Your Science Classroom Library

Why are some eyes blue? Is aging inevitable? Can I train myself to need less sleep?

"If our Bodies could talk" is a practical approach to understanding our bodies. Many of the answers are stories about why we don't have concrete answers.

The book is a lot of questions with a lot of answers and is an easy read to pick up when you don't have a chance to read it every day.

This is a one scientist's story of wonderment and discovery. You will follow the author on his journey of being a scientist and how his curiosity influenced his path.

His work with the star nosed mole, tentacled snakes, and zombie making wasps will leave you feeling curious. "Science knowledge only adds the excitement"

In many ways, we’re more comfortable than ever before. But could our sheltered, temperature-controlled, overfed, underchallenged lives actually be the leading cause of many our most urgent physical and mental health issues? In this gripping investigation, award-winning journalist Michael Easter seeks out off-the-grid visionaries, disruptive genius researchers, and mind-body conditioning trailblazers who are unlocking the life-enhancing secrets of a counterintuitive solution: discomfort.

Have you ever wondered why you have a brain? Let renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett demystify that big gray blob between your ears. In seven short essays (plus a bite-sized story about how brains evolved), this slim, entertaining, and accessible collection reveals mind-expanding lessons from the front lines of neuroscience research. You'll learn where brains came from, how they're structured (and why it matters), and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience. Along the way, you'll also learn to dismiss popular myths such as the idea of a "lizard brain" and the alleged battle between thoughts and emotions, or even between nature and nurture, to determine your behavior.

In the mid-1970s, scientists began using DNA sequences to reexamine the history of all life. Perhaps the most startling discovery to come out of this new field is horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or the movement of genes across species lines. It turns out that HGT has not only played an important role in the evolution of every lineage of modern organisms, but could be incredibly significant in understanding modern crises in public health.

How intelligent are octopuses? Do they belong in the same class as dogs, birds, chimpanzees, and — dare we say it? — humans? From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, naturalist Sy Montgomery chronicles the growing appreciation of this mollusk as she tells a unique story. The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about the meeting of two very different minds.

Not since the atomic bomb has a technology so alarmed its inventors that they warned the world about its use. That is, until 2015, when biologist Jennifer Doudna called for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the gene-editing tool CRISPR. Doudna — who has since won the Nobel Prize for her CRISPR research — shares the thrilling story of her discovery and describes the enormous responsibility that comes with the power to rewrite the code of life.

This is from the same author as "Survival of the Sickest". He discusses ideas behind why women live longer, have stronger immune systems and have fewer brain developmental issues from a genetic and evolutionary viewpoint. In addition, he discusses how traditional research using male animals only fails to discover the differences between males and females, often to the detriment of females. He also highlights several discoveries that a male scientist is known for, but that female scientists actually made or were integral in the discovery.

The Curies' discovered radium. Radium is making headlines across the nation. It is a glowing wonder drug: found in body lotion, drinks, makeup, medicine, even watch faces and more. Women are hired and paid well to make dials for WWI military crafts. But there is a dark side to this new glowing element that they are unaware of, medical mysteries surround the Radium girls. Do those in charge know the dangers? Their courage leads to ground breaking battles for life-changing regulations and ultimately saves hundreds of thousands of lives.

Mary Roach takes the question "What happens to us after we die?' and explores the ceremony and uses that surround human cadavers from ancient times up through some very modern ideas. She includes discussions about medical uses and different ideologies that surround corpses. She treats the subject of cadavers with dignity, yet often includes graphic detail.