behavior. It determines who ends up in our personal and professional networks as well as the depth and duration of our relationships. Interpersonal synchrony is our superpower, but it can also be our kryptonite if we fail to understand its influence on us, both as individuals and as a society.
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When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World
by Suzanne Simard
Raised in a family of loggers committed to sensible forest stewardship, trailblazing ecologist Suzanne Simard has watched as timber companies leave forests at higher risk for wildfires, water crises, and plant and animal extinction. But her research has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a symphony of finely honed cycles of regeneration--from mushrooms breaking down logs to dying elder trees passing their genetic knowledge to younger ones--that hold the key to protecting our forests. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose models of responsible forestry have been largely dismissed, Simard examines how human interventions--particularly destruction of the overstory's mother trees--endanger new growth and longevity. If we can honor the tools that trees have honed for sharing intergenerational wisdom, she argues, we can protect these sacred places for many years to come. As she considers how older living things facilitate the conditions for new growth to flourish, Simard faces parallel rhythms of loss and regeneration in her own life, watching her two daughters grow into adults and savoring her final days with her ailing mother. Animated by wonder for our forests and the intricate practices of caretaking that have long sustained them, When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community.
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| The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, Deepmind, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian MallabyJournalist and author Sebastian Mallaby’s latest is both a rich examination of the innovations in artificial intelligence being created at Google’s DeepMind project and the story of its enigmatic genius co-founder, Demis Hassabis. Mallaby takes readers inside AI laboratories, filled with relentlessly ambitious researchers and investors chasing the exciting (and for some, terrifying) achievement of artificial general intelligence, or machine “superintelligence.” For fans of: Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race That Will Change the World by Parmy Olson. |
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| Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America's Public Lands by Dillon OslegerMany people don’t know that there were once thousands of miles of trails connecting public lands throughout the American West. Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of them have disappeared over the centuries. Geologist, naturalist, and mountain biker Dillon Osleger’s “thoughtful and passionate” (Library Journal) debut discusses his work to rediscover, repair, and foster awareness of these trails that were once considered a public investment that has been gradually eroded by both resource extraction and neglect. |
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Hormone Havoc: A Science-Backed Protocol for Perimenopause and Menopause: Sleep Better. Think Better. Feel Better.
by Amy Shah MD
Doctor, author, and influencer Amy Shah, MD, (@DrAmyShah), shares a nutritional, science-based protocol to minimize hormonal havoc, hot flashes, and night sweats and take on perimenopause and menopause with improved mood, energy, and health. Hot flashes, mood swings, anxiety, weight gain, brain fog--the hormonal flux that comes with menopause and perimenopause may bring some notorious side effects, but that doesn't mean you have to feel miserable or settle for debilitating symptoms.
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| In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival, and Courage by Michael J. TougiasNonfiction author Michael J. Tougias (Fatal Forecast) tells a terrifying cautionary tale of survival on the open ocean. In 2022, three friends in coastal Louisiana embark on a fishing trip on the Gulf of Mexico in a recently purchased boat that suddenly proves un-seaworthy. The vessel sinks so quickly that the fishermen barely have time to don life vests and cling to a cooler for dear life. They spend the next 28 hours facing down stinging jellyfish, circling sharks, and their own exhaustion before being rescued. For fans of: harrowing ocean rescue stories like A Speck in the Sea by John Aldridge. |
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Chain Reaction: How Chemistry Shapes Us and Our World
by Ijeoma Uchegbu
In Chain Reaction, Uchegbu shows us the world through a chemist's eyes, revealing the intricate science we take for granted: how our body's most fundamental chemical structure, our DNA, is estimated to be two meters long, resting tightly within each of our cells; how egg yolks are held together by weak chemical bonds that make them primed for emulsifying our salad dressings; and how the chemical makeup of PFAs, or forever chemicals, makes them so good at sticking around. Along the way, we travel from Uchegbu's home in London to Nigeria, where cooking experiments go awry in her family kitchen, and to Italy, where the chemically inert compounds that make up stained glass keep medieval windows shining. The careful interplay of bonds and molecules brings a sense of order and wonder to the chaos of our lives, she shows, and we don't have to wear a lab coat or study solutions in beakers to appreciate it. For readers of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and anyone who wanted to be like Elizabeth Zott in Lessons in Chemistry, Chain Reaction is a lively and intimate portrait of the wondrous and under-explored field that shapes our everyday lives.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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