Sanders’ own illustrations are paired with each essay on science and astronomy, perfect for the casual and the curious reader. She leaves readers armed with hard data, like how the average 80-year-old has taken 700 million breaths in their life, as well as important science facts, like how global warming affects Earth’s rotation. The title of the book refers to photosynthesis, “ digestible sun fuel that we are consuming.” Sanders introduces the reader to the whimsical-but science backed-idea of plant “memory” and “learning,” alongside statistics about the rate of plant extinction. In Eating the Sun, author Ella Frances Sanders takes readers on a breezy journey of discovery with a collection of short essays on fascinating topics from orbital mechanics to the microbiome. Consider the term eigengrau, used by scientists to describe the grayish hues our eyes see when its dark or chronoception, a word to describe our perception of time. Scientific language can be largely restrictive, laced with jargon and dense technical writing. In The First Cell, Raza relies on her experience studying cancer in a lab, treating terminally ill patients and witnessing her husband’s battle with leukemia to outline exactly how science and society has been mistreating cancer-and how she envisions a revolutionary rethinking of the path forward.Įating the Sun: Small Musings on a Vast Universe Cancer treatment has evolved, but patients with some types of cancer still die at virtually the same rate as patients 50 years ago.Īuthor Azra Raza, a Columbia University professor of medicine and practicing oncologist, lays out a radical plan to shift the focus of cancer care from fighting the disease in its final stages to finding the very first cells. Oftentimes taking potent drugs and attending treatment buys a patient only a few more months to live, leaving them exhausted and weakened. Current techniques, such as chemotherapy, are frequently physiologically damaging and extremely expensive. The way doctors treat cancer-and researchers look for new ways to fight the disease-is to destroy every last malignant cell. The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last And without a tiny wasp that makes galls on oak trees, America’s founders wouldn’t have had ink for the Declaration of Independence.
Drisophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, is critical to basic medical research.
It’s the only pollinator that services cocoa plants, and no cocoa means no chocolate. Losing insects could trigger a detrimental cascade of effects on ecosystems, so to reverse your aversion to arthropods Sverdrup-Thygeson takes readers into the wonderful world of bugs. In Buzz, Sting, Bite, author and professor of conservation biology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson addresses the medley of threats that insects face, including climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, light pollution and more. But these animals aren’t just creepy-crawlies: Insects are important pollinators, a food source for many bigger species, critical for decomposition, and they even keep us safe from harmful organisms. Some bugs spread disease, others bite or sting, and many are just plain annoying. Extraordinary Insects: The Fabulous, Indispensable Creatures Who Run Our World