10 Popular Science Books Everyone Should Read

"To be scientifically literate is to empower yourself to know when someone else is full of shit." Neil deGrasse Tyson

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Crown Publishing Group

Do you own your arm? Well, what about your lungs? Okay, but what about cells taken from a cancerous tumor without your knowledge or consent? Those cells are you, right? Welcome to the life of Henrietta Lacks, a poor tobacco farmer from Virginia who died of cervical cancer in 1951, yet lives on in medical research laboratories today through her immortal cell line, simply know as HeLa. These cells played a vital role in developing the polio vaccine, in in vitro fertilization advancements, cloning and even gene mapping. HeLa cells have been bought and sold for over half a century, yet Lacks’ children and grandchildren see no profits or recognition. The legal battles that ensued helped create bioethics and made us question how much control we really have over the stuff we’re made of.

2. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

Touchstone

The brain is weird. Very weird. Split into twenty-four essays, Doctor Oliver Sacks explores the strange, bizarre world of neurological and neuropsychiatric afflictions. One patient has lost most of his memories; another cannot recognize people or common objects; a woman loses her entire sense of proprioception and can no longer sense the position of her body parts relative to other parts. Another essay showcases autistic savant twins, who cannot read, but can easily find very large prime numbers. This splendid book helps us better understand and sympathize with people who are neurologically impaired.

3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Broadway Books

The title says it all. If you’re looking to dip your toes into a wide array of sciences, including anthropology, mathematics, chemistry, paleontology, and physics, then this book is for you. Bill Bryson’s writing is clear, informative, and—mostly importantly—entertaining. He’s done the hard work, namely research and actually writing the book. All we have to do is read a Short History of Nearly Everything to gain a much better understanding of the world around us and how we, as humans, have obtained this all of this awesome knowledge.

4. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

W.W. Norton Company

Here are just a few of the topics covered in Mary Roach’s bestseller Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers: practicing cosmetic surgery on cadaver heads; use of cadavers as crash test dummies; cannibalism; and alternatives to burial and cremation. In this oddly fascinating, slightly disturbing, and strangely humorous book, Roach explores the history of using cadavers for medical research as well as the moral and ethical issues surrounding the practice.

5. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Scribner

Chances are we all know someone who has had cancer; it’s a nasty disease that was first document thousands of years ago and, despite radical medical advances, will probably be with us for many more years to come. Touted as the “biography” of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, by award-winning science writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, explores our history with cancer—our attempts to understand the disease and to control and cure it. This fascinating, well-written book recounts discoveries and setbacks in cancer research as well as enlightening readers about the future of cancer treatments.

6. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker

Harper Perennial Modern Classics

If you’ve ever wondered how we humans created language, how languages evolve, or how children can quickly pick-up the complexity of language structure, then this award-winning book is for you. Steven Pinker, an MIT psycholinguist, argues that language is an instinct that evolved over time, much like sonar for bats or spinning webs for spiders. Through myriad real-life examples of how a language develops—such as studies about pidgins and sign language—and how it affects our thinking, Pinker presents a splendid book that’s not only delightfully informative, but as brilliantly entertaining.

7. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

Riverhead Books

Author Jon Ronson seeks to uncover what it truly means to be a psychopath. He speaks with psychologists and psychiatrists who have studied them, as well as visiting alleged psychopaths themselves. Ronson suggests that many corporate and government leaders are actually psychopaths, which might explain some of their actions. He also brings to light the history of unorthodox treatments, including nude group therapy in the 1960s. Taking a journey through the madness might just help you better understand the people around you, because ultimately, we’re all just a little bit of a psychopath.

8. The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

Atria Books

The octopus is a strange creature; with eight legs, a beak like a parrot and venom like a snake, it has often been the source of many sea adventures’ monsters. But the octopus can also mischievously escape from its tank (like Hank from Finding Dory), and playfully bounce objects like balls. Could a creature like this actually have intelligence? Could it actually think? If so, what sort of thoughts swim through its mind? Sy Montgomery dives deep into the nature of the octopus, challenging readers to question what it means to be sentient.

9. From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time by Sean Carroll

Dutton Adult

Time moves in one direction—from the past to the future; but what does all of that really mean? Well, for starters, you can’t unstir the cream from your coffee. Physicist Sean Carroll looks at the history of our understanding of time, how it’s changed and what it tells us about the conditions of the universe before the Big Bang. What starts as a basic exploration of the concept of time, turns into a fascinating and in-depth examination of why our universe behaves as it does, and what all of this might mean for theoretical neighboring universes.

10. The Science of Harry Potter: How Magic Really Works by Roger Highfield

Penguin Books

What if science could unlock the magic of Harry Potter and bring the wizarding world to life? Like using molecular biology to create Fluffy, the three-headed dog, or the possibility of using anti-gravity technology to actually play Quidditch. What if quantum physics is the key to real alchemy? Roger Highfield delves into a myriad of fascinating topics—including a brief historical understanding of “real” witches—to look behind the magic and myth of our favorite boy wizard. It’s a captivating book that every Harry Potter fan should read.