Science

The science spell book : magical experiments for kids book cover

The science spell book : magical experiments for kids

Florance, Cara, author, illustrator.

j507.8 Florance
Nonfiction, Science

"Have you ever wished you could cast a real spell with the wave of a magic wand? Have you ever wanted to mix a real color-changing potion? Now kids can perform magical feats with a few simple ingredients and a little help from science."--

Casey's picture

Added by Casey

Imaginable : how to see the future coming and feel ready for anything--even things that seem impossible today book cover

Imaginable : how to see the future coming and feel ready for anything--even things that seem impossible today

Jane McGonigal

303.49 /McGonigal
Nonfiction, Technology, Science, Self Help

"War in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly frequent climate disasters--events we might have called "unimaginable" or "unthinkable" in the past are now reality. Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence and creativity in facing uncertain futures. In Imaginable, Jane McGonigal draws on the latest scientific research in psychology and neuroscience to show us how to train our minds to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable. She invites us to play with the provocative thought experiments and future simulations she's designed exclusively for this book..." -- Inside front book jacket.

Melody's picture

I started listening to the audiobook version of this on hoopla (https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/15013684) and wound up buying my own copy to switch back and forth. Some parts are better read so you can stop and ponder McGonigal's probing questions and go through her "creativity training." I mean, who doesn't love creativity training?! Now some of us ICPL staff are in an Imaginable book club where we imagine the future of libraries and the Iowa City community. It's been a fun discussion so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing which of our predictions comes true. -Melody

Book of Phobias and Manias : a history of obsession. book cover

Book of Phobias and Manias : a history of obsession.

Summerscale, Kate

616.85225/Summerscale
Science, History

Edgar Award winner Summerscale (The Haunting of Alma Fielding) examines the fear of the number 13, the 17th-century Dutch tulip frenzy, and 97 other irrational turns of mind in this fascinating compendium. Acarophobic delusions, caused by the "extreme fear of tiny insects," can be transmitted from person to person and once caused Salvador Dalí to take a razor blade to his back to kill a flea that turned out to be a pimple. Triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13, may have its roots in the story of the Norse trickster god, Loki, who "cursed the earth with darkness" when he crashed a dinner party for 12 other gods at Valhalla and became the 13th at the table. Summerscale also makes the intriguing point that manias and phobias may actually preserve sanity by "crystallising our frights and fancies, and allowing us to proceed as if everything else makes sense," and links obsessions to historical and cultural developments, noting, for example, that arithmomania, or "a pathological desire to count," was first identified in the late 19th century and may be the product "of our era's reverence for mechanical processes." Exquisitely detailed and consistently insightful, this is an entertaining guide to humanity's compulsions. (Sept.) Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly.

Candice's picture

The part of the review that says "and links obsessions to historical and cultural developments" was what got me hooked on this book. Luridly fascinating, and educational to boot! -Candice

Amazing but true! : fun facts about the LEGO® world--and our own! book cover

Amazing but true! : fun facts about the LEGO® world--and our own!

Elizabeth Dowsett

CATALOGING /
Science

"From unbelievable space and nature facts, to mind-boggling inventions and technology trivia, discover amazing information about the world around us with the help of LEGO minifigures and bricks"--

Anne W's picture

Trivia AND Legos?! Yes please! -Anne W

Geo-graphics book cover

Geo-graphics

Regina Giménez

j523.1 Gimenez
Science

""Our universe is brimming with secrets, and surprising curiosities. Here readers will learn the answers to all the questions they've asked themselves: What does the Sun look like from different planets in our galaxy? Why doesn't the Moon always appear the same? What is the largest river on Earth? And the highest mountain? In Geo-Graphics, our world becomes transformed by acclaimed artist Regina Gǐmnez, into 87 pages of gorgeous shapes and colors. Planets and stars, continents and islands, rivers and lakes, volcanos and hurricanes ... here they are presented as circles, polygons, lines, spirals, and accompanying facts that explain the world around us. This special and unusual atlas is a marriage of science and art like no other.""

Anne W's picture

Who doesn't love fun facts? This book is filled with unique, visually arresting, deceptively simple shapes and lines paired with bite-size facts that help a reader visualize the phases of the moon, the sizes of the Earth's rivers, the placement of islands, and more stunning scientific truths about our amazing Earth. -Anne W

Why Buddhism is true : the science and philosophy of meditation and enlightenment book cover

Why Buddhism is true : the science and philosophy of meditation and enlightenment

Robert Wright

294.342 /Wright
Nonfiction, Self Help, Health, Science, Philosophy

Author Robert Wright shows how Buddhist meditative practice can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and deepen your appreciation of beauty and other people. -- Adapted from book jacket.

Mykle's picture

A fantastic look at the scientific aspects of Buddhism, specifically mindfulness meditation. -Mykle

Origin : a genetic history of the Americas book cover

Origin : a genetic history of the Americas

Jennifer Raff

576.5 /Raff
Nonfiction, History, Science

20,000 years ago, people crossed a great land bridge from Siberia into Western Alaska and then dispersed southward into what is now called the Americas. Until we venture out to other worlds, this remains the last time our species has populated an entirely new place, and this event has been a subject of deep fascination and controversy. No written records--and scant archaeological evidence--exist to tell us what happened or how it took place. Many different models have been proposed to explain how the Americas were peopled and what happened in the thousands of years that followed. A study of both past and present, ORIGIN explores how genetics is currently being used to construct narratives that profoundly impact Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It serves as a primer for anyone interested in how genetics has become entangled with identity in the way that society addresses the question "Who is indigenous?"

Candice's picture

This is a great read for anyone interested in the history and archaeology of the Americas, and the theories and existing evidence of the first people to live there. It's a much-needed update and refresher on the topic! This book has a lot of detail, but is presented in a way that makes it eminently readable and highly entertaining. -Candice

Women in white coats : how the first women doctors changed the world of medicine book cover

Women in white coats : how the first women doctors changed the world of medicine

Olivia M. Campbell

610.922 /Campbell
Nonfiction, History, Science

Documents the true stories of three pioneering women who defied Victorian-era boundaries to become the first women doctors, discussing how they banded together to support each other and advocate for women's health in a male-dominated field.

Angie's picture

For fans of Hidden Figures and Radium Girls comes the remarkable story of three Victorian women who broke down barriers in the medical field to become the first women doctors, revolutionizing the way women receive health care. With gripping storytelling based on extensive research and access to archival documents, Women in White Coats tells the courageous history these women made by becoming doctors, detailing the boundaries they broke of gender and science to reshape how we receive medical care today. -Angie

Into the forest : the secret language of trees book cover

Into the forest : the secret language of trees

Susan Tyler Hitchcock

582.16 /Hitchcock
Nonfiction, Nature, Science

"For millennia, trees have offered renewal and inspiration. They have provided for humanity on every level, from spiritual sanctuary to the raw material for our homes, books, and food. In this beautiful and revealing book, National Geographic combines legendary photography with cutting-edge science to illuminate exactly how trees influence the life of planet Earth--from our personal lives to the weather cycle. Beautifully illustrated essays tell the stories of the world's most remarkable trees, from Tane Mahura in New Zealand, the ancient Maori "lord of the forest," to Pando, a single aspen spreading over 100 acres: Earth's largest living thing. You'll also discover how an astronaut carried tree seeds to the moon and back; the reason "microdosing" on tree gas is a sure way to boost your immune system; and why playing in the dirt boosts serotonin, happiness hormone"--Amazon.

Melody's picture

This is another book I discovered because I got to catalog it. Perks of the job! It's beautiful. Simply lovely pictures of different species of trees with a short history or factoid of each one. My. Jam. -Melody

The least of us : true tales of America and hope in the time of fentanyl and meth book cover

The least of us : true tales of America and hope in the time of fentanyl and meth

Sam Quinones

362.293 /Quinones
History, Science

Quinones was among the first to see the dangers of synthetic drugs and a new generation of kingpins whose product could be made in Magic Bullet blenders. In fentanyl, traffickers landed a painkiller a hundred times more powerful than morphine. They laced it into cocaine, meth, and counterfeit pills to cause tens of thousands of deaths-- at the same time as Mexican traffickers made methamphetamine cheaper and more potent. He investigated these new threats, discovering how addiction is exacerbated by consumer-product corporations. Amid a landscape of despair, Quinones found hope in those embracing the forgotten and ignored, illuminating the striking truth that we are only as strong as our most vulnerable. -- adapted from jacket

Tom's picture

This book is part history, part science, and part character study. It is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. -Tom