Science & Nature
Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of recent adult nonfiction books about science and the natural world, written in an engaging and accessible style for the layperson. (July 2022)
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Fresh Banana Leaves
An environmental scientist exposes how capitalism and colonialism have ravaged native landscapes and cultures, and explores how Indigenous practices can help restore the natural world.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Sentient
A zoologist examines the extraordinary sensory capabilities of 13 different animals, drawing interesting connections to human traits.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Blue
A science journalist investigates the history and science of the color blue in the natural world.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Arbornaut
An account of a scientist’s adventures exploring forest canopies, interspersed with histories of various tree species and the vast diversity of life they support.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Beloved Beasts
A lively account of the conservation movement in the U.S. over the last 150 years, not shying away from exposing racism and colonialism.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Chimpanzee Whisperer
Memoir of a leading chimpanzee behavior specialist and conservationist in Uganda.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Journey of the Mind
Neuroscientists survey the development of consciousness in creatures ranging from bacteria to tortoises to humans, with a focus on the mathematical principles driving this growth.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Beasts Before Us
A paleontologist uses recent fossil discoveries to shed new light on the prehistoric ancestries of mammals (and the key evolutionary role played by miniaturization).
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Horizons
A history of science focusing on the major discoveries and contributions by scientists in Asia, Africa and the ancient Americas.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Disordered Cosmos
A leading physicist provides a lucid introduction to theoretical astrophysics while also exploring her own role as a Black scientist building a more inclusive STEM culture.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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