To help celebrate Earth Day on April 27th and Citizen Science Month here is a selection of new science related books for all ages:
Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis
In the late nineteenth century, as humans came to realize that our rapidly industrializing and globalizing societies were driving other animal species to extinction, a movement to protect and conserve them was born. In Beloved Beasts, science journalist Michelle Nijhuis traces the movement’s history: from early battles to save charismatic species such as the American bison and bald eagle to today’s global effort to defend life on a larger scale.
She describes the vital role of scientists and activists such as Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson as well as lesser-known figures in conservation history; she reveals the origins of vital organizations like the Audubon Society and the World Wildlife Fund; she explores current efforts to protect species such as the whooping crane and the black rhinoceros; and she confronts the darker side of conservation, long shadowed by racism and colonialism.
As the destruction of other species continues and the effects of climate change escalate, Beloved Beasts charts the ways conservation is becoming a movement for the protection of all species—including our own.
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet’s slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal.
He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise.
As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.
Ms. Adventure: My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava, and Life by Jess Phoenix
As a volcanologist, natural hazards expert, and founder of Blueprint Earth, Jess Phoenix has dedicated her life to scientific exploration. Her career path—hard earned in the male-dominated world of science—has led her into still-flowing Hawaiian lava fields, congressional races, glittering cocktail parties at Manhattan’s elite Explorers Club, and numerous pairs of Caterpillar work boots. It has also inspired her to devote her life to making science more inclusive and accessible.
In her own words:
"The process of scientific field research was the challenge I had been searching for my whole life, a path with enough twists and obstacles--and very real dangers—to keep me coming back again and again, testing myself and my understanding of the world around me in the effort to discover more of the secrets held in the Earth itself. It was plain that research was one part scientific discovery and one part self-discovery. Working on active volcanoes took the difficulty level of regular life and turned it up to eleven, and I knew viscerally, that I belonged."
A zany science delight, now in paperback! How chemicals from the natural world combine to make everyday consumer products, from freeze-dried potatoes to sunscreen. George Zaidan explores the chemistry of almost everything that makes life comfortable—what you should worry about and what you shouldn’t.
The book begins with a story set thousands of feet above sea level, on a plateau in the central Andean region, where Mother Nature grows killer potatoes. These tubers contain a smorgasbord of chemicals that can irritate your mouth, land you with a fever, or make you lose your lunch. If you eat enough of them, the chemicals within can kill. But there’s a way to eat your fill and live to tell the tale: dip the potatoes in a clay sauce. Eating crushed rocky dirt as a side dish might be one of the first things humans did to process a raw, wild ingredient from nature and make it into something we can use—but it certainly wasn’t the last.
Sugar, preservatives, sunscreen, formaldehyde, cyanide (not to mention the substance that is 50 million times more deadly than cyanide), Oreos, the ingredients of life and death and nature itself, as well as the genius of aphids are all discussed in exquisite detail at breakneck speed, interspersed with footnotes and informative diagrams that will make you smile.
At once joyous and somber, this collection of new and selected essays spans Kathleen Dean Moore’s distinguished career as a tireless advocate for environmental activism in the face of climate change. “ In the fifty years that I have been writing about nature, roughly 60 percent of all individual mammals have been erased from the face of the earth.”
Moore celebrates the music of the natural world; the call of loons, howl of wolves, bellow of whales, laughter of children, and shriek of frogs, even as she warns of the threats against them. Each group of essays moves, as Moore herself has been moved, from celebration to lamentation to bewilderment and finally to the determination to act in defense of wild songs and the creatures who sing them.
"The loss of species scares me. The loss of their music breaks my heart. Each time a creature dies, a song dies. Every time a species goes extinct, its songs die forever. How will we live under the terrible silence of the empty sky? " Music is the shivering urgency and exuberance of life ongoing. In a time of terrible silencing, Moore asks, who will forgive us if we do not save nature’s songs?
Temple Grandin’s new book is about exploring the world around us, asking questions, and making sense of what we see---with forty projects for younger readers to explore science from the depths of space to their own backyard. Great for budding scientists, inventors, and creators!
In this book, Dr. Temple Grandin, an inventor and world-renowned scientist, introduces readers to geologists, astrophysicists, oceanographers, and many other scientists who unlock the wonders of the natural world. She shares her childhood experiences and observations, whether on the beach, in the woods, working with horses, or gazing up at the night sky. This book explores all areas of nature and gives readers the tools to discover even more on their own.
Full of empowering stories of young leaders all over the world, this information-packed book from award-winning journalist and one of the foremost voices for climate justice, Naomi Klein, offers young readers a comprehensive look at the state of the climate today and how we got here, while also providing the tools they need to join this fight to protect and reshape the planet they will inherit.
Warmer temperatures, Fires in the Amazon and Superstorms are just some of the effects of climate change that we are already experiencing. The good news is that we can all do something about it. A movement is already underway to combat not only the environmental effects of climate change but also to fight for climate justice and make a fair and livable future possible for everyone. And young people are not just part of that movement, they are leading the way. They are showing us that this moment of danger is also a moment of great opportunity—an opportunity to change everything.
The team behind the acclaimed, Why Don’t Cars Run on Apple Juice? , are back to tackle more real kid questions. “Why don’t owls fly in the morning?” “Why do we have butts?” “Do bacteria grow in space?”
Kira Vermond packs mind-boggling facts into answers that encourage further inquiry, covering topics over five sections: Cute Critters and Up-ROAR-ious Creatures; The World Inside Us; This Planet We Call Home; Tremendous Tech and Inspiring Innovations; Our Out-of-This World Universe. Suharu Ogawa’s illustrations offer even more information and add to the humor. Tons of diverse representation packed into the illustrations Tons of diverse representation packed into the illustrations. Great for the whole family--everyone can learn something from the fascinating answers provided by these science center scientists
Citizen Science Month is an annual event to celebrate and promote all things citizen do for science: amazing discoveries, incredible volunteers, hardworking practitioners, inspiring projects, and anything else citizen science-related! Perhaps the most well-known project is the Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.
To learn more about projects near you check these websites:
National Geographic
No comments:
Post a Comment