New in Science

"Updated for the first time in decades, this unparalleled reference work is the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to the mushrooms of North America, reflecting the impact of climate change and the advancements in DNA sequencing that have radically altered the classification process-from the creators of the world's most trusted field guides, a go-to source for millions of nature lovers. This volume is the result of a collaboration among leading scientists, scholars, taxonomic and field experts, photo editors, and designers. An indispensable resource, it covers 668 species, with nearly 2,900 full-color photographs, revealing the astounding variety of forms, colors, and conditions in which mushrooms manifest all throughout North America. For ease of use, the book includes a glossary, an index, and a ribbon marker, and is organized according to the latest phylogenetic arrangement from the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life project. Each species features up to five vibrant photographs, to aid with identification, along with notes on range, season, spore print, look-alikes, conservation status, and more. Introductory essays explain the various parts of a mushroom--both above and below ground--common host trees, nomenclature and taxonomy, mushroom ecology, and the impacts of our changing climate"-- Provided by publisher.

"Updated for the first time in decades, this unparalleled reference work is the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to the wildflowers of North America, reflecting the impact of climate change and the advancements in DNA studies that have radically altered the classification process-from the creators of the world's most trusted field guides, a go-to source for millions of nature lovers. This handsome volume is the result of a collaboration among leading scientists, scholars, taxonomic and field experts, photo editors, and designers. An indispensable resource, it covers 853 species of wildflowers, with nearly 5,200 full-color photographs. For ease of use, the book includes a glossary, an index, and a ribbon marker, and is organized according to the latest Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV classification system. Each species features up to five vibrant photographs, to aid with identification, along with notes on range, season, flowers, stems, fruit, conservation status, and more. Introductory essays give in-depth explanations of each part of a wildflower, and discuss nomenclature, invasive species, and the impacts of our changing climate"-- Provided by publisher.

Science journalist Sally Adee breaks open the field of bioelectricity--the electric currents that run through our bodies and every living thing--its misunderstood history, and why new discoveries will lead to new ways around antibiotic resistance, cleared arteries, and new ways to combat cancer.

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The "End of Illness comes" an ingenious guide to what our fellow animals can teach us about living longer, healthier, happier lives. Mother nature has a lot to teach us, if only we open our eyes. Pigeons and dolphins offer creative strategies for preserving our memories and warding off dementia, while squirrels and pigs harbor secrets for managing chronic pain. Rhinoceroses demonstrate the subtle power of our environments - and how to exercise better - while chimps have surprising parenting tips, not to mention great diet advice. Studying elephants has unlocked insights into preventing cancer, and we can look to giraffes for solutions to cardiovascular issues. Ants reveal the unusual benefits of collaboration and altruism, dogs are masterful mentors in living the good life, prairie voles hold clues to connection, and hitchhikers from our evolutionary past may bring us to the edge of immortality. In "The Book of Animal Secrets", visionary physician and biomedical researcher David B. Agus, MD, explores all these ways - and more - that we can harness the wonders of the animal kingdom in our own, very human lives. Filled with lively storytelling and astonishing practical takeaways, this revelatory guide will have you rethinking what's possible for your health and well-being - now and for years to come"-- Provided by publisher.

"The untold story of climate migration-the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities being torn apart by disaster, and the implications for all of us as we confront a changing future"-- Provided by publisher.

"A vibrant, illustrated guide to over 100 common and charismatic mushrooms, with storytelling that explores the connection between humans, fungi, and art"-- Provided by publisher.

"Decades of research document plants' impressive abilities: they communicate with one another, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. Lesser known, however, is the new evidence that plants may actually be sentient. Although plants may not have brains, their microscopic commerce exposes a system not unlike the neuronal networks running through our own bodies. They can learn and remember, possessing an intelligence that allows them to behave in adaptive, flexible, anticipatory, and goal-directed ways"-- Provided by publisher

At the heart of our galaxy lies a monster so deadly it can bend space, throwing vast jets of radiation millions of light years out into the cosmos. Its kind were the very first inhabitants of the universe, the black holes. Join Professors Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw in exploring our universe's most mysterious inhabitants, how they are formed, why they are essential components of every galaxy, including our own, and what secrets they still hold, waiting to be discovered.

"How many unread emails are there in your inbox? How many hours of sleep did you get last week? How many steps did you walk today? We're drowning in digits and immersed in integers, and More Numbers Every Day, by internationally renowned economics professors Micael Dahlen and Helge Thorbjørnsen is a timely and powerful investigation - and warning - about the trouble numbers can bring us. Today we all strive to quantify everything: calories, likes, website traffic, and even friends. And then we rate things, too: movies, restaurants, taxi drivers, experiences, professors, and dates. We measure ourselves against others and compare our real experiences to imagined averages. But in our rush to measure, we can lose sight of what matters. In this delightful and alarming book, Dahlen and Thorbjørnsen show how we're exposed and infected by an ever-more contagious pandemic of numbers. With groundbreaking, empowering, sometimes frightening, and sometimes funny research, they help us see how numbers creep into our heads and bodies, affecting how we think and feel. When do numbers make us stronger and when do they make us weaker? When do they mislead us? And when do they turn us into narcissistic idiots? Look at the book as your numerical vaccination, for a happier and more numerically healthy life"-- Provided by publisher.

"If you were to present the feats of modern science to someone from the past, those feats would surely be considered magic. Theoretical physicist Felix Flicker proves that they are indeed magic--just familiar magic. The name for this magic is "condensed matter physics." Most people haven't heard of the field, yet more than a third of physicists identify as condensed matter researchers, making it the most active area in the subject--with good reason. Condensed matter is the solids, liquids, and gasses thatsurround us--and the more exotic matters--which dictate every aspect of our present existence, and hold the keys to a brighter future, from quantum computing to real-life invisibility cloaks"-- Provided by publisher.

"Global warming is one of the greatest dangers mankind faces today. Even as temperatures increase, sea levels rise, and natural disasters escalate, our current environmental crisis feels difficult to predict and understand. But climate change and its effects on us are not new. In a bold narrative that spans centuries and continents, Peter Frankopan argues that nature has always played a fundamental role in the writing of history. From the fall of the Moche civilization in South America that came about because of the cyclical pressures of El Niño to volcanic eruptions in Iceland that affected Egypt and helped bring the Ottoman empire to its knees, climate change and its influences have always been with us"-- Provided by publisher.

"One of the most powerful questions humans ask about the cosmos is: Are we alone? While the science behind this inquiry is fascinating, it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is a reflection of our values, our fears, and most importantly, our enduring sense of hope. In The Possibility of Life, acclaimed science journalist Jaime Green traces the history of our understanding, from the days of Galileo and Copernicus to our contemporary quest for exoplanets. Along the way, she interweaves insights from science fiction writers who construct worlds that in turn inspire scientists. Incorporating expert interviews, cutting-edge astronomy research, philosophical inquiry, and pop culture touchstones ranging from A Wrinkle in Time to Star Trek to Arrival, The Possibility of Life explores our evolving conception of the cosmos to ask an even deeper question: What does it mean to be human?" -- Publisher marketing.

A groundbreaking investigation of the uterus--from birth to death, in sickness and in health, throughout history and into our possible future--from a midwife and acclaimed writer.

"Flight Paths is the never-before-told story of how a group of migration-obsessed scientists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries engaged nearly every branch of science to understand bird migration--from where and when they take off to their flightpaths and behaviors, their destinations and the challenges they encounter getting there"-- Provided by publisher.

"Stephen Hawking's closest collaborator offers the intellectual superstar's final thoughts on the cosmos-a dramatic revision of the theory that made him the heir to Einstein's legacy. Perhaps the biggest question Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. Pondering this mystery led Hawking to study the big bang origin of the universe, but his early work ran into a crisis when the math predicted many big bangs producing a multiverse-countless different universes, most far too bizarre to harbor life. Holed up in the theoretical physics department at Cambridge, Stephen Hawking and his friend and collaborator Thomas Hertog worked shoulder to shoulder for twenty years on a new quantum theory of the cosmos. As their journey took them deeper into the big bang, they were startled to find a deeper level of evolution in which the physical laws themselves transform and simplify until particles, forces, and even time itself fades away. Once upon a time, perhaps, there was no time. This led them to a revolutionary idea: the laws of physics are not set in stone but are born and co-evolve as the universe they govern takes shape. On the Origin of Time takes the reader on a quest to understand questions bigger than our universe, peering into the extreme quantum physics of black holes and the big bang and drawing on the latest developments in string theory. As Hawking's final days drew near, the two collaborators developed a final theory proposing their radical new Darwinian perspective on the origins of our universe. Hertog offers a striking new vision that ties together more deeply than ever the nature of the universe's birth with our existence. This new theory profoundly transforms the way we think about our place in the order of the cosmos and may ultimately prove Hawking's biggest legacy"-- Provided by publisher.

"In this illuminating introduction to the world of bats, Tony Hutson reveals the secrets of these extraordinary creatures. Beginning with their anatomy, Hutson explores how bats' unique characteristics have enabled them to evolve to fill a wide variety of habitats and niches. He examines their different life cycles, dietary strategies, migration patterns, and unique feats of echolocation. And he also discusses their predators, parasites, the man-made threats to their ecosystem, and how the viruses harbored by bats can have an impact on humans. Bats also features an appendix of bat families that details the number of genera and species and their distribution and diet." -- Amazon.

"This companion to the National Geographic television series reveals the fascinating lives of elephants"-- Provided by publisher.

"Are you ready for the ultimate bee book? With lighthearted watercolor and ink drawings, humorous quips, lists, and musings, OMFG, BEES! will show you just how important these esteemed bee-list celebrities really are. (Hint: We can't live without them.)"-- Provided by publisher.

"All matter--everything around us and within us--has an ultimate birthday: the day the universe was born. This informative, eye-opening, and eminently readable book is the story of our atoms' long strange journey from the Big Bang to the creation of stars, through the assembly of Planet Earth, and the formation of life as we know it. It's also the story of the scientists who made groundbreaking discoveries and unearthed extraordinary insights into the composition of life"-- Provided by publisher.

Drawing on the latest scientific research and his prodigious imagination, a renowned astronomer and science communicator takes us on an immersive tour of the universe to view ten of the most spectacular sights outer space has to offer, including the strange, beautiful shadows cast by a hundred thousand stars.

A professional captain of traditional sailing ships who has spent thirty years at sea offers a sailor's-eye-view of the moving parts of our atmosphere, unveiling the larger patterns it holds: global winds, storms, air masses, jet streams, and the longer arc of our climate.

"In Wildlife Anatomy, the latest entry in Julia Rothman's series of Anatomy books, Rothman captures the excitement and distinctive attributes of wild animals around the world. The book is packed with hundreds of her charming, original illustrations, detailing the unique features of animals of the rainforest, desert, grasslands, oceans, and much more. From lions, bears, and zebras to monkeys, mongoose, bats, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and much more, Rothman's visual guide covers all the key features, right down to the anatomy of a lion's claw and a wild horse's hoof"-- Provided by publisher.

Astrophysicist Dr Jillian Scudder knows more than most of us what a surreal place the Universe can be. In this light-hearted book she delves into some of the more arcane facts that her work has revealed, and tells us how we have actually managed to discover these amazing truths.

"Since the beginning of civilization, humans have built cities to wall nature out, then glorified it in beloved but quite artificial parks. In Urban Jungle Ben Wilson...looks to the fraught relationship between nature and the city for clues to how the planet can survive in an age of climate crisis"-- Provided by publisher.