Science

Are you worried about the climate crisis? Are you suffering from eco-anxiety? Do you want to help but you're not sure how? Do you want to learn how to make greener choices? If you answered yes to any of those questions, author and environmentalist Heather White's 60 Days to a Greener Life is the resource you need.

You can read an entry every day or at your own pace. Each entry provides valuable insights and easy-to-apply ways you can live a more eco-friendly, joyful life. Each entry includes:

60 Days to a Greener Life will teach you about:

Heather White is the founder of OneGreenThing.org. She directed environmental education advocacy at the nation's largest conservation organization, served as executive director to an environmental heath watchdog in Washington, DC, and led the nonprofit partner to Yellowstone National Park. She's been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, PBS, ABC, and quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Teen Vogue.

In his lifetime, Charles Darwin was roundly mocked for suggesting that humans were descended from apes, and even in our own day, the teaching of evolution remains controversial. But in the century and a half since the publication of On the Origin of Species, our increasingly sophisticated understanding of genetics has borne out Darwin's theory: humans share 99% of their genes with chimps (and many even with grapes!).

99% Ape offers an accessible, straightforward introduction to evolution, beginning with Darwin's discoveries and continuing through the latest genetic discoveries. Edited by Jonathan Silvertown, the volume brings together experts in a variety of fields pertinent to evolution, from paleobiology to planetary science, comparative anatomy to zoology, and even--for a discussion of legal battles surrounding the teaching of evolution--law. Interwoven with these varied accounts of evolution and its impact are vignettes from Darwin's life that illustrate the continuity of thought that links Darwin's work to today's cutting-edge research.

Beautifully illustrated, 99% Ape is a perfect companion to the upcoming celebration of Darwin's bicentennial and a bracing reminder of the important role evolution still has to play in our understanding of our origins--and our possible futures.

A quirky look at some of the most unusual garden animals ever kept in Britain, from crocodiles to wombats

Perhaps one of the less known facts about the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti is that he kept wombats in his garden at Cheyne Walk, London, to whom he and Christina addressed poetry (he also kept zebu - a type of cattle). This is just one of the stories in this entertaining book, which brings together two great British pastimes: animal husbandry and the garden.

Taking the reader on a journey from the armadillos owned by merchants in the City of London in the eighteenth century and nourished on garden earthworms, to Queen Charlotte's zebra, which was accommodated close to her house at Buckingham Gate and renowned for its nicotine-fueled filthy temper, here are quirky tales of animals in the garden through the centuries.

In early 1861, as he prepared to move into the White House, Abraham Lincoln dreaded telling his two youngest sons that the family's beloved pet dog, Fido, would not be accompanying them to Washington. Lincoln was afraid the skittish dog wouldn't survive the long rail journey, so he decided to leave the mutt behind with friends in Springfield. Abe & Fido tells the story of two friends, an unlikely tandem who each became famous and died prematurely. It also explores the everyday life of Springfield in the years leading up to the Civil War, as well as Lincoln's sometimes radical views on animal welfare, and how they shaped his life and his presidency. It's the story of a master and his dog, living through historic, tumultuous times.

In this fascinating foray into the centuries-old relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions, say the authors, because astrophysicists and military planners care about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection, ranging, tracking, imaging, high ground, nuclear fusion, and access to space. Tyson and Lang call it a curiously complicit alliance. The universe is both the ultimate frontier and the highest of high grounds, they write. Shared by both space scientists and space warriors, it's a laboratory for one and a battlefield for the other. The explorer wants to understand it; the soldier wants to dominate it. But without the right technology--which is more or less the same technology for both parties--nobody can get to it, operate in it, scrutinize it, dominate it, or use it to their advantage and someone else's disadvantage.

Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson's millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.

With passion and curiosity, Alan Lightman explores the emotional and philosophical questions raised by recent discoveries in science. He looks at the dialogue between science and religion; the conflict between our human desire for permanence and the impermanence of nature; the possibility that our universe is simply an accident; the manner in which modern technology has separated us from direct experience of the world; and our resistance to the view that our bodies and minds can be explained by scientific logic and laws.

Behind all of these considerations is the suggestion--at once haunting and exhilarating--that what we see and understand of the world is only a tiny piece of the extraordinary, perhaps unfathomable whole.

Grab your four-legged best friend and start making the most of every day, and every dog year. In Adventure Dogs: Activities to Share with Your Dog--from Comfy Couches to Mountain Tops, author Fern Watt teams up with canine experts to offer more than 50 surprising new ways to strengthen the connection you share with your dog. Captured in vibrant, full-color photography, activities range from simple to epic. What would make your dog's "bucket list" of must-see and -do adventures? Find out together as you uncover your pup's special interests and skills using this adventure book.

Follow your pup into a world of herding, sniffing, playing, howling, and walking! From hiking a mountain or taking a smell walk in your own neighborhood to training like a Navy SEAL or practicing "doga" poses, Adventure Dogs has an activity or experience for every breed, personality, energy level, age, and dog parent. Our Dogs remind us that great adventures don't always require a passport--there are tons of wonders right outside our front doors.

Perfect for dog lovers, armchair travelers, and active pet parents alike, Adventure Dogs reveals inspirational and practical ways for us humans to understand, appreciate, and live in the moment with our furry companions.

- PRACTICAL ADVENTURES: Features more than 50 real, everyday activities to engage with your dog in scientifically-backed ways. With a range of prices, activity levels, and time investments, there's something in this animal activity book for everyone and every pup.
- BACKED BY RESEARCH: Author Fern Watt traveled and did her own research with her rescue dog, Bette. She's also consulted renowned scientists and behaviorists (Alexandra Horowitz), bestselling dog-book authors (Seth Casteel), Instagram-famous dog owners (@tunameltsmyheart), and people who have expanded the limits of what we thought dogs could do, whether it's surf, skateboard, paint, do yoga, run for mayor, or graduate from an Ivy League school.
- INSPIRATIONAL LOCATIONS: Features pet-friendly destinations (hotels, beaches, dog parks, hikes, and more!) around the United States and abroad.
- OVERFLOWING WITH IDEAS: Watt consults a range of experts to add stories, tips, and photography to the book. The result is a vibrant collection of voices and perspectives.