Nature and Science
December 2025

Recent Releases
Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource
by Sam Bloch

It’s a simple, ancient idea whose time may have come again: if you want to cool down on a hot day, find some shade. Environmental journalist Sam Bloch argues for numerous strategies to use shade to offset the environmental impact of air conditioning in urban heat islands but also discusses the associated cost and policy barriers in this thoughtful, urgent book. For more on this topic, try Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie.
The Story of CO₂ is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World
by Peter Brannen

Science 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: The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance by Dan Egan.
The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us About How to Live Well With the Rest of Life
by Rob Dunn

The evolution of life is mainly a story of competition. But this has caused scientists to miss the cooperation between organisms happening everywhere in nature. These “mutualisms” (mutually beneficial relationships between species) occur between animals and plants of all types on every continent, and biologist Rob Dunn’s vivid descriptions enable the reader to envision the complex interdependencies in nature’s ecosystems in his “triumph of popular science” (Publishers Weekly).
The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs
by Gerta Keller

In geologist Gerta Keller’s debut book, she shares her groundbreaking theory that the extinction of the dinosaurs did not stem from an asteroid colliding with Earth, but rather from extreme volcanic activity in present-day India. At first facing widespread criticism and now widely accepted as fact, her work is accessibly presented in a book that foregrounds women scientists and the difficulty of overturning entrenched theories. Try this next: Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds by Thomas Halliday.
The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work, and Live
by Alan Lightman & Martin Rees

Physicist Alan Lightman and cosmologist Martin Rees mount a persuasive argument for trusting good science. By introducing readers to prominent scientists in various disciplines and showing the impact of the scientific method on everyday life, the authors hope to demonstrate the value of scientific research in policy-making and discourage the current rise in anti-science rhetoric. For fans of: The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis.
Horses: A 4,000-Year Genetic Journey Across the World
by Ludovic Orlando

For geneticist Ludovic Orlando, what began as an investigation into a famous racehorse that died a century ago turned into a global collaborative study on the 4,000-year history of humans and horses. Including the novel theory that human domestication of horses began independently in several places scattered across Europe and Asia, Orlando’s book is brimming with data but still “a captivating, smooth ride” (Kirkus Reviews). For readers who enjoyed A Short History of the Honey Bee: Humans, Flowers, and Bees in the Eternal Chase for Honey by Ed Readicker-Henderson.
The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics
by Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH and Mark Olshaker

Not 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.
The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters
by Christine Webb

Primatologist 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).
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All
by Eliezer Yudkowsky & Nate Soares

AI 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 human extinction, check out The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire by Henry Gee.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Forsyth County Public Library
770-781-9840 | ForsythPL.org