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Best Nonfiction of 2012: Science & Nature

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Cover art for TURING'S CATHEDRAL
NONFICTION
Released: March 6, 2012
Kirkus Star TURING'S CATHEDRAL: THE ORIGINS OF THE DIGITAL UNIVERSE
by George Dyson
"Meticulously researched and packed with not just technological details, but sociopolitical and cultural details as well--the definitive history of the computer."
That we live in a digital universe is indisputable; how we got there is a mesmerizing tale brilliantly told by science historian Dyson (Project Orion: The Atomic Spaceship 1957–1965, 2002, etc.). Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FOREST UNSEEN
NONFICTION
Released: March 19, 2012
Kirkus Star THE FOREST UNSEEN: A YEAR'S WATCH IN NATURE
by David George Haskell
"Exceptional observations of the biological world worthy of any naturalist's library."
An extraordinary, intimate view of life in an old-growth forest. Read full book review >
Cover art for WILD
NONFICTION
Released: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Star WILD: FROM LOST TO FOUND ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL
by Cheryl Strayed
"A candid, inspiring narrative of the author's brutal physical and psychological journey through a wilderness of despair to a renewed sense of self."
Unsentimental memoir of the author's three-month solo hike from California to Washington along the Pacific Crest Trail. Read full book review >
Cover art for MASTERS OF THE PLANET
NONFICTION
Released: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Star MASTERS OF THE PLANET: THE SEARCH FOR OUR HUMAN ORIGINS
by Ian Tattersall
"Keeping a critical eye on the evidence and a skeptical one on theories, Tattersall confirms his status among world anthropologists by delivering a superior popular explanation of human origins."
A veteran anthropologist writes a superb overview of how our species developed (a long process) and how we grew smart enough to dominate the planet (a short process in which evolution played little part). Read full book review >
Cover art for THE SOCIAL CONQUEST OF EARTH
NONFICTION
Released: April 9, 2012
Kirkus Star THE SOCIAL CONQUEST OF EARTH
by Edward O. Wilson
"Wilson succeeds in explaining his complex ideas, so attentive readers will receive a deeply satisfying exposure to a major scientific controversy."
Never shy about tackling big questions, veteran evolutionary biologist Wilson (The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, 2006, etc.) delivers his thoughtful if contentious explanation of why humans rule the Earth. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE STORY OF EARTH
NONFICTION
Released: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Star THE STORY OF EARTH: THE FIRST 4.5 BILLION YEARS, FROM STARDUST TO LIVING PLANET
by Robert M. Hazen
"A report of a fascinating new theory on the Earth's origins written in a sparkling style with many personal touches."
Hazen (Earth Science/George Mason Univ.; Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins, 2005, etc.) offers startling evidence that "Earth's living and nonliving spheres" have co-evolved over the past 4 billion years. Read full book review >