Nature and Science
February 2023
Recent Releases
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency
by Andy Greenberg

Follow the money: Journalist Andy Greenberg (Sandworm) profiles the federal officials, cryptographers, and security experts who trace cryptocurrency transactions to shut down darkweb markets.

You might also like: the thriller-like blend of true crime and technology reporting found in Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden's The Ransomware Hunting Team, or Nick Bilton's American Kingpin.
Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics
by Adam Rutherford

What it's about: Geneticist Adam Rutherford explores the history of eugenics, "a political ideology that was shackled to genetics," from its Victorian origins to its present-day manifestations.

About the author: Rutherford has tackled genetics-influenced pseudoscience before in How to Talk to a Racist: What Our Genes Do (and Don't) Say About Human Difference.
The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments...
by Suzie Sheehy

Contains: 12 groundbreaking physics experiments of the 20th century and their far-reaching impact on both our understanding of the universe and our everyday lives. 

Read it for: author and physicist Suzie Sheehy's accessible explanations of complex topics, as well as her inclusion of women and people of color whose contributions to science are often overlooked.

For fans of: Brian Clegg's Ten Days In Physics That Shook the World. 
Intraconnected : mwe (me + we) as the integration of self, identity, and belonging
by Daniel J. Siegel

"Both a personal and general meditation on identity and belonging, Daniel J. Siegel's book combines personal reflections with scientific discussions of how the mind, brain, and our relationships shape who we are. Weaving the internal and external, the subjective and objective, IntraConnected reveals how our culture may give us a message of separation as a solo, isolated self, but a wider perspective unveils that who we are may be something more--broader than the brain, bigger even than the body--and fundamental to social systems and the natural world"
Awe : the new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life
by Dacher Keltner

"From professor of psychology at U. C. Berkeley and one of the foremost experts on the science of emotions comes a groundbreaking and essential exploration into the history, science, and understanding of awe, and a guide for how we might all cultivate a deeper sense of awe and transform our lives and our world Awe, one of the most elusive emotions, is hard to pin down. How do we begin to measure the goosebumps we feel when we first see the Grand Canyon, or the utter amazement when we watch a child walk for the first time? How do you put into words the collective effervescence of standing in a crowd and singing in unison, or the wonder you feel while gazing at centuries-old works of art? Up until fifteen years ago, we didn't know how to measure awe, the feeling we get when encountering vast mysteries that transcend our understanding of the world. Scientists were studying emotions like fear and disgust, emotions that seemed essential to how the human race endures. But recently, we've come to realize that through the span of evolution, we meet our most basic needs socially. We survive thanks to our capacities to cooperate, form communities, and create culture that strengthen our sense of shared identity - actions that are sparked and spurred by awe. In AWE,Dacher Keltner, one of the leading experts on the science of emotions, presents a radical investigation and deeply personal inquiry into awe. Revealing new research into how awe transforms our brains and bodies, alongside an examination of awe across history, culture, and within his own life, Keltner shows us how awe leads us to appreciate what is most humane in our human nature. And during a moment in which our world feels more divided than ever before, we need a story of awe, an invitation to cultivateawe in our everyday life as an antidote. If we open our minds, it is awe that sharpens our reasoning and orients us towards big ideas and new insights, that cools our immune system's inflammation response and strengthens our bodies. It is awe that activates our inclination to share and create strong networks, to take actions that are good for the world around us. It is awe that transforms who we are, that inspires the creation of art, music, and religion. At turns radical and profound, brimming with enlightening and practical insights into the power of awe, AWE is both an invitation and a field guide, from not only one of the leading voices on the subject, but a fellow seeker of awe in his own right, to place awe as a vital force within our lives"
Engineering in plain sight : an illustrated field guide to the constructed environment
by Grady Hillhouse

"This illustrated book extends the field guide genre from natural phenomena to human-made structures, making their design and construction approachable and understandable to non-engineers. Readers will learn to identify characteristics of the electrical grid, roadways, railways, bridges, tunnels, waterways, and more"
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