Nature and ScienceOctober 2024 Recent Releases
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| When the Ice Is Gone: What a Greenland Ice Core Reveals About Earth's Tumultuous... by Paul BiermanEnvironmental science professor Paul Bierman’s “frightening yet excellent” (Kirkus Reviews) debut explores the study of ice core samples collected from Greenland’s glacier to reveal that this ice floe has completely melted within the last million years. Books on related topics include: Bjorn Vassnes’ Kingdom of Frost; William E. Glassley’s A Wilder Time. |
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| The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins... by Nathalie A. CabrolIn this imagination-sparking read, astrobiologist Nathalie Cabrol explores planets both within and outside of our solar system. Her galactic guided tour of the places most likely to harbor other forms of life is "propelled by both curiosity and awe" (Booklist). Continue in this vein with: Adam Frank’s Light of the Stars; Lisa Kaltenegger’s Alien Earths. |
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| Accidental Astronomy: How Random Discoveries Shape the Science of Space by Chris LintottChris Lintott’s entertaining history of astronomy highlights how haphazard that pursuit has been across the centuries, with early scientists relying on intelligent guesswork in the absence of data. His detailed study offers an “entertaining astronomical miscellany” (Kirkus Reviews) about the continuously unfolding nature of a slippery science. Still curious? Try: Space Oddities by Harry Cliff; Universal by Brian Cox. |
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| Superconvergence: How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform... by Jamie MetzlFuturist Jamie Metzl lays out both the promise and the challenge of navigating rapid innovation on three fronts: biotechnology, genome mapping, and artificial intelligence. Metzl is enthusiastic about the mind-boggling possibilities but frank about the difficulties of minimizing the risks of runaway tech. Readers interested in science policy should also check out: Beth Shapiro’s Life As We Made It; Mustafa Suleyman’s The Coming Wave. |
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| The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi by Boyce UpholtBoyce Upholt’s debut is a “majestic history” (Publishers Weekly) of the mighty Mississippi River, spanning from its dramatic formation through modern attempts to tame and alter it, including perspectives from the many Indigenous cultures that have lived along its banks. Those hungering for more atmospheric river stories should try: Leon McCarron’s Wounded Tigris; Laurence C. Smith’s Rivers of Power. |
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| Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party: How an Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered... by Edward DolnickScience writer Edward Dolnick presents an “engrossing confluence of science and history” (Kirkus Reviews), discussing the stimulating conversation among scientists in the early 19th century about the origin of dinosaur bones that were turning up all over the world. Readers smitten by dinosaurs and discoveries would also like: Stephen Brusatte’s The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs; R.D.E. MacPhee’s End of the Megafauna. |
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| Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life by Ferris JabrScience journalist Ferris Jabr’s debut looks at the symbiotic nature of life on Earth and its connection to the planet itself. His intriguing perspective envisions pollution and climate change as illnesses troubling a planetary organism in a “beautifully written, exquisitely detailed” (Booklist) read. For more environmental popular science, try: Karen Pinchin’s Kings of Their Own Ocean; Greg King’s The Ghost Forest. |
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| Origin Story: The Trials of Charles Darwin by Howard MarkelHoward Markel’s biographical account of Charles Darwin’s publication of The Origin of Species focuses on the contentious arguments among Darwin’s peers when his theories were introduced, as well as his debilitating stomach ailments which some scholars attribute to stress from all the harsh criticism. Other noteworthy histories of science include: Tripping on Utopia by Benjamin Breen; Radical by Nature by James T. Costa. |
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| Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin, and the Battle Between Science and Religion by Michael TaylorIn this science history focused on England in the 19th century, Michael Taylor recounts how fossil discoveries sparked furious debates between proponents of creationism and supporters of evolution, marking an abrupt transition when society “shifted from religious certainty to scientific inquiry” (Kirkus Reviews). More great books chronicling this shift include: Evolution by Edward J. Larson; Reading the Rocks by Brenda Maddox. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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