Science + Psychology
YOUR BRAIN ON ART: HOW THE ARTS TRANSFORM US
Written by Ross, Ivy
A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof for how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts--and how this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities. Many of us think of the arts as entertainment--a luxury of some kind.
ON THE ORIGIN OF TIME: STEPHEN HAWKING'S FINAL THEORY
Written by Hertog, Thomas
Stephen Hawking's closest collaborator offers the intellectual superstar's final thoughts on the cosmos--a dramatic revision of the theory he put forward in A Brief History of Time. Perhaps the biggest question Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life.
EXPERIENCE MACHINE: HOW OUR MINDS PREDICT AND SHAPE REALITY
Written by Clark, Andy
A brilliant new theory of the mind that upends our understanding of how the brain interacts with the world For as long as we've studied human cognition, we've believed that our senses give us direct access to the world. What we see is what's really there--or so the thinking goes. But new discoveries in neuroscience and psychology have turned this assumption on its head.
TRANSCENDENT BRAIN: SPIRITUALITY IN THE AGE OF SCIENCE
Written by Lightman, Alan
From the acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams comes a fascinating investigation of "spiritual materialism"--transcendent experiences for the scientifically inclined. Modern science teaches us that all things can be explained in terms of atoms and molecules, including the inner workings of the brain. But certain personal experiences seem to challenge that rigid materialism.
GREAT DISCOVERIES IN MEDICINE
Written by Helen Bynum
Sickness and health, birth and death, disease and cure: medicine and our understanding of the workings of our bodies and minds are an inextricable part of how we know who we are.
SECRET OF LIFE: ROSALIND FRANKLIN, JAMES WATSON, FRANCIS CRICK, AND THE DISCOVERY OF DNA'S DOUBLE HELIX
Written by Markel, Howard
James Watson and Francis Crick's 1953 discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is the foundation of virtually every advance in our modern understanding of genetics and molecular biology. But how did Watson and Crick do it--and why were they the ones who succeeded?
INSECT CRISIS: THE FALL OF THE TINY EMPIRES THAT RUN THE WORLD
Written by Milman, Oliver
From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet's known animal species are insects.
VAGINA OBSCURA: AN ANATOMICAL VOYAGE
Written by Gross, Rachel E
A camera obscura reflects the world back but dimmer and inverted. Similarly, science has long viewed woman through a warped lens, one focused narrowly on her capacity for reproduction. As a result, there exists a vast knowledge gap when it comes to what we know about half of the bodies on the planet.
JOURNEY OF THE MIND: HOW THINKING EMERGED FROM CHAOS
Written by Gaddam, Sai
Why do you exist? How did atoms and molecules transform into sentient creatures that experience longing, regret, compassion, and even marvel at their own existence? What does it truly mean to have a mind--to think? Science has offered few answers to these existential questions until now.
UNDER ALIEN SKIES: A SIGHTSEER'S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE
Written by Plait, Philip
How would Saturn's rings look from a spaceship sailing just above them? If you were falling into a black hole, what's the last thing you'd see before your spaghettification? What would it be like to visit the faraway places we currently experience only through high-powered telescopes and robotic emissaries?
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