Science and Nature
Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of recent adult nonfiction books about science and the natural world, written in an engaging and accessible style for the layperson. (December 2025)
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The Mind Electric
This rich blend of case studies, memoir, and cultural commentary delivers new insights on the world of neurology and the stories of the marginalized it has often ignored.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Ocean
Renowned broadcaster Attenborough takes to the page in this journey through diverse marine biomes and the threats they face, with hope for their future.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Clamor
Berdik presents a close look at noise pollution’s impact on our health and the planet and opportunities to harness sound in more positive ways.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Turning to Stone
Bjornerud examines how rocks have their own sorts of lives, going through changes over time periods that seem long in human terms.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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When the Earth Was Green
This series of poetic vignettes, starting 1.2 billion years ago, shines a rare light on the integral role of plants in the evolution of all life on Earth.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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A Book of Balance
Indigenous tribal elders proclaim an urgent choice for the industrialized world: live in balance with nature or destroy the planet.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Unmasking AI
A pioneering data scientist reveals “the coded gaze”- the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Everything Is Predictable
Bayes' theorem allows a person to calculate the probability of a cause if the effect is known. This book shows how this idea can be widely applied in a surprising variety of areas.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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The Devil's Element
Egan demonstrates how a vital element in fertilizer helped power both the human population boom and environmental disasters.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Sex Is A Spectrum
Fuentes explores how biology, anthropology, primatology, and cultural histories tell us that many alleged sex differences are mirages born of cultural biases.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use