"At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in subzero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no...

"Deep within the peaceful heart of Amish country, a life-or-death emergency shatters a quiet world to its core.Number-oneNew York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs delivers a riveting story that challenges our deepest-held beliefs. Caught between two worlds, Caleb Stoltz is bound by a deathbed promise to raise his orphaned niece and nephew in Middle Grove, where life revolves around family, farm, faith--and long-held suspicions about outsiders....

"This [..] book presents current agricultural problems that could impact our world in the future. By learning about things like deforestation, soil erosion, and decreasing biodiversity, students will understand sustainability and climate change, and will recognize the importance of these issues. Through full-color photographs, dynamic spotlight facts, and activities like "Solve It!" and "Test It!," readers are encouraged to think critically about...

Rachel Carson, founder of the modern environmental movement, began work on her seminal book Silent Spring in the late 1950s, when a dizzying array of synthetic pesticides had come into use. Leading this chemical onslaught was the insecticide DDT. Effective against crop pests as well as insects that transmitted human diseases such as typhus and malaria, DDT had at first appeared safe. But as its use expanded, alarming reports surfaced of collateral...

"Electric cars have been around since the 1880s. New York City had more than 600 electric taxicabs in 1907. Henry Ford's wife drove an electric car rather than her husband's popular Model T. By the 1920s, electric cars died out. People preferred cars with gas engines because they went faster and farther. When gas is burned for fuel, it causes air pollution. Air pollution is causing problems for the planet and for people. Electric cars are making a...

Blazing sunlight, brutal heat, and parched earth make the desert one of the deadliest environments on the planet. This interactive book challenges readers to plot their survival in this blistering biome. Makerspace activities encourage engineering solutions to real problems that crop up in the desert. Readers will rely on a map, a supply list, and their STEM skills to problem-solve their way to safety. Fascinating fact boxes offer intriguing information...

Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only be described as a national eating disorder. Will it be fast food tonight, or something organic? Or perhaps something we grew ourselves? The question of what to have for dinner has confronted us since man discovered fire. But as Michael Pollan explains in this revolutionary book, how we answer it now, at the dawn of the twenty-first century may determine our survival...

"The Silent Spring of our time From an MIT scientist, mounting evidence that the active ingredient in the world's most commonly used weedkiller is responsible for debilitating chronic diseases, including cancer, liver disease, and more Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most commonly used weedkiller in the world. Nearly 300 million pounds of glyphosate-based herbicide are sprayed on farms-and food-every year. Agrichemical companies...

Menno Schilthuizen is one of a growing number of "urban ecologists" studying how our manmade environments are accelerating and changing the evolution of the animals and plants around us. In Darwin Comes to Town, he takes us around the world for an up-close look at just how stunningly flexible and swift-moving natural selection can be.

"In 1981, ambitious young Ma Anand Sheela transported the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to the United States to fulfill his dream of creating a utopia for his thousands of disciples. Four years later, the incendiary Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon collapsed under the weight of audacious criminal conspiracies hatched in its inner sanctum, including the largest bioterrorism attack in US history, an unprecedented election fraud scheme, and multiple...