Reviews

  1. Fireflies near a paved path
    Animals

    Why you should care about ‘The Insect Crisis’

    A new book explains why insect populations are dwindling and why that’s a problem.

    By
  2. Small mammal crawling on a dinosaur's skeleton
    Life

    ‘The Last Days of the Dinosaurs’ tells a tale of destruction and recovery

    A new book takes readers back in time to see how an asteroid strike and the dinosaur extinction shaped life on Earth.

    By
  3. Lois Gibbs gestures as she leads a tour of Love Canal in 2008
    Science & Society

    ‘Paradise Falls’ thrusts readers into the Love Canal disaster

    ‘Paradise Falls’ tells the story of the Love Canal environmental tragedy from the point of view of the people who lived near the former dump site.

    By
  4. Model of human ovaries and uterus
    Health & Medicine

    ‘Vagina Obscura’ shows how little is known about female biology

    The new book ‘Vagina Obscura’ chronicles how scientists are finally giving female health and anatomy proper attention.

    By
  5. Anatomist Santiago Ramón y Cajal
    Neuroscience

    How a scientist-artist transformed our view of the brain

    The book ‘The Brain in Search of Itself’ chronicles the life of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who discovered that the brain is made up of discrete cells.

    By
  6. Milpa in Central America
    Science & Society

    ‘Fresh Banana Leaves’ shows how Western conservation has harmed Indigenous people

    Author and environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez discusses Indigenous displacement, conservation’s failures and how to improve the field.

    By
  7. black and white image of Niels Bohr standing in front of a chalkboard
    Quantum Physics

    ‘From Data to Quanta’ defends Niels Bohr’s view of quantum mechanics

    In his new book, philosopher Slobodan Perović corrects misconceptions about physicist Niels Bohr’s work.

    By
  8. Clovis spearpoints
    Archaeology

    ‘Origin’ explores the controversial science of the first Americans

    A new book looks at how genetics has affected the study of humans’ arrival in the Americas and sparked conflicts with Indigenous groups today.

    By
  9. Solar plasma jet
    Science & Society

    Stuck inside this winter? Try an at-home citizen science project

    Researchers are in search of volunteers to look for solar jets, transcribe old weather logbooks, listen for threatened frogs and more.

    By
  10. a picture of an ancient Indian text
    Math

    Take an online journey through the history of math

    ‘History of Mathematics’ explores the origins of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and more.

    By
  11. illustration of a skeleton with the nervous system highlighted
    Neuroscience

    ‘Feeling & Knowing’ explores the origin and evolution of consciousness

    In the book Feeling & Knowing, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio suggests that consciousness evolved as a way to keep essential bodily systems steady.

    By
  12. collage of covers of 10 books
    Science & Society

    These are Science News’ favorite books of 2021

    Our favorite books covered the Big Bang theory, human evolution, gene editing, how to define life, pseudoscience and more.

    By