A major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works
 
Earth’s natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change—a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze—caused...

Describes the weirdness of space travel, answers questions about the long-term effects of living in zero gravity on the human body, and explains how space simulations on Earth can provide a preview to life in space.

"Thirteen flies become tasty snacks in this clever reverse counting book about predators and prey. Science meets subtraction as a swarm of flies buzzes along, losing one member to each predator along the way. Includes a guide to eating bugs, complete withnutritional information for a single serving of flies."--

Offers a look at how the impact of a giant asteroid changed the planet and may have caused the extinction of the massive beasts who ruled the planet for millions of years.

"A path-breaking journey into the brain, showing how perception, thought, and action are products of "maps" etched into your gray matter-and how technology can use them to read your mind"--

"Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for the only free nation in the world: Mara. A refugee, Talin knows firsthand the horrors of the Federation, a world-dominating war machine responsible for destroying nation after nation with its terrifying army of mutant beasts known only as Ghosts. But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara's capital, Talin senses there's more to him than...

On the 50th anniversary of the publication of Edward Abbey's Desert solitaire: a season in the wilderness, author Amy Irvine has produced a clutch of essays in praise of Abbey's work, and also as a correction to some of his dated and offensive attitudes.

In our unique genomes, every one of us carries the story of our species--births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration, and a lot of sex. But those stories have always been locked away--until now. Who are our ancestors? Where did they come from? Geneticists have suddenly become historians, and the hard evidence in our DNA has blown the lid off what we thought we knew. Acclaimed science writer Adam Rutherford explains exactly how genomics is completely...

"The discovery of cells--and the reframing of the human body as a cellular ecosystem--announced the birth of a new kind of medicine based on the therapeutic manipulations of cells. A hip fracture, a cardiac arrest, Alzheimer's, dementia, AIDS, pneumonia, lung cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, COVID--all could be viewed as the results of cells, or systems of cells, functioning abnormally. And all could be perceived as loci of cellular therapies. In...

Deep in the Central African Republic, forest elephants trumpet and rumble along with the forest's symphony. And scientists are listening. Scientist Katy Payne started Cornell University's Elephant Listening Project to learn more about how forest elephants communicate and what they're saying. But the project soon grew to be about so much more. Poaching, logging, mining, and increasing human populations threaten the survival of forest elephants. Katy...