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Nature and Science June 2019
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| Down from the Mountain: The Life and Death of a Grizzly Bear by Bryce AndrewsWho is she? Millie, a 500-pound grizzly sow (and mother of two cubs) from Montana's Mission Valley.
What does she want? Corn! Montana's grizzly bear population is addicted to the crop, which lures them from their isolated habitats into more populous areas, resulting in conflicts with local farmers.
You might also like: Nate Blakeslee's American Wolf, which similarly explores tensions between humans and wildlife by recounting the life and death of a charismatic animal. |
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| Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste by Nolan GasserWhat it's about: the science of music (what it is) and the sociology of musical taste (why we like what we like and what it says about us).
About the author: Musicologist Nolan Gasser is the architect of Pandora’s Music Genome Project.
Is it for you? Readers with some background in music theory or practice will get the most out of this eclectic and comprehensive book. |
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| Sprout Lands: Tending the Endless Gift of Trees by William Bryant LoganWhat it is: an arborist's lyrical examination of the lost arts of coppicing and pollarding, tree pruning techniques that once formed the basis of a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and trees.
What sets it apart: the author's travels to California, Japan, Norway, and the Basque country to learn firsthand about traditional forest management practices.
For fans of: Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees. |
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| The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall by Mark W. MoffettWhat it's about: the development of human civilization from "individual recognition societies" characterized by small and intimate groups (think chimpanzees) to modern-day "collective marker" societies based on distinctions between in-groups and out-groups.
Further reading: For other recent perspectives on this topic, check out Edward O. Wilson's Genesis: The Deep Origins of Societies or Nicholas A. Christakis' Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society. |
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| Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World by M.R. O'ConnorWhat it is: a multidisciplinary examination of wayfinding, which includes spatial orientation, navigation, perception, and culturally specific practices of interacting with one's environment.
What else it is: a thought-provoking book that frames maps, compasses, and other navigation technologies as tools of European imperialism.
Read it for: the author's interactions with experts in traditional navigation from the Arctic, Australia, and the South Pacific. |
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| Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe by Steven StrogatzWhat it is: an applied mathematician's surprisingly accessible guide to calculus, which outlines its basic concepts while recounting its history.
Food for thought: "If anything deserves to be called the secret of the universe, calculus is it."
You might also like: Mathematician Amir Alexander's similarly engaging Infinitesimal, which also explores a world-changing concept. |
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| Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. SapolskyWhat it is: an interdisciplinary study of human behavior by neurobiologist and primatologist Robert Sapolsky.
What it does: Behave explores human behavior by taking a single (re)action and examining what's going on in the brain and body in the seconds, minutes, hours, days, and even years before it occurs.
Don't miss: the author's top ten strategies for reducing violence in our species. |
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The Big Nine : how the tech titans and their thinking machines could warp humanity
by Amy Webb
What it is: The author of The Signals Are Talking presents a call-to-arms about the broken nature of artificial intelligence and the powerful corporations that are turning the human-machine relationship on its head.
What reviewers say: "This fascinating look at how AI will continue to revolutionize human experiences in unimaginable ways will appeal to anyone interested in AI, human-computer interactions, and machine learning in the private and public sectors."
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Evil : the science behind humanity's dark side
by Julia Shaw
What it is: Academic case studies, examples from popular culture and anecdotes from everyday life used to determine exactly what constitutes the concept of "evil."
About the Author: A psychologist and regular contributor to Scientific American, Dr. Julia Shaw is an honorary research associate at the University College London. Born in Germany and raised in Canada, she has a MS in psychology and law and a PhD in psychology from the University of British Columbia.
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The workshop and the world : what ten thinkers can teach us about science and authority
by Robert P Crease
What it is: An examination of 10 of the world's greatest and most provocative thinkers, including Francis Bacon and Galileo Galilei, who faced fierce opposition and risked their lives to prove their discoveries and theories.
What reviewers say: "At a time when science is ignored, dismissed, and even actively defied, we can all benefit from this study by Crease, chair of Stony Brook's philosophy department. Moving from the challenge tossed at the all-powerful Church by Bacon, Galileo, and Descartes to Atatürk's and Arendt's connection of science to the public at large, Crease shows us what key thinkers have shaped our understanding of science and when and how scientific discoveries become accepted—ultimately exploring the role of authority in our lives."
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