Great Science and Nature books of the 21st CenturyLike this list

25 items

• The Death and Life of the Great Lakes

  Egan, Dan,

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  The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan examines the ecological threats facing the Great Lakes, which contain a significant portion of the world’s surface freshwater and support millions of people. Egan explains how human engineering…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Braiding Sweetgrass

  Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

  Kimmerer, Robin Wall,

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  Robin Wall Kimmerer combines Indigenous knowledge, scientific plant ecology, and personal experience to explore humanity’s relationship with nature. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she presents plants and animals as teachers and emphasizes the Indigenous…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Sixth Extinction

  An Unnatural History

  Kolbert, Elizabeth

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  Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fire in the Turtle House

  the Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of the Ocean

  Davidson, Osha Gray

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  Gives readers a startling perspective on the fate of the planet by taking them through time and tides on the back of a sea turtle, whose every species is today endangered or threatened.

• The Sports Gene

  Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance

  Epstein, David J., 1983-

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  The Sports Gene by David Epstein explores the complex relationship between genetics and training in determining athletic success. Epstein challenges the idea that athletic excellence comes solely from either natural talent or the “10,000-hour rule,”…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hidden Valley Road

  Inside the Mind of An American Family

  Kolker, Robert,

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  Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker tells the story of the Galvin family, an outwardly successful American family whose lives were devastated when six of their sons were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The family became a major focus of scientific…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Emperor of All Maladies

  a Biography of Cancer

  Mukherjee, Siddhartha,

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  In the years since Mukherjee dazzled readers with THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, much has changed in the universe of cancer--in our understanding of its causes; in our attempts to prevent it; and in the emerging and revolutionary new treatments,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• An Immense World

  How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

  Yong, Ed,

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  An Immense World by Ed Yong explores how different animals experience and perceive the world through unique sensory abilities. It reveals remarkable examples, from birds sensing Earth’s magnetic fields to spiders seeing the moon and crocodiles…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When Breath Becomes Air

  Kalanithi, Paul,

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  This memoir explores hope, beauty, and the meaning of life as a young, idealistic neurosurgeon confronts seemingly insurmountable challenges and seeks to understand what makes life truly worth living.

• The Tiger

  a True Story of Vengeance and Survival

  Vaillant, John

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  The Tiger by John Vaillant recounts the true story of a Siberian tiger that begins hunting humans in the Russian Far East, leading a team of trackers to pursue it through the harsh winter wilderness. The book also explores the region’s history, the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Book of Eels

  Our Enduring Fascination With the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

  Svensson, Patrik, 1972-

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  The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson explores the mysterious life of the European eel, an animal whose origins, reproduction, and migration remain surprisingly difficult to understand. Combining scientific research, history, and memories of fishing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Challenger

  a True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space

  Higginbotham, Adam,

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  Challenger by Adam Higginbotham tells the detailed story of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which killed all seven crew members just 73 seconds after launch. Drawing on extensive research, Higginbotham explores the lives of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• American Wolf

  a True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West

  Blakeslee, Nate, 1970-

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  American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee tells the story of O-Six, a celebrated Yellowstone wolf whose life and death symbolize the larger struggle over wolf conservation in the American West. The book follows O-Six as she leads her pack, raises her pups,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spillover

  Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic

  Quammen, David, 1948-

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  A masterpiece of science reporting that tracks the animal origins of emerging human diseases.

• Mountains Beyond Mountains

  the Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World

  Kidder, Tracy

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  Traces the efforts of Dr. Paul Farmer to transform healthcare on a global scale, documenting his visits to some of the world's most impoverished regions and the unconventional methods that enabled him to improve and save lives

• Owls of the Eastern Ice

  a Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl

  Slaght, Jonathan C.,

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  A young field scientist and conservationist tracks the elusive Blakiston's Fish Owl in the forbidding reaches of eastern Russia.

• Crossings

  How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet

  Goldfarb, Ben (Environmental journalist),

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  An eye-opening and witty account of the global ecological transformations wrought by roads, from an award-winning author. Some 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, but we tend to regard them only as infrastructure for human convenience.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finding the Mother Tree

  Simard, S. (Suzanne),

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  Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard combines scientific research with personal memoir to explore how trees communicate and support one another. Simard reveals that forests are interconnected communities, with “Mother Trees” playing a central…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

  Skloot, Rebecca, 1972-

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  Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Underworld

  Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean

  Casey, Susan, 1962-

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  The Underworld by Susan Casey explores the mysterious and largely unexplored world of the deep ocean, revealing its extraordinary landscapes, creatures, and ecosystems. Through journeys with scientists and explorers, Casey traces the history of…Read moreRead more of this annotation