Animal Science

There has been a lot of ink devoted to discussions of how robots will replace us and take our jobs. But MIT Media Lab researcher and technology policy expert Kate Darling argues just the opposite, and that treating robots with a bit of humanity, more like the way we treat animals, will actually serve us better.

It's 1863, and dinosaurs roam the streets of New York as the Civil War rages between raptor-mounted armies down South. Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are on a field trip when the Draft Riots break out, and a number of their fellow orphans are kidnapped by an evil magistrate, Richard Riker. Magdalys and her friends flee to Brooklyn and settle in the Dactyl Hill neighborhood. Together with the Vigilance Committee, they train to fly on dactylback, discover new friends and amazing dinosaurs, and plot to take down Riker.

Approximately 200,000 years ago, as modern humans began to radiate out from their evolutionary birthplace in Africa, Neanderthals were already thriving in Europe - descendants of a much earlier migration of the African genus Homo. But when modern humans eventually made their way to Europe 45,000 years ago, Neanderthals suddenly vanished.

Isla and her brother are two young foxes living just outside the lands of the furless - humans. The life of a fox is filled with dangers, but Isla has begun to learn mysterious skills meant to help her survive. Then the unthinkable happens. Returning to her den, Isla finds it set ablaze and surrounded by strange foxes, and her family is nowhere in sight. Forced to flee, she escapes into the cold, gray world of the furless. Now Isla must navigate this bewildering and deadly terrain, all while being hunted by a ruthless enemy.

During the Great Depression, Seabiscuit captured American hearts from the soup kitchens to the White House. In this classic story, Ralph Moody recounts the true story of a plucky horse that refused to quit, a down-on-his-luck jockey determined to help his horse win, and the trainer who brought out the best in both.

For decades, it has been nearly universal dogma among environmentalists and health advocates that cattle and beef are public enemy number one. But is the matter really so clear? Hardly, argues environmental lawyer turned rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman in her new book, Defending Beef. The public has long been led to believe that livestock, especially cattle, erode soils, pollute air and water, damage riparian areas, and decimate wildlife populations. In Defending Beef, Hahn Niman argues that cattle are not inherently bad for either the Earth or our own nutritional health.

In Higher Animals, New Yorker science writer Michael Specter explores how MRNA vaccines have transformed the scientific landscape and helped spark a biotechnology revolution. Biology is information, and increasingly, that means digital information. We need to think of biology the way we think about computer code, only instead of bits and bytes, we use the genetic letters: ACGT. The widely-used mRNA COVID vaccines offer the most immediate example of this groundbreaking moment in medical and scientific history.

Dip below the ocean’s surface and you are soon confronted by forms of life that could not seem more foreign to our own: sea sponges, soft corals, and serpulid worms, whose rooted bodies, intricate geometry, and flower-like appendages are more reminiscent of plant life or even architecture than anything recognizably animal. Yet these creatures are our cousins. As fellow members of the animal kingdom — the Metazoa— they can teach us much about the evolutionary origins of not only our bodies, but also our minds.

Brilliant is about humor in the face of hard times, a perfect story for families to listen to together, by an author whose keen sense of human frailty and resilience has resulted in many beloved books for adults and children.

Charlie Wilde’s dad has been abducted by masked figures who might not even be completely human. And it will take more than her incredible bracelet - which gives her powers from the animal kingdom - to rescue him. Luckily, Charlie’s friends now have bracelets of their own with all-new abilities…they just have to work through a few issues first. Maria’s device has hair-raising side effects. Mac can’t wait to hack into his. And their frenemy, Kelly, swears hers is a dud.

Magpie loves all animals, but has always wanted a pet of her own. Her dad has a talking fish, but she wants something different—maybe a unicorn, or even a dragon! Follow Magpie as she tries to find the perfect pet in a world that is full of mythical creatures.

This magical adventure collection starring best friends Lily and Jess includes Lucy Longwhiskers Gets Lost, Molly Twinkletail Runs Away, Ellie Featherbill All Alone, Bella Tabbypaw in Trouble and Poppy Muddlepup's Daring Rescue.

This collection of stories about magic animal friends contains Katie Prettywhiskers to the Rescue, Phoebe Paddlefoot Makes a Splash, Millie Picklesnout's Wild Ride, Amy Snowycoat's Daring Dive and Holly Santapaws Saves Christmas.

Like you, most animals have eyes. But how and what they see can be very different.

Animals paint the world with color! Listeners of this series will discover what gives birds, mammals, and other creatures their vivid hues. Learn how animals use their color to blend in, stand out, and survive in the wild!

Take a trip to the zoo and you'll see how distinctly different animals are. You'll learn about animals of all sizes and colors, animals on land and in water, and animals with fur, scales, and feathers.

A tree and your pet look nothing alike, but they have one thing in common—they are both made up of cells. Cells are really small. You can see them only with a microscope.

Where can you find a dog on wheels and a fluffy chicken that work together at a veterinarian’s office? What about Mr. G the goat and Jellybean the donkey, two inseparable friends? Or dog and cheetah BFFs? Look no further! Together Forever! tells three heartwarming tales of unlikely animal friendships that prove love knows no species. These true stories will amaze, inspire, and make you say “Awww.”

The adventure continues in this sixth book in the New York Times best-selling series.

Poppy knew she was taking a risk following her beloved Ragweed to Bannock Hill, but a night of dancing with the handsome golden mouse was just too tempting. So when Ragweed is scooped up by the sinister owl, Mr. Ocax, who rules over Dimwood forest, she’s devastated. Her whole life she was warned of Mr. Ocax’s evil ways … how could she have been so foolish to put herself and Ragweed at risk?