Pandemic books. Almost ancient books. Books about outer space. These were few Science News reads his favorite staff If your favorite didn’t make the cut this year, let us know what was missed at feedback@sciencenews.org.
Dark Vagina
Rachel E. Gross
WW Norton & Co.
$30
For centuries scientists (mostly men) have ignored female biology and suffered from women’s health. But researchers are finally paying attention, as Gross explains in this fascinating tour of what little is known about the female anatomy (SN: 4/9/22, p. 29).
Cell song
Siddhartha Mukherjee
Scribner
$32.50
Patient stories and interviews with scientific luminaries enliven this narrative of cell biology’s past, present, and future, and how advances in the field have reshaped medicine (SN: 11/5/22, p. 28).
Gasping
David Howmen
Simon & Schuster
$29.99
In this portrait of the coronavirus and the scientists who study it, Quamen investigates some of the most pressing questions about the pandemic, including whether or not the coronavirus accidentally escaped from the lab.SN: 9/24/22, p. 28).
Virology
Joseph Osmundson
WW Norton & Co.
$16.95
This large collection of tests is a complex study of the association with the virus. In thinking about SARS-CoV-2, HIV and more, Osmundson calls for more equitable access to medical care (SN: 7/16/22 & 7/30/22, p. 36).
Milky Way
Moiya McTier
Grand Central Publishing
$27
This absorbing “autobiography” from the perspective of the Milky Way (a rather sassy Milky Way), draws on mythology and astronomy to convince readers that our home galaxy deserves respect and admiration (SN: 9/10/22, p. 28).
Portrait of a Physicist to a Young Woman
Lindy Elkins-Tanton
William Morrow
$29.99
In this moving commentary, Elkins-Tanton recounts her journey to becoming a planetary scientist and NASA asteroid mission leader. Her struggles with childhood trauma and sexism in her career reveal barriers that many women in science still face (SN: 8/13/22, p. 26).
The immense world
Ed Sicardi
Random House
$30
Not only does the world exceed the human senses, but a safari through the animal senses helps readers imagine what is missing (SN: 7/16/22 & 7/30/22, p. 36).
How far the light reaches
Sabrina Imbler
Little, Brown, & Co.
$27
Drawing parallels between his life and the stories of bobbit worms, octopuses, sperm whales and other deep-sea inhabitants, Imbler muses on such weighty themes as adaptation, survival and sexuality.
The last days of the dinosaurs
Leo Black
St. Martin’s Press
$28.99
The main story about the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs is known: They were killed by an asteroid that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago. Using the latest science, Black explores this story, painting a vivid portrait of life before and after this apocalypse.SN: 4/23/22, p. 28).
On the Origin and Kingdom of Mammalia
Stephen Brusatte
Nauta Books
$29.99
The perfect follow-up to Black’s book How the Age of Dinosaurs Ended is this gripping story of how the Age of Mammals began. Brusatte traces the evolutionary origins of the innovations that have made mammals so successfulSN: 6/18/22, p. 28).
Origin
Jennifer Raff
twelve
$30
Exactly how and when the first humans came to America is still a mystery. But Raff gathers archaeological and genetic evidence to support a coherent mission statement. She also points to the past abuse of Indigenous communities by geneticists and calls on researchers to improve and encourage more collaborations.SN: 2/12/22, p. 29).
Pests
Bethany Brookshire
Here it is
$28.99
So-called human weights have been invented, argues Brookshire, a former staff writer for Science News Students (now Science News Explores). In meeting rats, cats, pythons and even wild elephants, Brookshire plays with the various social reasons that cause people to harm certain animals (.SN: 12/3/22, p. 26).
From astrology to zoology
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