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Nature and Science August 2026 |
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The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary
by Terry Tempest Williams
NATIONAL BESTSELLERI go to Terry Tempest Williams for the reasons I go to Whitman and Thoreau: to recover a capacious spirit and to rejoin the urgent living world. She gives me something bigger than hope.Richard Powers, author of The OverstoryFrom the visionary New York Times bestselling author, a revelatory work of narrative nonfiction exploring beauty in the desert, climate change, and, transformative moments of power in a world beset by uncertaintyWhether we believe it or not, rapid change is upon us. I am searching for grace.In this time of political fragility, climate chaos, and seeking beauty wherever we can find its glimmer, Terry Tempest Williams introduces us to the Glorians. They are not distant deities, but the ordinary, often overlooked presences--animal, plant, memory, moment--that reveal our shared vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world. The Glorians can be as small as an ant ferrying a coyote willow blossom to its queen or as commonplace as the night sky. But what they can collectively show us--about the radical act of attending to beauty and carrying forward against all odds--is immense.Journeying through encounters with the Glorians in the red rock desert of Utah during the pandemic to Harvard University where she teaches in the Divinity School, Williams weaves a story of astonishing personal and societal insight. As she grapples with the unsettled state of the world, she turns not to despair but to deep reflection. She sees how the Glorians are calling us to attention, not as an army, but as fellow inhabitants of our sacred, threatened home. They remind us of the power of contact between species and the profound courage--and awareness--it will take to dream a more cohesive future into being.Wise and lyrical, The Glorians is a testament to the power of witness, a field guide to finding grace in the unexpected, and a moving invitation to engage with one another and our surroundings with renewed intention. In a modern world filled with increasing noise and anxiety, Terry Tempest Williams offers honest sustenance for the mind and spirit and distinguishes herself again as a trusted voice to whom we can turn to more fully understand our times.
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The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie
by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein leverages her Black, Jewish, and queer identity to bring an adventurous cultural context to hard science. Through accessible explanations of theoretical physics concepts like relativity, dark matter, and quantum mechanics, and drawing parallels with ideas drawn from literature, Hebrew spirituality, and Indigenous folklore, Prescod-Weinstein rescues physics from its white, male, heteronormative enclave while stressing inclusion, wonder, and joy. For fans of: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
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Otherworldly America: Explore the Most Unique Natural Wonders of the United States
by Jake Guzman
Travel across the United States and experience America's fascinating natural wonders. From glacier-covered peaks to windswept red-rock canyons, and moss-draped rainforests to sun-soaked coasts, Otherworldly America reveals the country's most breathtaking landscapes. Join nature photographer Jake Guzman as he explores hidden backcountry spots, iconic national parks, and overlooked state parks waiting to be discovered. Journey from Alaska's icy wilderness to Hawaii's tropical landscapes, through the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest, the towering Rockies, the dramatic Southwest, and the vibrant Northeast and Southeast. Each location comes alive with stunning imagery, hike recommendations, captivating stories, and photography tips, making the adventures to these places as compelling as the landscapes themselves. Locations featured include everything from Kenai Fjords National Park, Kaua'i, Mount Rainier National Park, the Oregon Coast, Death Valley National Park, Custer State Park, Devils Tower, Monument Valley, Coyote Buttes, Ship Rock, Florida Keys, and so much more This is a perfect book for outdoor enthusiasts, armchair travelers, and anyone seeking landscapes so extraordinary they feel otherworldly--no spaceship required.
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The Ocean Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Oceans
by DK
Immerse yourself in this beautiful, absorbing guide to the marine world. Earth owes its identity as the blue planet to the vast oceans of water that cover almost 70 percent of its surface. Home to an abundance of marine life and vital in regulating Earth's climate, the oceans are also the scene of daring exploits of exploration, intense rivalries between trading empires, and global warfare. Combining arresting photography; rich illustrations; and engaging, expertly written text, The Ocean Book showcases the landscapes; plants and animals; and captivating human stories of the world's oceans. Whether you're interested in blue whales, the El Niäno climate oscillation, thesearch for the Northwest Passage, the sinking of Titanic, or pirates, this is the perfect exploration of the ocean realm.-- Provided by publisher.
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Beyond Inheritance: Our Ever-Mutating Cells and a New Understanding of Health
by Roxanne Khamsi
Science journalist Roxanne Khamsi’s well-researched debut offers a peek at cutting-edge genetics and the idea that our DNA is not static, as previously thought, but constantly mutating, in as many as trillions of occurrences daily. Geneticists hope that better understanding these naturally occurring mutations will give us a window into the cause of genetic diseases like cancer and, more importantly, how best to treat them. For a similar read, try From One Cell: A Journey into Life’s Origins and the Future of Medicine by Ben Stanger.
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The Art of Biodiversity: Artists & Naturalists, 1700-1900
by Eric Himmel
Strikingly original and abundantly illustrated, The Art of Biodiversity surveys the golden age of natural history art, exploring the alliance between scientists and artists that first revealed the astonishing diversity of life on Earth.With more than 330 color illustrations of surpassing beauty, this book reveals a story about art that's not in the art history books, and a story about science that's missing from histories of science. Here, such giants as Linnaeus, Buffon, Cuvier, Humboldt, and Darwin cross paths with superb artists, including Merian, Redout , Audubon, and Haeckel, among many others.An essential visual companion to popular narratives like Andrea Wulf's The Invention of Nature and Jason Roberts's Every Living Thing, this volume provides a definitive archival record of the era that defined modern biology.Between 1700 and 1900, an art movement unveiled nature's great secret: the global diversity of life-forms. Centuries before the word biodiversity existed, naturalists began to glimpse the reality that lay behind Charles Darwin's lyrical evocation of nature's endless forms most beautiful.The naturalists recruited artists to create a family album of Earth, with every picture a precise drawing of a species of plant or animal, and so science and art, for the first and last time, went exploring together.This art first appeared in vividly illustrated books that, in a world without photography or film, offered readers a vastly expanded vision of nature. The Art of Biodiversity introduces the reader to the extraordinary men and women who created these books. They focused exquisite artistic skills on nature, traded in exotic seashells and butterflies, collected bird and monkey specimens in tropical rainforests, dredged strange invertebrates from the depths of the ocean, peered through magnifying lenses at insects, and dug prehistoric bones out of the earth.After sinking out of sight in the twentieth century, biodiversity art resurfaced in the twenty-first in myriad forms that reach millions of people on the Internet, as the natural history books in the world's great libraries were digitized and made available to all.Chronicling the only art movement that successfully aligned the goals of art and science, for the transcendent purpose of documenting and understanding the natural world, The Art of Biodiversity is a must-have for historians of science, collectors of botanical and zoological art, and anyone captivated by the enduring beauty of the living world.
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Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter
by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* America's favorite astrophysicist has written the most entertaining and universally appealing book of his stellar career: a practical guide for dealing with Alien visitors, an exploration of how it might happen, and a cultural history of our fascination with extraterrestrials. Close encounters of the hilarious kind --Kirkus Reviews It's the perfect pocket-sized hardback that offers up Tyson's witty thoughts regarding alien abductions, UAP sightings, and flying saucer lore, as seen through his unique commonsensical delivery. -Space.com Ever since childhood, writes Neil deGrasse Tyson, I've wanted to be abducted by Aliens. Take Me to Your Leader is the culmination of a lifetime of fascination, speculation, and the amassing of scientific data about the possibility of Aliens visiting Earth. Drawing on a wealth of depictions from history, literature, pop culture, and film, Tyson applies the universal laws of physics to make the case for what Aliens might look like, act like, how they might travel through the universe to reach us, and what they might think of us upon arrival. Should such an event occur, Tyson further offers useful etiquette tips for your first close encounter. If you've ever wondered why there are so many UFO sightings, or whether Aliens might already be among us, Tyson offers an informed perspective that is both factual and fun. Take Me to Your Leader is a tantalizing exploration of what would be the most mind-blowing experience of your life--the book for anyone who has ever wondered: Are we alone?
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Heart of the Hive: Inside the Mind of the Honey Bee and the Incredible Life Force of the Colony
by Hilary Kearney; photography by Eric Tourneret
Master beekeeper and honey bee enthusiast Hilary Kearney has teamed up with bee photographer Eric Tourneret to deliver a revealing glimpse into honey bee behavior. Heart of the Hive shows how a beehive and its denizens function as a superorganism in arrestingly detailed images. Bee fans will be buzzing! If you like this, check out Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps by Seirian Sumner.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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