Nature and Science April 2025 Recent Releases When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance by Riley Black Science writer Riley Black stuns with a panoramic natural history that acquaints readers with the interactive nature of life among Earth’s plants, animals, and habitats through the eons. Black’s accessible writing “illuminat[es] natural history into sparkling descriptions of what the Earth was like millions of years ago” (Publishers Weekly). Read-alike: A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll. Smithsonian Atlas of Space: A Map to the Universe From the Big Bang to the Future by Roger D. Launius Journey to the farthest corners of the universe in this visually stunning coffee-table atlas by the former chief historian of NASA. Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart by Nicholas Carr Journalist Nicholas Carr argues convincingly that social media has taken over our society and brains so rapidly that we haven’t been able to formulate a response, much less calculate the damage it’s wreaking. Carr points to research citing epidemic levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among users, especially teenagers. Other revealing reads on this topic include Alone Together by Sherry Turkle and The End of Absence by Michael Harris. The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secrets of the Prehistoric Age by Armin Schmitt A wide-ranging exploration of dinosaurs, detailing their origins, 200-million-year dominance, and eventual extinction, through firsthand research, global excavations, and cutting-edge discoveries, complemented by vivid illustrations and addressing key questions about their survival and the parallels with today's climate issues. ChatGPT and the Future of AI by Terrence J. Sejnowski The inside story of how large language models such as ChatGPT have, in few short months, captured the imagination of the world. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton Debut memoirist Chloe Dalton, a political consultant, spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic raising a baby hare she rescued near her country home. This fascinating, endearing, and rarely domesticated creature became Dalton’s companion for a time, awakening her senses to the natural world around her. For more moving encounters with wildlife, try The Puma Years by Laura Coleman or Alfie & Me by Carl Safina. Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe by Carl Zimmer Science writer Carl Zimmer puts airborne pathogens under the microscope, taking readers on a tour spanning from the 14th century to COVID-19 that exposes how much we have yet to learn about communicable diseases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Other accessible reads about microbes and disease include The Secret Body by Daniel M. Davis and Immune by Catherine Carver. Category Five: Superstorms and the Warming Oceans That Feed Them by Porter Fox An urgent and stunning story of chasing the world's most devastating storms looks at the fallout of global warming, including superstorms, hurricanes, typhoons and spiraling freak weather. Contact your librarian for more great books!