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Nature and Science August 2025 |
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| More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to... by Adam BeckerMany of today’s tech industry leaders advance wildly optimistic visions of a future in which people will live on Mars, become immortal, and exist in simulation. Interrogating these scenarios with real science, journalist Adam Becker runs through the multitude of reasons why they aren’t achievable, and why we wouldn’t want them to be. Try this next: Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis. |
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| Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software by Darryl CampbellTech insider Darryl Campbell concludes that the era of ubiquitous computing has so far failed to deliver on its promise to humanity due to lack of oversight and profit-obsessed executives. Without sweeping industry regulations, Campbell foresees a time when applications actually impede human well-being in this “disturbing look at the evolution of digital technology” (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Making the best of what's left : when we're too old to get the chairs reupholstered
by Judith Viorst
"Viorst writes about life's 'Final Fifth,' those who are eighty to one hundred years old. Her signature blend of humor and vulnerability infuses personal anecdotes and observations, drawing you into her world of memories and candid conversations...And she explores the late-life meanings of wisdom and happiness and second chances and home. With a wit that defies age, Viorst navigates the terrain of loss"
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Insect anatomy / : The Curious World of Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, and Bugs
by Julia Rothman
"Millions of species of insects fly, crawl, dig, swarm, and eat on every continent. Our very existence depends on them; without pollinators, we would have no food, and without decomposers, the world would be covered in decaying plant and animal material.With her signature style, Julia Rothman delves into this incredible world, uncovering amazing facts about bees, beetles, butterflies, and so much more"-- Provided by publisher
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| Slither: How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World by Stephen S. HallScience writer Stephen S. Hall has been fascinated by snakes since childhood, and his enthusiasm comes through in this sweeping overview of all things herpetological. Hall covers topics including people’s fear of snakes, snake venom, locomotion, evolutionary history, religious symbolism, and the ease with which snakes adapt to their surroundings. An enticing choice for snake lovers (and haters!). |
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The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street
by Mike Tidwell
Travel writer Mike Tidwell examines the impacts of climate change in his own Maryland suburb. Telling the story through interactions with his neighbors, all of whom had a stake in the die-off of their street’s stately old oaks, Tidwell inspires while sharing various neighborhood responses to problems both local and global. Other accessible reads about climate threats and activism include Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince and California Against the Sea by Rosanna Xia.
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| Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum by Daniel TammetEssayist and memoirist Daniel Tammet, a writer who is himself on the autism spectrum, focuses on the lives of nine autistic individuals, highlighting the diversity of their various talents. It’s a sweeping and inspiring own voices journey that “captures the unique modes of autistic thought with sensitivity and lyrical flair” (Publishers Weekly). For fans of: We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation by Eric Garcia. |
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Out of this world and into the next : a physicist's guide to space exploration
by Adriana Marais
"This is a theoretical physicist's grand tour of how life emerged on Earth and, perhaps most importantly, how human civilization will begin expanding beyond our home planet. According to Dr. Adriana Marais, living on more than one planet is an inevitability of becoming a more advanced society, but the process of getting there will provide us with the essential tools for better stewardship of our own. In this sweeping treatise on exploration, innovation, and human ingenuity, theoretical physicist Dr. Adriana Marais seeks to answer the questions that stand at the heart of scientific endeavor: What are the building blocks of life and how does life emerge? Are we alone in the universe and if so, why? How did we get here-and where are we going next?"
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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