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Nature and Science February 2019
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Searching for stars on an island in Maine
by Alan P. Lightman
What it's about: A lyrical meditation on religion and science as they relate to the human yearning for permanence and certainty in spite of discoveries that prove the world's impermanent and uncertain nature.
About the author: Alan P. Lightman is a writer, physist and social entrepreneur. He has written other books including "Einstein's Dreams" and "In Praise of Wasting Time".
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Darwin comes to town : how the urban jungle drives evolution
by Menno Schilthuizen
What it's about: An evolutionary biologist explains how scientists are discovering that evolution can actually happen very quickly in the most unlikely of places—the heart of the city. The book provides a glimmer of hope that our race to over population might not take the rest of nature down with us.
About the author: Menno Schilthuizen is an urban ecologist who studies manmade environments.
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How to be a good creature : a memoir in thirteen animals
by Sy Montgomery
What it's about: A National Book Award finalist discusses the personalities and quirks of 13 animals—her friends—who have profoundly affected her, in a poetic and life-affirming memoir.
About the author: Sy Montgomery is a naturalist, author and scriptwriter who writes for children as well as adults. She is the author of 28 books.
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Rising : dispatches from the new American shore
by Elizabeth A. Rush
What it's about: A journalist, weaving firsthand accounts from the people and places imperiled by climate change in the United States. Today, she takes readers to the places hardest hit by the rising seas, which are transforming the coastline of the U.S. in irrevocable ways.
About the author: Elizabeth Rush explores how humans adapt to changes enacted upon them by forces seemingly beyond their control. In 2019 she will serve as Antarctic Artist and Writer in Residence for the National Science Foundation.
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The end of ice : bearing witness and finding meaning in the path of climate disruption
by Dahr Jamail
What it's about: The prize-winning author of Beyond the Green Zone describes his visits to such global hotspots as Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rain forest. He explores how humans will cope with the planet's radically changing ecosystems.
About the author: Dahr Jamail is an award winning American Journalist who has reported many different topics including Iraqi war, US veteran's resistance against US foreign policy, and is now focusing on disruptions caused by climate change.
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| What It's Like to be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience by Gregory BernsWhat it's about: Human and canine brains show striking structural similarities, offering intriguing hints about dogs' emotional lives.
About the author: To study the canine brain, neuroscientist Gregory Berns trained dogs to climb into MRI machines. And his training regimen is almost as fascinating as his research findings.
For fans of: John Bradshaw's Dog Sense or Alexandra Horowitz's Inside of a Dog. |
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Another good dog : one family and fifty foster dogs
by Cara Sue Achterberg
What it's about: Fifty foster dogs! The author describes her decision to convert her Pennsylvania farm into a foster home for dogs, recounting her experiences with dozens of remarkable canines throughout her first two years.
About the author: Cara Sue Achterberg is a writer, blogger, and occasional cowgirl who lives on a farm in South Central, Pennsylvania.
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| The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History by Brian FaganWhat it is: a thought-provoking history of the human-animal bond from prehistoric times to the present.
What sets it apart: Anthropologist Brian Fagan examines the process of domestication in dogs, goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, donkeys, horses, and camels. (The not-quite-domesticated cat gets a mention, too.)
Don't miss: discussions of the role of animal domestication in creating and maintaining social hierarchies. |
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| Domesticated: Evolution in a Man-Made World by Richard C. FrancisWhat it's about: Drawing on current research, science writer Richard C. Francis demonstrates that domestication is an evolutionary process.
Who it's for: readers with a basic understanding of molecular genetics and evolutionary biology.
Want a taste? "The human population explosion has been bad for most other living things, but not so for those lucky enough to warrant domestication." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 9601 Capital Lane Largo, Maryland 20774 301-699-3500www.pgcmls.info/ |
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