Books contemplating the human experience and some of humankind’s greatest challenges were among the Science News staff’s favorite reads this year. What were your favorites? Let us know at [email protected].
Leigh Ann Henion
Algonquin Books, $30
As artificial light increasingly illuminates nighttime, a writer makes the case to preserve natural darkness and the ecosystems and life-forms it nurtures, from spotted salamanders to glowworms and bioluminescent fungi.
Sadie Dingfelder
Little, Brown Spark, $32
A science journalist who can’t recognize faces, perceive depth or visualize images in her mind takes readers along on her journey to understand her quirky brain. The hilarious and philosophical memoir is a reminder that our ways of perceiving the world are not uniform.
Christof Koch
Basic Books, $30
A neuroscientist argues that information integration in the brain is what makes humans conscious. The idea provocatively suggests that any system that integrates information, including computers, has the potential for some level of consciousness.
Arielle Johnson
Harvest, $40
Complete with colorful illustrations and fun recipes, this delicious tome digs into the science behind flavor. Reading it just might transform your skills in the kitchen.
Eric H. Cline
Princeton Univ., $32
An archaeologist describes how the Late Bronze Age collapse transformed societies across the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East, with some experiencing hardship and decline while others flourished amid the chaos.
Bianca Bosker
Viking, $29
Wielding science as a tool, a journalist sets out to understand humankind’s primal desire for art, as well as art’s expanding utility in the modern world. Along the way, she immerses herself in the exclusive and bizarre art world.
Tim Smedley
Picador, $29.99
Human mismanagement and climate change are fueling water crises…
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