Science and Nature

Discover new and trending science and nature titles.
Updated July 22, 2025
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When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance
Riley Black
Paper Book
NOW A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! Winner, A Friend of Darwin Award, 2024 A gorgeously composed look at the longstanding relationship between prehistoric plants and life on Earth Fossils plants allow us to touch the lost worlds from...
Is a River Alive?
Robert Macfarlane
Paper Book
Hailed in the New York Times as "a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler," Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an...
Living on Earth : forests, corals, consciousness, and the making of the world
Godfrey-Smith, Peter
Paper Book
One of the Washington Post's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 The bestselling author of Other Minds shows how we and our ancestors have reinvented our planet. If the history of the Earth were compressed down to a year, our species would arise...
Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door
Thor Hanson
Paper Book
An award-winning natural-history writer presents "the perfect mix of science and story" (Sy Montgomery), opening the door to the nature that thrives in our yards, gardens, and parks: "I couldn't put it down" (Doug Tallamy).    We all live on nature's...
Our green heart : the soul and science of forests
Beresford-Kroeger, Diana
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER In this inspiring culmination of Diana Beresford-Kroeger's life's work as a botanist, biochemist, biologist and poet of the global forest, she delivers a challenge to us all to dig deeper into the science of forests and the ways they will save us from...
Life as no one knows it : the physics of life's emergence
Walker, Sara Imari
Paper Book
An intriguing new scientific theory that explains what life is and how it emerges. What is life? This is among the most difficult open problems in science, right up there with the nature of consciousness and the existence of matter. All the definitions we have fall short. None...
Atlas obscura : Wild life : an explorer's guide to the world's living wonders
Giaimo, Cara
Paper Book
From the bestselling authors of Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura comes a nature book like no other--a dazzling, over-the-top collection of the world's most extraordinary wild species that takes you to all seven continents and beyond. It's more than a field...
The secret life of the universe : an astrobiologist's search for the origins and frontiers of life
Cabrol, Nathalie A.
Paper Book
One ofScientific American's Best Books of 2024 One of the world's leading astrobiologists takes us on an awe-inspiring journey across the cosmos to investigate some of humanity's most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? And how did life on Earth begin? ...
The lost world of the dinosaurs : uncovering the secrets of the prehistoric age
Schmitt, Armin
Paper Book
*A Library Journal Best Book of 2024* "An insightful and informative meander through the evolution of dinosaurs and other extinct species, with a touch of personal flair."--Steve Brusatte, professor and paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh and New York Times...
Turning to stone : discovering the subtle wisdom of rocks
Bjornerud, Marcia
Paper Book
Winner of the 2025 John Burroughs Medal for Natural History Writing "A beautiful book--at once intimate and sweeping, informative and moving." --Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky Earth is vibrantly alive and full of wisdom for those...
The elements of Marie Curie : how the glow of radium lit a path for women in science
Sobel, Dava
Paper Book
The acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Galileo's Daughter crafts a luminous chronicle of the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science, and the untold story of the many young women trained in her laboratory who...
Category five : superstorms and the warming oceans that feed them
Fox, Porter
Paper Book
Superstorms, hurricanes, typhoons, and spiraling freak weather: the fallout of global warming is a real-life natural thriller, as captured in Porter Fox's urgent and stunning story of chasing the world's most devastating storms. Here is the story of the largest...
Dinosaurs at the dinner party : how an eccentric group of Victorians discovered prehistoric creatures and accidentally upended the world
Dolnick, Edward
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Clockwork Universe and The Writing of the Gods, an "utterly delightful...hugely entertaining" (Air Mail) book about the eccentric Victorians who discovered dinosaur bones, leading to a whole new understanding of human history.
Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future
Neil Shubin
Paper Book
The bestselling author of Your Inner Fish takes readers on an epic adventure to the North and South Poles to reveal the secrets locked in the ice about life, the cosmos, and our planet's future. "Urgent [and] prescient...The book captures Shubin's reverence for both the beauty...
Pillars of creation : how the James Webb Telescope unlocked the secrets of the cosmos
Panek, Richard
Paper Book
A 2025 Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner The James Webb Space Telescope is transforming the universe right before our eyes--and here, for the first time, is the inside account of how the mission originated, how it performs its miracles of science, and what its...
The miraculous from the material : understanding the wonders of nature
Lightman, Alan P.
Paper Book
A gorgeously illustrated exploration of the science behind the universe's most stunning natural phenomena--from atoms and parameciums to rainbows, snowflakes, spider webs, the rings of Saturn, galaxies, and more Nature is capable of extraordinary phenomena. Standing in awe of...
Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future
Alan Weisman
Paper Book
One of Heatmap's 18 Climate Books to Read in 2025 The award-winning environmental journalist's extraordinary, long-awaited portrait of hope and resilience as we face a fractured and uncertain future In this profoundly human and moving narrative, the...
When the ice is gone : what a Greenland ice core reveals about Earth's tumultuous history and perilous future
Bierman, Paul R.
Paper Book
In 2018, lumps of frozen soil, collected from the bottom of the world's first deep ice core and lost for decades, reappeared in Denmark. When geologist Paul Bierman and his team first melted a piece of this unique material, they were shocked to find perfectly preserved leaves, twigs, and moss....
What if we get it right? : visions of climate futures
Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . "With a thoughtfully curated series of essays, poetry, and conversations, the brilliant scientist and climate expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has assembled a group of dynamic people who are willing to imagine what seems impossible, and articulate those visions...
Into the unknown : the quest to understand the mysteries of the cosmos
Johnson, Kelsey
Paper Book
A leading astronomer and gifted teacher takes readers on a wondrous tour--"perfect for anyone who enjoyed Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" (Publishers Weekly)--of how science confronts the big questions about the origins, destiny, and fundamental nature of our universe...
How to kill an asteroid : the real science of planetary defense
Andrews, Robin George
Paper Book
There are approximately 25,000 "city killer" asteroids in near-Earth orbit-and most are yet to be found. Small enough to evade detection, they are capable of large-scale destruction, and represent our greatest cosmic threat. But in September 2022, against all odds, NASA's Double Asteroid...
A Crack in Everything: How Black Holes Came in from the Cold and Took Cosmic Centre Stage
Marcus Chown
Paper Book
What is space? What is time? Where did the universe come from? The answers to mankind's most enduring questions may lie in science's greatest enigma: black holes. A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. This can...
The Courage of Birds: And the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter
Pete Dunne
Paper Book
From our own backyards to the rim of the Arctic ice, countless birds have adapted to meet the challenges of the winter season. This is their remarkable story, told by award-winning birder and acclaimed writer Pete Dunne, accompanied by illustrations from renowned artist and birder David Sibley.<...
The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street
Mike Tidwell
Paper Book
A riveting and elegant story of climate change on one city street, full of surprises and true stories of human struggle and dying local trees - all against the national backdrop of 2023's record heat domes and raging wildfires and, simultaneously, rising hopes for clean energy.
The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire: Why Our Species Is on the Edge of Extinction
Henry Gee
Paper Book
By the award-winning author of A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: a history of humanity on the brink of decline. A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Selection We are living through a period that is unique in human history. For the first time in more...
Treekeepers : the race for a forested future
Oakes, Lauren
Paper Book
Silver medalist, Nautilus Book Awards "A frank, probing, but ultimately hopeful book" (Elizabeth Kolbert) that shows how the path from climate change to a habitable future winds through the world's forests In recent years, planting a tree...
The impossible man : Roger Penrose and the cost of genius
Barss, Patchen
Paper Book
A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2024 A Financial Times Best Book of 2024 A Kirkus Best Book of 2024 A Daily Telegraph Best Book of 2024...
Beyond the sea : the hidden life in lakes, streams, and wetlands
Strayer, David Lowell
Paper Book
An exciting foray into Earth's inland waters, the remarkable species they contain, and the conservation challenges of protecting them. When we call Earth "the blue planet" we immediately envision the vast oceans that cover most of its surface. But seas aren't the only bodies of...
Eavesdropping on animals : what we can learn from wildlife conversations
Bumann, George
Paper Book
"This book is fabulous and takes you close inside the wild world, where you feel the creatures whispering your old name."--Craig Foster, My Octopus Teacher Learn how to decode the secret conversations of wild animals all around you. From a Yellowstone...
Bad naturalist : one woman's ecological education on a Wild Virginia mountaintop
Whyman, Paula
Paper Book
With humor, humility, and awe, one woman attempts to restore 200 acres of farmland long gone-to-seed in the Blue Ridge Mountains, facing her own limitations while getting to know a breathtaking corner of the natural world.   When Paula Whyman first climbs a peak...
Grizzly confidential : an astounding journey into the secret life of North America's most fearsome predator
Grange, Kevin
Paper Book
In Grizzly Confidential, author Kevin Grange--former paramedic and park ranger at Yellowstone and Grand Teton--comes face-to-face with North America's most fearsome predator, Ursus Arctos. His quest takes him from his home in the Tetons to an eerie, mist-shrouded island of gigantic bruins;...
Into the great wide ocean : life in the least known habitat on Earth
Johnsen, Sönke
Paper Book
A seagoing scientist explores how life thrives in one of the most mysterious environments on Earth The open ocean, far from the shore and miles above the seafloor, is a vast and formidable habitat that is home to the most abundant life on our planet, from giant squid and...
Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe
Carl Zimmer
Paper Book
The fascinating, untold story of the air we breathe, the hidden life it contains, and invisible dangers that can turn the world upside down Every day we draw in two thousand gallons of air--and thousands of living things. From the ground to the stratosphere, the air teems...
The burning Earth : a history
Amrith, Sunil
Paper Book
In this magisterial book, historian Sunil Amrith twins the stories of environment and Empire, of genocide and eco-cide, of an extraordinary expansion of human freedom and its planetary costs. Drawing on an extraordinarily rich diversity of primary sources, he reckons with the ruins of Portuguese...
Sisters in Science : How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History
Campbell, Olivia.
Paper Book
The extraordinary true story of four women pioneers in physics during World War II and their daring escape out of Nazi Germany In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions...
A woman among wolves : my journey through forty years of wolf recovery
Boyd, Diane K.
Paper Book
"A gripping and vital portrait of wolf repopulation. It is impossible not to root for Diane, or for the wolves."--ERICA BERRY, AUTHOR OF WOLFISH "This is a book about a courageous woman. Often alone in wild country, she endures hardships and faces danger in many forms ....
A little queer natural history
Davis, Josh L.
Paper Book
Beautifully illustrated and scientifically informed, a celebration of the astonishing diversity of sexual behavior and biology found in nature.   From a pair of male swans raising young to splitgill mushrooms with over 23,000 mating types, sex in the natural...
The age of melt : what glaciers, ice mummies, and ancient artifacts teach us about climate, culture, and a future without ice
Baril, Lisa
Paper Book
A thought-provoking scientific narrative investigating ice patch archaeology and the role of glaciers in the development of human culture. Glaciers figure prominently in both ancient and contemporary narratives around the world. They inspire art and literature....
Night magic : adventures among glowworms, moon gardens, and other marvels of the dark
Henion, Leigh Ann
Paper Book
From a New York Times bestselling nature writer comes a celebration of what goes on outside in the dark, from blooming moon gardens to nocturnal salamanders, from glowing foxfire and synchronous fireflies that blink in unison like an orchestra of light.  ...
Good nature : why seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching plants is good for our health
Willis, K. J.
Paper Book
A Next Big Idea Club must-read selection! An Amazon Editor's Pick for Best Nonfiction Book! A ground-breaking investigation into newly discovered evidence showing that remarkable things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses connect with the...
What the chicken knows : a new appreciation of the world's most familiar bird
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery, "one of our finest chroniclers of the natural world" (The New York Times). For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery--whose The Soul of an...
It's a gas : the sublime and elusive elements that expand our world
Miodownik, Mark
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of Stuff Matters presents a rollicking guided tour of the secret lives of gases: the magnificent, strange, and fascinating substances that shape our world. Gases are all around us--they fill our lungs, power our movement, create stars,...

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