Reviews
- Life
A new book chronicles the science of life in the air
Carl Zimmer’s Air-Borne recounts centuries of aerobiology’s greatest moments and mistakes.
- Life
A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals
Riley Black’s new book, When the Earth was Green, uses the latest research to envision the ancient worlds of our favorite prehistoric animals.
- Environment
A podcast challenges us to reassess our relationship with wildfires
United by Fire lays out key insights from the two largest blazes in Colorado history, the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires of 2020.
- Humans
How child soldiers heal after the trauma of war
For more than two decades, Theresa Betancourt has studied Sierra Leone’s former child soldiers. Her new book Shadows into Light tells their stories.
- Science & Society
These are Science News’ favorite books of 2024
Books about killer asteroids, human consciousness, nuclear weapons and the collapse of the Late Bronze Age were among our top reads this year.
- Science & Society
A new biography of Benjamin Franklin puts science at the forefront
Richard Munson’s new book, Ingenious, shows how scientific research inspired the founding father’s diplomacy.
- Space
What will it take to defend the world from an asteroid?
In How to Kill an Asteroid, Robin George Andrews looks at the successes and shortcomings of planetary defense.
- Health & Medicine
‘The Power of Prions’ explores misfolded proteins’ role in brain diseases
Michel Brahic’s new book spotlights prions’ role in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
- Paleontology
‘Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior’ unearths paleontology’s biases
Paleontologist David Hone’s latest book fleshes out our understanding of dinosaur behavior.
- Science & Society
The ‘Does It Fly?’ podcast separates fact from science fiction
The podcast ‘Does It Fly?’ asks whether the technology of Star Trek, Doctor Who and other popular sci-fi shows could really work.
- Animals
‘Night Magic’ invites you to celebrate the living wonders of the dark
In the book ‘Night Magic,’ Leigh Ann Henion writes of encounters with salamanders, bats, glowworms and other life-forms nurtured by darkness.
- Artificial Intelligence
A new book tackles AI hype – and how to spot it
In AI Snake Oil, two computer scientists set us straight on the power and limits of AI and offer advice for moving forward.
