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. 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. Another revealing read on this topic: Alone Together by Sherry Turkle. Talk : The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves by Alison Wood Brooks This book examines the psychology of conversation, revealing how small improvements in communication—through topic management, question-asking, humor, and kindness—can significantly enhance both personal and professional relationships.  Brooks offers strategies based on new research to foster better understanding, creativity, and connection in various types of interactions, including face-to-face, digital and social media. For a similar read, try Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. Out of Your Mind: The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain by Jorge Cham & Dwayne Godwin Want a book about the complexities of the human brain that isn’t quite so…well, brainy? Author and cartoonist Jorge Cham teams with neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin to tackle the subject and answer some difficult questions in an amusing, upbeat, and accessible style, complete with illustrations. For another entertaining book about brain function, try The Brain by David Eagleman. 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: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe by Carl Safina. Supermassive : Black Holes at the Beginning and End of the Universe by James Trefil Explores the history, development, and mysteries of black holes, from Einstein's early theories to modern research on their visibility, cosmic effects, and connection to galaxies, while also delving into popular theories, scientific breakthroughs, and the enduring intrigue surrounding these enigmatic phenomena. Also try Einstein's Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes by Chris Impey. Creature Needs: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Conservation by Christopher Kondrich, Lucy Spelman, and Susan Tacent (editors) Creature Needs is an unusual collection of essays, stories, and poetry organized around the basic needs of survival: air, water, food, shelter, freedom of movement, and companionship. The writers explore these facets with both intellect and emotion in a way that “bridg[es] the gap between the worlds of science and art” (Library Journal). For more profound musings about the natural world, try Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. How To Feed the World: The History and Future of Food by Vaclav Smil Geography professor Vaclav Smil’s book about the world’s food supply, while sounding some alarms, takes an optimistic view provided we start implementing sustainable agricultural practices and changing food policy immediately, and provides abundant data to back up his arguments. For more information on this subject, check out Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino.  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: How the New Science of the Human Body is Changing the Way We Live by Daniel M. Davis and Immune: How Your Body Defends & Protects You by Catherine Carver. Contact your librarian for more great books! Forsyth County Public Library 770-781-9840 | ForsythPL.org