Carroll, Sean. Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe. Dutton. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593186602. $26. SCI

Carroll (The Big Picture), a Johns Hopkins professor famous for his many books explicating science, writes the second in his “The Biggest Ideas in the Universe” series, after Space, Time, and Motion. This time he tackles the Standard Model of particle physics, explaining atoms and quantum reality.

Foster, Craig. Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World. HarperOne. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780063289024. $29.99. SCI

Academy Award–winning filmmaker Foster (My Octopus Teacher) urges readers to create a new relationship with the wild world. He details his own intimate connection to the sea, modeling the power of immersing oneself in nature. The book includes 16 pages of photos and QR codes linked to mini-videos. With a 200K-copy first printing.

Harper, Caroline. Unseen Universe: Space as You’ve Never Seen It Before from the James Webb Space Telescope. Mobius. May 2024. 224p. ISBN 9781529430509. $35.99. SCI

Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency, focuses on how the images from the Webb telescope are changing the ways scientists understand and think about the biggest questions of astronomy. Is the universe expanding or is it infinite? What are the origins of black holes? Harper, and Webb, shine light. The book includes 100+ images.

Nezhukumatathil, Aimee. Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees. Ecco: HarperCollins. May 2024. 192p. ISBN 9780063282261. $26.99. SCI

Best-selling poet and essayist Nezhukumatathil (World of Wonders, a B&N Book of the Year) turns her attention to food in this highly illustrated collection of meditations on the nature of nourishment. From memories to instant associations, she ponders how food helps define and shape identity—and much more. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Schlanger, Zoë. The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth. Harper. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780063073852. $29.99. SCI

Consider the remarkable complexity, ability, and intelligence of plant life—pea seedlings that can hear water and move toward it; plants that can store memories and trick animals into desired behavior. Travelling the globe, award-winning Atlantic reporter Schlanger joins scientists as they formulate an entirely new view of plant life. With a 150K-copy first printing.