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Nature and Science June 2020
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| Nerve: Adventures in the Science of Fear by Eva HollandWhat it's about: When the thing she dreads most comes to pass, journalist Eva Holland embarks on a quest to understand the nature of fear by examining current scientific research, interviewing experts, and confronting some of her personal phobias.
What you'll learn: why we feel fear, what it does to the brain, and strategies for living with it ("overcoming" fear isn't really an option).
For fans of: the immersive, first-person reporting of Mary Roach. |
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| Galileo and the Science Deniers by Mario LivioWhat it is: a biography of Renaissance scientist Galileo Galilei.
What sets it apart: Astrophysicist Mario Livio offers a scientist's perspective on Galileo's achievements while drawing parallels between Galileo's era and our own.
Did you know? Despite his dedication to understanding the world through the collection of empirical data, Galileo had a keen interest in astrology, regularly casting horoscopes. |
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| Trees in Trouble: Wildfires, Infestations, and Climate Change by Daniel MathewsStarring: the pine forests of the western United States, pushed to the brink by beetle infestations, diseases, and wildfires -- all of which are exacerbated by the greatest threat of all: climate change.
Try these next: Michael Kodas' Megafire, which traces the rise of large-scale, high-intensity wildfires; Lauren Oakes' In Search of the Canary Tree, which uses a single species to examine the myriad threats to North America's forests. |
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| Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace by Carl SafinaThe premise: Animals learn how to be animals from other members of their social groups, suggesting that culture isn't exclusively a human invention.
Contains: observations of sperm whales ("Raising Families"), scarlet macaws ("Creating Beauty"), and chimpanzees ("Achieving Peace")
Reviewers say: Biologist Carl Safina's latest combines "the knowledge of a seasoned scientist with the skills of a good storyteller" (NPR). |
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| Biography of Resistance: The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens by Muhammad H. Zaman, Ph.D.What it's about: the emergence of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs," a problem that humans created but may not be able to solve.
Did you know? Some 35,000 people in the U.S. die every year from multi-drug-resistant infections; worldwide, such infections claim more lives than breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, or complications from diabetes.
Further reading: Matt McCarthy's Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic. |
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The story of more : how we got to climate change and where to go from here
by Hope Jahren
What it is: an award-winning geobiologist recognized by Time as one of the most influential people in the world describes how the science behind key inventions has helped us, but ultimately hurt the earth, and offers science-based tools for fighting back.
Why read it? At once an explainer on the mechanisms of warming and a capsule history of human development, The Story of More illuminates the link between our consumption habits and our endangered earth. It is the essential pocket primer on climate change that will leave an indelible impact on everyone who reads it.
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Insects of the World : A Fully Illustrated Guide To The Planet's Most Populous Group Of Animals
by Paul Zborowski
What it is: a photographic guide to the fascinating diverse insect families of the world that encompasses all key families, including the likes of butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, ants, bees and so on.
About the author: Paul Zborowski is an entomologist and photographer based in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area of Queensland. He has studied and photographed insect behavior around the world and now concentrates on maintaining a macro photo collection.
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| Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson; translated by Lucy Moffatt; illustrated by Tuva Sverdrup-ThygesonWhat it is: an entomologist's engaging, ultimately hopeful meditation on the importance of insects, enhanced with delicate pencil illustrations.
So why DO we need them? Without them, the planet would die (and, with it, us.)
Food for thought: "We have a moral duty to take the best possible care of our planet's myriad creatures, including those that do not engage in visible value creation..." |
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