Four best-selling books with interesting science ideas

We know school is just around the corner, but there’s still time to get in those last few summer reads. Here are four interesting reads with some science involved. Maybe you’ll even bring some of these concepts into your classroom this fall!

1. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson: This is a whimsical, romantic adventure book in the vein of The Princess Bride. There is action, adventure, magic, lost love, and yes — interesting science! On this planet, sailors venture forth on oceans of spores instead of water. This is made possible by the phenomenon of fluidization, a phenomenon where fine solids take on fluid properties when gas is flowed up through it from a source beneath the sandy material. Each spore is capable of growing a different item that is useful for life on the planet… but there is danger too, of course! (This story was released as part of the biggest Kickstarter to date, but is now available from traditional publishers.
2. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton: The late 1970’s and early 1980’s were an exciting time in the biotechnology lab – the identification and purification of restriction enzymes, DNA fingerprinting, the development of PCR, genetic engineering like the production of insulin in bacteria. All these innovations were happening very quickly and there were concerns. In 1975, a group of researchers, lawyers, and doctors gathered at the Asilomar Conference Center to establish safe guidelines for the use of recombinant DNA. The novel Jurassic Park arose as a cautionary tale of genetic engineering in the vein of classics like Frankenstein — should we bring organisms back to life? This book can be used to discuss bioethics, genetics, and more.
3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: This non-fiction book details the history of the first cells that were able to grow outside of the human body and the scientific contributions that they allowed, but beautifully intertwines it with the Lacks family story and the problematic acquisition of these cells. We can use this history as a way to incorporate bioethics into our lessons through patient protections and genetic privacy. This cautionary tale can also be used to bring current events into the classroom, as the Lacks family was just awarded compensation for the use of their matriarch’s cells and genetic information.
4. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: What happens if the aliens invading earth were not little green men? Instead, in this book, they are microbes quickly absorbing the light of the solar system. In this novel, our protagonist wakes up in a space craft with no memory of what is happening. They take us along on their ride of molecular biology, space science, and an unlikely friendship. We won’t say more to ruin the surprise, but this book is a fun exploration of the scientific method and evolution in space.