Best American Science and Nature Writing Books

Twenty-eight of the best pieces of science and nature writing in America in a collection edited by the renowned physicist and public intellectual. The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2010 includes: Timothy Ferris Tim Flannery Jane Goodall Philip Gourevitch Elizabeth Kolbert Jonah Lehrer Kathleen McGowan Felix Salmon Tom Wolfe And others

The New York Times –bestselling author of Packing for Mars presents fascinating essays by Jonathan Lethem, Jaron Lanier, Malcom Gladwell and others. Good science writing, as Mary Roach explains in her introduction, is a cure for ignorance and fallacy. But great science writing adds honey—in the form of engaging characters, stories, and wit—to make the medicine go down. This anthology reveals the essential humanity in our endless quest for knowledge and understanding. From a study of avian mating habits with unintended political implications to a sober exploration of the panic surrounding artificial intelligence, The Best Science and Nature Writing 2011 offers food for thought in a variety of flavors. The Best Science and Nature Writing 2011 includes entries by Deborah Blum, Burkhard Bilger, Ian Frazier, David H. Freedman, Atul Gawande, Stephen Hawking, Christopher Ketcham, Jill Sisson Quinn, Oliver Sachs, and others.

“Top-notch science writing covering everything from the 1,000 species in the human gut to efforts to reverse-evolve a chicken into a dinosaur.” — Kirkus Reviews With contributions from bestselling and award-winning writers including Jerome Groopman and Elizabeth Kolbert, this volume delves into such topics as the 2008 “Black Friday” stampede at a Long Island Walmart; an annual humans-vs.-AI competition; octopus intelligence; lab-grown meat; marauder ants; the brains of teenagers; and the Neanderthal genome. Lively and accessible, this is “a showcase for clean, plain-English science and nature writing and a treat for readers” ( Kirkus Reviews ). “This strong collection invites awe, begets wonder, and stimulates contemplation.” — Publishers Weekly “There is so much we don’t know, which leads us to make so many irrational decisions that we need scientists and science writers to share their inquiries and discoveries in welcoming and lucid prose. Stellar examples of just this sort of cogent and compelling writing sustains this invaluable and exciting series.” — Booklist Contributors include: Brendan Buhler · Virginia Hughes • Jerome Groopman • Carl Zimmer • Thomas Hayden • Michael Behar • Bijal P. Trivedi • Sy Montgomery • Mark W. Moffett • Deborah Blum • Elizabeth Kolbert • Michael Roberts • Thomas Goetz • Jason Daley • David Dobbs • David Eagleman • John Seabrook • David Kirby • Robert Kunzig • Michael Specter • Mark McClusky • Rivka Galchen • Joshua Davis • Brian Christian

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, a leading cancer physician and researcher, selects the year’s top science and nature writing from journalists who dive into their fields with curiosity and passion, delivering must-read articles from a wide array of fields.

“A stimulating compendium” on topics from antibiotics to animals, featuring Rebecca Solnit, E.O. Wilson, Nicholas Carr, Elizabeth Kolbert, and many more ( Kirkus Reviews ). “A consistently strong series . . . Making connections between seemingly unrelated topics can help expand thinking, as seen in the effects of automated navigation on both airplane pilot error and Inuit hunting accidents that Nicholas Carr explores in ‘The Great Forgetting.’ Sarah Stewart Johnson makes a similar connection between the loss of a 1912 Antarctic expedition and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in ‘O-Rings.’ . . . Essays like Virginia Hughes’s ‘23 and You’ investigates the effects of availability of individual genetic information on human interactions, while pieces like Maryn McKenna’s ‘Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future’ and Kate Sheppard’s ‘Under Water’ remind us of unpleasant futures which we have in large part created ourselves. But Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘Where it Begins,’ a lyrical musing on connectedness, or Wilson’s optimistic, bug-loving ‘The Rebirth of Gorongosa,’ reveal that among the strange, shocking, or depressing, there is still unadulterated joy to be found.” — Publishers Weekly “Undeniably exquisite . . . meditations that reveal not only how science actually happens but also who or what propels its immutable humanity.” —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings Contributors include: Katherine Bagley • Nicholas Carr • David Dobbs • Pippa Goldschmidt • Amy Harmon • Robin Marantz Henig • Virginia Hughes • Ferris Jabr • Sarah Stewart Johnson • Barbara J. King • Barbara Kingsolver • Maggie Koerth-Baker • Elizabeth Kolbert • Joshua Lang • Maryn McKenna • Seth Mnookin • Justin Nobel • Fred Pearce • Corey S. Powell • Roy Scranton • Kate Sheppard • Bill Sherwonit • Rebecca Solnit • David Treuer • E.O. Wilson • Carl Zimmer

This anthology of essays and articles explores topics ranging from untouched wilderness to scientific ethics—and the nature of curiosity itself. Scientists and writers are both driven by a dogged curiosity, immersing themselves in detailed observations that, over time, uncover larger stories. As Rebecca Skloot says in her introduction, all the stories in this collection are “written by and about people who take the time, and often a substantial amount of risk, to follow curiosity where it may lead, so we can all learn about it.” The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2015 includes work from both award-winning writers and up-and-coming voices in the field. From Brooke Jarvis on deep-ocean mining to Elizabeth Kolbert on New Zealand’s unconventional conservation strategies, this is a group that celebrates the growing diversity in science and nature writing alike. Altogether, the writers honored in this volume challenge us to consider the strains facing our planet and its many species, while never losing sight of the wonders we’re working to preserve for generations to come. This anthology includes essays and articles by Sheri Fink, Atul Gawande, Leslie Jamison, Sam Kean, Seth Mnookin, Matthew Power, Michael Specter and others.

This anthology collects some of the year’s best science and nature writing—from climate change to killer beetles, an exposé of nail salons, and more. As guest editor Amy Stewart says in her introduction, “science writers get into the game with all kinds of noble, high-minded ambitions. We want to educate. To enlighten…But at the end of the day, we’re all writers. We’re just like novelists, memoirists, and poets. We’re entertainers.” The writers in this anthology pull off that wonderful feat of turning hard research into page-turning narrative. From a Pulitzer Prize–winning essay on the earthquake that could decimate the Pacific Northwest to the astonishing work of investigative journalism that transformed the nail salon industry, this is a collection of hard-hitting and beautifully composed writing on the wonders, dangers, and oddities of scientific innovation and our natural world. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016 includes Kathryn Schulz, Sarah Maslin Nir, Charles C. Mann, Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Kolbert, Gretel Ehrlich, and others.

Twenty-four “outstanding” pieces of American science & nature writing, edited by a renowned scientist and bestselling author ( Publishers Weekly ). “Science is both essential and frivolous, jubilant and despairing, lovely and brutal, perfect and broken—all at the same time—just like the scientists who fashion it,” writes Hope Jahren in her introduction to The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2017 . The pieces honored in this collection celebrate astonishing wonders—from our public lands to a new way of tasting food we eat—and investigate grave perils, like the rapid progression of climate change, air pollution, and more. They show us the beauty and innovation of our planet, and how urgently we must fight to protect it from all those who take it for granted. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2017 includes: Elizabeth Kolbert David Epstein Maria Konnikova Jon Mooallem Tom Kizzia Nicola Twilley And others

A collection of the year’s best science and nature writings, selected by New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean. “This is one of the most exciting times in the history of science,” Sam Kean proclaims in his introduction to The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2018 . “Things aren’t perfect by any means. But there are more scientists making more discoveries in more places about more things than ever before.” The twenty-six pieces assembled here chart the full spectrum of those discoveries. From the outer reaches of space, to the mysteries of the human mind, to the changing culture in labs and universities across the nation, we see time and again the sometimes rocky, sometimes revelatory road to understanding, and along the way catch a glimpse of all that’s left to learn. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2018 includes contributions by Ross Andersen * Jacqueline Detwiler * Sophie Brickman * John Lanchester * Siddharta Mukherjee * Kim Todd * Douglas Fox * J. B. MacKinnon * Barack Obama * David Roberts * Ceridwen Dovey * Caitlin Kuehn * Paul Kvinta * Joshua Rothman * Christopher Solomon * Kayla Webley Adler * Rachel Leven * Rebecca Boyle * Kenneth Brower * Susannah Felts * Steven Johnson * Elena Passarello * Ed Yong * Barbara Bradley Hagerty * Eva Holland * Kathryn Schulz

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER Sy Montgomery, New York Times best-selling author and recipient of numerous awards, edits this year’s volume of the finest science and nature writing. “Science is important because this is how we seek to discover the truth about the world. And this is what makes excellent science and nature writing essential,” observes New York Times best-selling author Sy Montgomery. “Science and nature writing are how we share the truth about the universe with the people of the world.” And collected here are truths about nearly every corner of the universe. From meditations on extinction, to the search for alien life, to the prejudice that infects our medical system, the pieces in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing seek to bring to the people stories of some of the most pressing issues facing our planet, as well as moments of wonder reflecting the immense beauty our natural world offers.

An outstanding collection guest-edited by the groundbreaking physicist and New York Times–bestselling author of Quantum Supremacy. “Scientists and science writers have a monumental task: making science exciting and relevant to the average person, so that they care,” writes renowned American physicist Michio Kaku. “If we fail in this endeavor, then we must face dire consequences.” From the startlingly human abilities of AI, to the devastating accounts of California’s forest fires, to the impending traffic jam on the moon, the selections in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing explore the latest mysteries and marvels occurring in our labs and in nature. These gripping narratives masterfully translate the work of today’s brightest scientists, offering a clearer view of our world and making us care.

New York Times best-selling author and renowned science journalist Ed Yong compiles the best science and nature writing published in 2020. “The stories I have chosen reflect where I feel the field of science and nature writing has landed, and where it could go,” Ed Yong writes in his introduction. “They are often full of tragedy, sometimes laced with wonder, but always deeply aware that science does not exist in a social vacuum. They are beautiful, whether in their clarity of ideas, the elegance of their prose, or often both.” The essays in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing brought clarity to the complexity and bewilderment of 2020 and delivered us necessary information during a global pandemic. From an in-depth look at the moment of the virus’s outbreak, to a harrowing personal account of lingering Covid symptoms, to a thoughtful analysis on how the pandemic will impact the environment, these essays, as Yong says, “synthesize, evaluate, dig, unveil, and challenge,” imbuing a pivotal moment in history with lucidity and elegance. THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE AND NATURE WRITING 2021 INCLUDES • SUSAN ORLEAN • EMILY RABOTEAU • ZEYNEP TUFEKCI • HELEN OUYANG • HEATHER HOGAN BROOKE JARVIS • SARAH ZHANG and others