June 26: Books Published Today

 

Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World’s Strangest Brains by Helen Thomson

Award-winning science writer Helen Thomson unlocks the biggest mysteries of the human brain by examining nine extraordinary cases. From the man who thinks he’s a tiger to the doctor who feels the pain of others just by looking at them to a woman who hears music that’s not there, their experiences illustrate how the brain can shape our lives in unexpected and, in some cases, brilliant and alarming ways.

Library Journal (starred review) says, “Thomson has a gift for making the complex and strange understandable and relatable.”

Unnatural Selection by Katrina van Grouw

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, this book is a stunningly illustrated book about selective breeding–the ongoing transformation of animals at the hand of man. Featuring more than four hundred breathtaking illustrations of living animals, skeletons, and historical specimens, Unnatural Selection will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in natural history and the history of evolutionary thinking.

Finding Einstein’s Brain by Frederick E. Lepore

In this compelling tale, neurology professor Frederick E. Lepore delves into the strange, elusive afterlife of Einstein’s brain, the controversy surrounding its use, and what its study represents for brain and/or intelligence studies. This “biography of a brain” explores what made Einstein’s brain anatomy exceptional, and how “found” photographs, discovered more than a half a century after his death, may begin to uncover the nature of genius.

Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything by Randi Hutter Epstein

Armed with a healthy dose of wit and curiosity, medical journalist Randi Hutter Epstein takes us on a journey through the unusual history of hormones. Aroused introduces the leading scientists who made life-changing discoveries about the hormone imbalances that ail us, as well as the charlatans who used those discoveries to peddle false remedies. Epstein exposes the humanity at the heart of hormone science with her rich cast of characters.

Library Journal calls it “An engaging book of medical history that teaches readers about important aspects of physiology.”

Seeds of Science: Why We Got It So Wrong On GMOs by Mark Lynas

Eco-activist Mark Lynas lifts the lid on the controversial story and misunderstood science of GMOs. Starting out as one of the leading activists in the fight against GMOs in 2013, Lynas famously admitted that he got it all wrong. We’re now discovering that the environmentalist mainstream might have misjudged the GMO issue completely, and as a consequence we have forfeited two decades’ worth of scientific progress in perhaps the most vital area of human need: food.

Kirkus Reviews calls it “A well-tempered, smoothly written book.”

The Universe as It Really Is: Earth, Space, Matter, and Time by Thomas R. Scott

Thomas R. Scott, former College of Sciences Dean at  San Diego State University, begins with physics and chemistry’s building blocks, next tours the earth and atmospheric sciences, and then takes off for the stars to describe our place in the cosmos.

Publishers Weekly says, “Scott presents a wide range of scientific fact and history in a way that will delight and inform readers.”