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Nature and Science December 2025 |
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Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy
by Mary Roach
Instant New York Times Bestseller One of Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 A Goodreads Readers' Most Anticipated Fall Book From the New York Times best-selling author of Stiff and Fuzz, a rollicking exploration of the quest to re-create the impossible complexities of human anatomy.
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| The Story of CO₂ Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World by Peter BrannenScience journalist Peter Brannen elucidates the role of carbon dioxide on Earth, explaining the paradox that this substance is both an essential part of the carbon life cycle and the reason that our climate is in trouble. Brannen’s book is both alarming and fascinating and makes clear that it is only in the last couple of centuries that human activity has pushed the CO₂ equation out of balance. Read-alike: Elemental: How Five Elements Changed Earth’s Past and Will Shape Our Future by Stephen Porder. |
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The Genius Bat: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal
by Yossi Yovel
With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of mammalian species. The most successful and most diverse group of mammals, bats come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, from the tiny bumblebee bat to the giant golden-crowned flying fox. Some bats eat fruit and nectar; others eat frogs, scorpions, or fish. Vampire bats feed on blood. Bats are the only mammals that can fly; their fingers have elongated through evolution to become wings with a unique, super-flexible skin membrane stretched between them. Their robust immune system is one of the reasons for their extreme longevity. A tiny bat can live for forty years. From muddy rainforests to star-covered night deserts, from guest houses in Thailand to museum drawers full of fossils in New York, this is an eye-opening and entertaining account of a mighty mammal.
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Frostlines: A Journey Through Entangled Lives and Landscapes in a Warming Arctic
by Neil Shea
As warming reshapes our planet, the Arctic--a region that once seemed unchangeable, beyond the reach of modern problems--is quickly coming undone. While the old cold world can still be glimpsed in the movements of caribou, the hidden lives of wolves, or the hunting skill of an Inupiat elder, look closer and you'll find a new Arctic emerging in its place. In Frostlines, Neil Shea blends natural history, anthropology, and travel writing to explore how the beauty, chaos, and power of change in the far north are reflected in the lives of people and animals. Written with masterful prose and a spark of adventure, Frostlines is an expansive yet intimate revelation of the Arctic during a time of transformation, and a journey along the threshold of this stunning and sometimes frightening world that's emerging right before our eyes.
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Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research
by Melanie D. G. Kaplan
When journalist Melanie D.G. Kaplan adopted her beagle Hammy, all she knew was that he had spent nearly four years in a research lab. Curious to know more about this gentle creature's past, as well as the broader world of animal research, Kaplan-with Hammy in tow-embarks on a quest for answers. In Lab Dog, Kaplan investigates the breeding and use of beagles for biomedical research, drug and product testing, and education. She takes readers on a journey, peeking behind laboratory doors and visiting with researchers, activists, ethicists, veterinarians, lawmakers, and innovators. Equal parts journalism and love story, Lab Dog offers a nuanced view on our relationship with a species that we both love and exploit, and a reason to hope for a better future for all.
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Evergreen: The Trees That Shaped America
by Trent Preszler
A sweeping natural history of the humble trees that built nations, sparked wars, and became the world's most cherished holiday tradition. Every December, millions of people around the globe adorn their homes, offices, and town squares with lavishly decorated Christmas trees to celebrate the holiday season. Yet few pause to wonder: Where did this tradition come from? And in an age of climate upheaval and artificial replicas, will these beloved trees still be here for future generations? In Evergreen, Cornell University professor Trent Preszler weaves together a captivating story of humanity's deeply rooted relationship with evergreens, revealing how the trees shaped economies, launched cultural movements, and propelled America's rise to global prominence.
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| The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics by Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH and Mark OlshakerNot to sound alarmist or anything, but authors Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker concede that COVID-19 may have been merely a warm-up for the next pandemic. To that end, they construct some chilling real-world scenarios that they hope will urge government leaders to take communicable disease as seriously as any national security issue. For readers fascinated by World War C: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One by Sanjay Gupta. |
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| The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters by Christine WebbPrimatologist Christine Webb’s debut calls out humanity for its ego trip regarding its place in the world. The fact that humans have climbed to the top of the world’s food chain is often taken by Western science as evidence that we are the smartest, most capable beings on earth. But as humans continue to make their own survival more tenuous through destruction of the environment, the anthropocentric viewpoint loses traction. A thought-provoking book that “makes a convincing case for humility” (Publishers Weekly). |
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| If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All by Eliezer Yudkowsky & Nate SoaresAI researchers Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares sound a strident alarm over the race to design the ultimate machine intelligence. While corporations and governments everywhere push relentlessly toward the development of “artificial superintelligence” (ASI), the authors warn that current industry safeguards are insufficient to contain a program that is “optimized for efficiency and unconstrained by human ethics” (Booklist). For further predictions of terrifying techno-disasters, check out X-Risk: How Humanity Discovered Its Own Extinction by Thomas Moynihan. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Longwood Public Library800 Middle Country RoadMiddle Island, New York 11953
(631) 924-6400
longwoodlibrary.org |
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