YA Friday: She Blinded Me with Science

by TeenHQAttention: This post is over 3 years old and the information may be out of date.August 10, 2018

Superhero

Non-Fiction Edition

Hi! I'm Leizel, and once a month I'll be taking over YA Friday to highlight some awesome YA non-fiction that we have in our collection.

Since school is starting up again, you might as well get a head start by learning about something you are interested in, like science! From astrophysics to forensics, you can find a topic that will fascinate you.

Science!

StarTalk: Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond: Young Readers Edition by Neil Degrasse Tyson

Ever wonder what you would pack for a trip to Mars or if Superman could survive a black hole? This book covers those topics and more! Written by Neil DegrasseTyson, popular astrophysicist and science communicator, this is a YA edition of the companion book to his podcast.

Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA by Bridget Heos

Sure, you've heard of using DNA to solve a crime, but did you know that forensic science has been around for nearly 2000 years? Chinese coroners were studying bodies to solve crimes back in 270 C.E. Blood, Bullets and Bones covers DNA, blood spatter analysis, fingerprinting, and psychological profiling, as well as going over famous historical crimes like Jack the Ripper. This book isn't for the squeamish, but those who are interested in the history and science of forensics will enjoy it.

Artificial Intelligence: Building Smarter Machines by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson

Will machines ever become self aware? Is A.I. a promising technology or are we heading towards a Terminator style future? This book discusses the development of A.I. and it's place in pop culture.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Henrietta Lacks passed away in 1951, but her cells live on to this day. Researchers have used her cells in medical breakthroughs, including the polio vaccine. However, neither Henrietta nor her family gave consent for her cells to be used for this purpose. This book highlights the scientific discoveries and examines ethics in medical research while telling the story of Henrietta and her family. A movie based on this book came out in 2017.

Vaccination Investigation: The History and Science of Vaccines by Tara Haele

Why do some people refuse to use vaccines when they have saved so many lives? This book explains what vaccines are, how they have been used and developed and why they've become controversial to some.