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Nature and Science October 2025 |
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| The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World--and Shapes Our Future by Samuel ArbesmanScientist Samuel Arbesman waxes rhapsodic about the power and possibilities of code, the digital building block of intelligence, communication, and innovation. Arbesman looks back on what has been accomplished in the past several decades to inform his hopeful predictions for the future, concluding that code is a modern-day metaphor for magic and wizardry. Try this next: Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Clive Thompson. |
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| Intraterrestrials: Discovering the Strangest Life on Earth by Karen G. LloydMicrobial biogeochemist Karen G. Lloyd introduces us to a mind-bending branch of science in her debut. It turns out that most life on Earth is composed of microbes living beneath the Earth’s crust or the ocean floors, derives energy from chemicals rather than light, and might have the ability to survive for eons. Science readers will be enthralled by these ideas that “defy assumptions about the laws of nature” (Publishers Weekly). |
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Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing
by Lili Taylor
An actor recounts her journey into birdwatching, blending vivid observations of birds in urban and natural settings with reflections on mindfulness, creativity, and the beauty of everyday moments, encouraging readers to embrace a deeper connection with the natural world.
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The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science
by Carly Anne York
Why would anyone research how elephants pee? Or study worms who tie themselves into a communal knot? Or quantify the squishability of a cockroach? It all sounds pointless, silly, or even disgusting. Maybe it is. But in The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog, Carly Anne York shows how unappreciated, overlooked, and simply curiosity-driven science has led to breakthroughs big and small. Got wind power? You might have humpback whales to thank. Know anything about particle physics? Turns out there is a ferret close to the heart of it all. And if you want to keep salmon around, be thankful for that cannon! The research itself can seem bizarre. But it drives our economy. And what's more, this stuff is simply cool. York invites readers to appreciate the often unpredictable journey of scientific exploration, highlighting that the heart of science lies in the relentless pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Emphasizing the hard work of the people behind the discoveries, this is an accessible, story-driven book that shows how important and exciting it is to simply let curiosity run wild.
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The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains
by Pria Anand
Explores the storytelling nature of the brain through case studies, personal narrative, and cultural critique, examining how neurological symptoms are shaped, interpreted, and often misunderstood within medicine, revealing overlooked truths about illness, identity and the porous boundaries between health and suffering.
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The New York Botanical Garden
by Gregory Long
In celebration of the Garden's 125th anniversary, this book documents its role as a place of unparalleled beauty in the heart of New York City and an internationally renowned leader in plant research and conservation, as well as science and organic gardening education for children. This revised edition includes more than two hundred stunning new photographs by Larry Lederman, reproductions of rare botanical art from the archival collections, and engaging essays by Garden staff that highlight the expansive growth and development the Garden continues to experience.
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The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century
by Dickson D. Despommier
Outlines a blueprint for sustainable communities that focus on local food sources, conservation and practical transportation, explaining the potential for farms built within skyscrapers that are designed for capabilities ranging from year-round food production to minimal dependence on fossil fuels.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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