Social instinct: How cooperation shapes the world
Nichola Raihani
Saint Martin Press, 2021 ($29.99)
Society is based on cooperation, and the lessons of its importance are as early as Sesame Street. It may be tempting to view our ability to cooperate (no matter how imperfect) as evidence that humans have surpassed our low-level instincts. But in her energetic analysis, psychologist Nichola Raihani redefines cooperation within an evolutionary framework and reveals the competition for survival that still bubbling under its surface.
According to Raihani, cooperation “is not just about what we do, but about who we are and what we do. Yes. “As multicellular organisms, we do embody cooperation. As individuals, we tend to be attracted to others. The instinct that keeps us living in close-knit families drives us to help those who are not part of our immediate circle, even with our help. It will never be rewarded. Although this does not seem to be in line with “survival of the fittest,” Raihani explained this evolutionary conundrum and clarified how cooperation has shaped cancer, monogamy, menopause, hatred of vegetarians, and people’s dirty dishes Different phenomena such as staying in the office sink.
Raihani explained the surprising complexity of natural selection, but did not shy away from resolving current disputes in the field (such as whether human society should share the status of “super organisms” with bees and ant colonies) or touching its outermost boundaries, including “thinking” The possibility of “-curved madness” micro-chimerism, the presence of two human cells in one body. She compares human behavior with the behavior of other highly social animals. For example, mongoose teaches them through a scaffolding course How do children handle food safely, and the blue-striped cleaning wrasse supervises its cleaning station to prevent conflicts that might scare away discerning customers.
Raihani delved into how our hard-wired cooperation drive can help us deal with challenges ranging from epidemics to climate change. We can “change the rules of society” to support large-scale cooperation-this is a popular idea when we live in the Anthropocene.Dana Dunham
Secret world: The extraordinary senses of animals
By Martin Stevens
Oxford University Press, 2021 ($25.95)
The ecologist Martin Stevens catalogued the animal sensory systems and how they surpass our own sensory systems, and at the same time informs and challenges our reality as humans. This book has a narrative and curious style that will attract a wide range of readers. Stevens has explored dozens of sensory systems with examples of the amazing abilities they allow, from night dung beets that use the Milky Way to locate sea turtles that read the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate ocean currents. Secret world Full of lessons on how different species evolve to perceive the world. —Jane St. Jude
Once there were wolves
Author: Charlotte McConaughey
Iron Books, 2021 ($27.99)
Australian writer Charlotte McConaghy migrate) Provides a suspenseful and poignant novel that tells the story of a woman named Inti Flynn and her team of biologists reintroducing the gray wolf into the remote highlands of Scotland. At first, wolves seemed to thrive, but when farmers were beaten, locals would blame the animals. However, Inti came to a different and tragic conclusion: She doubted the man she loved. Her story shows a meditation on the social and scientific consequences that affect ecosystems, while reminding us that both humans and animals can break our hearts. —Amy Brady
Shiny state
By Meredith Westgate
Atria Books, 2021 ($27)
Memoroxin is a personalized pill that can replace the memory of Alzheimer’s patients and is currently being abused as a recreational drug. Divorced from reality, Lucien and Sophie met at the “Mem” rehabilitation center in Los Angeles, where personal trauma and foreign memories can be erased. They feel attracted to each other; have they seen it before?Like movies The eternal sunshine of the spotless soul, the gleaming state Explore whether the joy and pain of love can be completely erased. Through interrelationships, the novel delves into the moral dilemma of a technology that can catalog and edit consciousness. —Jane Schwartz