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Nature and Science June 2021 |
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| The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds by Jon DunnWhat it's about: A photographer and avid birder's pole-to-pole quest to observe hummingbirds in their natural habitats.
Why you might like it: This "wondrous globe-trotting pilgrimage" (Publishers Weekly) interweaves natural history, folklore, and vivid accounts of hummingbird sightings.
You might also like: Sy Montgomery's The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings. |
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| The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything by Michio KakuWhat it's about: Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku describes the search for a "theory of everything" that will explain the physical universe, ideally in the form of a mathematical equation.
Reviewers say: "An illuminating mini-history of physics" (Kirkus Reviews).
For another perspective: Try Sabine Hossenfelder's Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray. |
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| A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew H. KnollWhat it is: Harvard geologist Andrew Knoll's concise and accessible survey of Earth's 4.6 billion year history.
Deep time: In this "expert primer" (Kirkus Reviews) complex organisms don't show up until the halfway point of the narrative, while humans appear only in the closing section. |
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| A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest... by Jonathan MeiburgIntroducing: The caracara, a.k.a. "Johnny rook," an endangered South American falcon relative with a reputation for being "curious, social, and brave, with many interests and few skills."
Best known for: Attempting to steal Charles Darwin's hat, inspiring Victorian naturalist (and Green Mansions author) William Henry Hudson.
About the author: When he's not out in the field researching caracaras, Jonathan Meiburg is a member of the band Shearwater. |
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| Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne SimardWhat it's about: Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard describes how trees utilize extensive mycorrhizal (fungal) networks in order to communicate and cooperate with one another.
For fans of: Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees.
Did you know? Author Richard Powers based a character in his Puliter Prize-winning novel The Overstory on Simard. |
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| Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet by Chelsea WaldWhat it's about: The flush toilet, the aging and inefficient wastewater infrastructure that supports its existence, and the innovations that may usher in a new era of safe sanitation.
Did you know? That more than two million people in the United States live without running water and basic indoor plumbing? |
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| A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott WeidensaulWhat it's about: The science of bird migration, the technologies that are advancing field research, and the uncertain fate of migratory birds as humans destroy the planet.
Read it for: "Evocative passages and immersive scenes" (The New York Times) that place readers in the middle of the action.
About the author: Scott Weidensaul is the author of Living on the Wind, which was shortlisted for a Pulitzer Prize. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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