Every four years, something special happens at the end of February: because the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not a perfect 365 days, but instead roughly 365 and one quarter, an extra day appears on our calendars to help the cosmological books balance. And speaking of cosmological books, if the swift approach of February 29, 2024, has you contemplating the Sun, the Moon, our place in the Universe, the nature of time, the laws of physics, the quantum world, or, as we are leaping after all, frogs . . . well, then do we have the reading list for you. With twenty-nine books, one for each day of ..read more

Madagascar is a place of change. A biodiversity hotspot and the fourth largest island on the planet, it has been home to a spectacular parade of animals, from giant flightless birds and giant tortoises on the ground to agile lemurs leaping through the treetops. The Sloth Lemur’s Song is a far-reaching account of Madagascar’s past and present, led by an expert guide who has immersed herself in research and conservation activities with village communities on the island for nearly fifty years. We spoke with Alison Richard to learn more about Madagascar and her hopes for its future. You’ve s ..read more

In honor of University Press Week, November 13 through 17, 2023, university presses around the globe are celebrating and sharing the incredible impact that the work of this global community of university presses has on every one of us. This year’s theme is #SpeakUP, which provides an opportunity for presses and their supporters to shout to the rooftops about the value of the essential work of university presses: giving voice to the scholarship and ideas that shape conversations around the world. Through a variety of publications and platforms, university presses and their authors cultivate and ..read more

What lies beneath the surface of the ocean has mystified humankind for millennia. Today, we have explored more of the surface of the Moon than we have the deep sea. What thrives in these mysterious depths, how did these life-forms evolve from ancient life, and how has this environment changed over time as our planet has developed? Introducing us to the ancient, complex, and fascinating life forms that have evolved into the marine life we recognize today—from stromatolites, structures created by some of the earliest life billions of years ago and still found today, to yeti crabs, bioluminescent ..read more

In Mountains of Fire: The Menace, Meaning, and Magic of Volcanoes, Clive Oppenheimer invites readers to stand with him in the shadow of an active volcano. Whether he is scaling majestic summits, listening to hissing lava at the crater’s edge, or hunting for the far-flung ashes from Earth’s greatest eruptions, Oppenheimer is an ideal guide, offering readers the chance to tag along on the daring, seemingly impossible journeys of a volcanologist. Mountains of Fire reveals how volcanic activity is entangled with our climate and environment, as well as our economy, politics, culture, and belie ..read more

Meet the menagerie of life-forms that dig, crunch, bore, and otherwise reshape our planet. Did you know that elephants dig ballroom-sized caves alongside volcanoes? Or that our planet once hosted a five-ton dinosaur-crunching alligator cousin? In fact, almost since its fascinating start, life was boring. More than a billion years ago, bacteria, algae, and fungi began breaking down rocks in oceans, a role they still perform today. About a half billion years ago, animal ancestors began drilling, scraping, gnawing, and breaking rocky seascapes. In turn, their descendants crunched through the mate ..read more

San Pedro Bay, which contains the contiguous Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is a significant site for petroleum shipping and refining as well as one of the largest container shipping ports in the world—some forty percent of containerized imports to the United States pass through this so-called America’s Port. It is also ecologically rich. Built atop a land- and waterscape of vital importance to wildlife, the heavily industrialized Los Angeles Harbor contains estuarial wetlands, the LA River mouth, and a marine ecology where colder and warmer Pacific Ocean waters meet. In this compelling ..read more

Humanity’s interaction with the ocean has spawned industries, exchanges, stories, and knowledge. The University of Chicago Press’s new book series, Oceans in Depth, puts the ocean at the center of our narratives about the past to explore different dimensions of our histories. The first book in the series was published last month. Oceans under Glass: Tank Craft and the Sciences of the Sea by Samantha L. Muka charts the development of aquariums throughout the twentieth century to show how this equipment has enhanced our knowledge of the marine environment. The second, forthcoming this spring, is ..read more

Hypothyroidism affects approximately five out of a hundred Americans, and hundreds of millions worldwide. It occurs when the thyroid gland malfunctions or after thyroid surgery, causing thyroid hormone levels in circulation to drop. Thus, treatment is aimed at bringing these hormone levels back to normal, usually with daily tablets of thyroxine or T4. While most patients respond well, about ten to twenty percent (some one and a half to three million individuals in the United States) are far from living a typical life. Instead, they exhibit “foggy brain”—low energy, confusion, and poor memory ..read more

Scientifically informed and funny, Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals is a firsthand account of some of Australia’s most wonderfully unique animals—and how our perceptions impact their futures. When a platypus first appeared in British scientific society, some were certain it was taxidermic trickery—with a duck’s bill and feet and a mole’s body. And as the nineteenth-century understanding of living platypuses grew, these animals became the focus of a dispute about the nature of evolution. A venomous, egg-laying “monotreme” (meaning it has one opening for its repro ..read more