New Issue: Orbital Catastrophe Ahead? Read Now

September Book Reviews Roundup

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects
By Scott Richard Shaw. The University of Chicago Press, 2014

Green: The History of a Color
By Michel Pastoureau. Princeton University Press, 2014

Flying Dinosaurs: How Fearsome Reptiles Became Birds
By John Pickrell. Columbia University Press, 2014


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar
By Alan Rabinowitz. Island Press, 2014

One Plus One Equals One: Symbiosis and the Evolution of Complex Life
By John Archibald. Oxford University Press, 2014

Scientific American Magazine Vol 311 Issue 3This article was published with the title “September Book Reviews Roundup” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 311 No. 3 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican092014-1T4Iul2UgVdHnEm56qtevj

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe