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Nature and Science October 2020
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Salmon : a fish, the earth, and the history of a common fate
by Mark Kurlansky
Complemented by historical and contemporary photos, a tribute to salmon by the best-selling author of Cod reveals how the survival of the species has become inextricably tied to the fate of the natural world. Illustrations. Tour. Bibliography. Index.
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| The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie MackWhat it is: theoretical cosmologist Katie Mack's engaging survey of five potential ways in which the universe could end: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay, and the Bounce.
Reviewers say: a "rollicking tour through the nooks and crannies of physics" (New Scientist).
Further reading: Bob Berman's Earth-Shattering (for those interested in cosmic cataclysms); Brian Greene's Until the End of Time (for a more philosophical take on cosmology). |
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| The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir by Sara SeagerWhat it is: the memoir of a planetary astrophysicist that weaves together her Canadian childhood, her career in physics, her marriage and widowhood, and her later-in-life autism diagnosis.
About the author: astrophysicist Sara Seager is a recipient of the Sackler International Prize in Physics and a MacArthur Fellowship.
You might also like: the intimate blend of science writing and memoir found in Sarah Stewart Johnson's The Sirens of Mars, Hope Jahren's Lab Girl, or Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz's The Dance of Life. |
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Apocalypse never : why environmental alarmism hurts us all
by Michael Shellenberger
An environmental expert unleashes a scientific, fact-based broadside against eco-alarmism and the excesses of the left, arguing that climate change and other environmental problems are real but not apocalyptic and require practical, not radical, solutions. 25,000 first printing.
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The citizen's guide to climate success : overcoming myths that hinder progress
by Mark Kenneth Jaccard
"In the summer of 1990, as he announced his army's surprise invasion of Kuwait, the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein told his people that the neighboring oil-rich country was rightfully theirs. Many believed him. When he announced Kuwait's annexation, as Iraq's 19th province, they celebrated with patriotic fervor"
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Focus on: The Lighter Side of Science
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| Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death by Caitlin Doughty; illustrated by Dianne RuzThe premise: a mortician answers children's questions about death in an engaging and matter-of-fact style.
About the author: Funeral director Caitlin Doughty is the creator of the web series "Ask a Mortician" and the author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity.
So...will your cat eat your eyeballs? Not immediately. (Not when there are tastier tidbits like eyelids.) |
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| Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances that Flow Through Our Lives by Mark MiodownikWhat it's about: Having tackled solids in Stuff Matters, materials scientist Mark Miodownik introduces readers to the unique properties of liquids from the confines of an airplane cabin during a transatlantic flight.
Why you might like it: Filled with fascinating facts (airplanes are essentially glued together), this accessible book pairs scientific principles (viscosity, vaporization) and their real-life applications (how ballpoint pens work, brewing the perfect cup of tea). |
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How to : absurd scientific advice for common real-world problems
by Randall Munroe
The creator of the web comic xkcd and best-selling author of What If? and Thing Explainer shares inadvisable advice for responding to today’s problems, from using social-media for weather forecasts to powering a home by destroying the fabric of space-time. Illustrations.
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Caesar's last breath : decoding the secrets of the air around us
by Sam Kean
An engaging round-the-globe journey through the periodic table explains how the air we breathe reflects the world's history, tracing the origins and ingredients of the atmosphere to explain air's role in reshaping continents, steering human progress and powering revolutions. 75,000 first printing.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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