The Top 24 Science Books of 2024
Wrapping up a year of discovery.
The scientific community is full of discoveries that expand our knowledge, overturn expectations, and remind us how much there is left to learn. From seeing further into the universe than ever before, to placing our ears against the seafloor, to untangling longevity schemes and seeking answers about death—researchers have certainly been busy.
And here at the Next Big Idea Club, we’re doing our best to keep up. Every season, curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Adam Grant pick two exciting reads to share with our members. The rankings below, however, are based on the popularity of “Book Bite” audio summaries in the Next Big Idea App. In other words, they are among 2024’s best science books, according to our thousands of app users. Whether you want to experiment with an unfamiliar subject or get the latest update on your favorite frontier, pick up one of the top science books of the year to sate your curiosity or fuel your next fascination.
24. Silk: A World History
By Aarathi Prasad
Through the scientists who have studied silk, and the biology of the animals from which it has been drawn, Prasad explores the global, natural, and cultural history (and future) of a unique material that has fascinated the world for thousands of years. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Aarathi Prasad, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
23. Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe
By Harry Cliff
Experimental physicist at CERN Harry Cliff offers an eye-opening account of the inexplicable phenomena that science has only recently glimpsed, and that could transform our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Harry Cliff, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
22. Rat City: Overcrowding and Urban Derangement in the Rodent Universes of John B. Calhoun
By Jon Adams & Edmund Ramsden
How one experiment in rat behavior affected the re-making of society in the post-WWII boom years. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Jon Adams, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
21. The Gravity of Math: How Geometry Rules the Universe
By Steve Nadis & Shing-Tung Yau
One of the preeminent mathematicians of the past half century shows how physics and math were combined to give us the theory of gravity and the dizzying array of ideas and insights that has come from it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Steve Nadis, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
20. Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water
By Amorina Kingdon
A captivating exploration of how underwater animals tap into sound to survive, and a clarion call for humans to address the ways we invade these critical soundscapes. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Amorina Kingdon, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
19. The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets
By Thomas Cech
A Nobel Prize–winning scientist reveals biology’s most transformative achievements in decades―a Double Helix for the dawning of the RNA age. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Thomas Cech, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
18. Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves
By Nicola Twilley
An engaging and far-reaching exploration of refrigeration, tracing its evolution from scientific mystery to globe-spanning infrastructure, and an essential investigation into how it has remade our entire relationship with food—for better and for worse. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicola Twilley, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
17. Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans
By Bill Schutt
A fascinating and sometimes creepy journey through the natural, scientific, and cultural history of teeth, arguing that tooth evolution has been the most important factor to vertebrate species’ success. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Bill Schutt, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
16. Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World
By
A beguiling invitation to discover an expanded sense of community and kinship beyond our own species, Meet the Neighbors opens our eyes to the world of vibrant intelligence just outside our doors. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Brandon Keim, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
15. Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
By
As governments and billionaires aim to turn a profit from its resources, Rebecca Boyle shows us that the Moon belongs to everybody and nobody at all. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Rebecca Boyle, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
14. Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life
By Mario Livio & Jack Szostak
A New York Times–bestselling astrophysicist and a Nobel laureate describe the quest to discover how and where the universe breathed life into matter. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by c0-author Mario Livio, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
13. Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs
By Johann Hari
A revelatory look at the new drugs transforming weight loss as we know it—from his personal experience on Ozempic to our ability to heal our society’s dysfunctional relationship with food, weight, and our bodies. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Johann Hari, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
12.This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist’s Path from Grief to Wonder
By Alan Townsend
A compassionate, vulnerable, and transformative exploration of the nurturing and spiritual power of scientific wonder, as illuminated through the tragic dual cancer diagnoses of author Dr. Alan Townsend’s wife and daughter. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Alan Townsend, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
11. The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes
By Paul Halpern
A history of one of the most astounding ideas in physics and astronomy—that the universe we know isn’t the only one. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Paul Halpern, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
10. The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective
By
A sweeping account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat—a tale of fanaticism, forensic science, and dynamite. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Steven Johnson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
9. Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality
By Venki Ramakrishnan
A groundbreaking exploration of the science of why and how we age and die—from a Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Venki Ramakrishnan, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
8. Rethinking Diabetes: What Science Reveals About Diet, Insulin, and Successful Treatments
By Gary Taubes (
)An eye-opening investigation into the history of diabetes research and treatment by an award-winning journalist. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Gary Taubes, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
7. The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
By Dava Sobel
A luminous chronicle of the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science, and the untold story of the many young women trained in her laboratory who were launched into stellar scientific careers of their own. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Dava Sobel, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
6. It’s A Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World
By Mark Miodownik
A fascinating guided tour of the secret life of gases: the strange, elusive, and fascinating substances that shape our world. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Mark Miodownik, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
5. The Fruit Cure: The Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour
By Jacqueline Alnes
An investigation into our healthcare system’s failures and the sinister strains of wellness culture that prey on people’s vulnerabilities through schemes, scams, and diets. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jacqueline Alnes, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
4. Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist
By Richard Munson
The dramatic story of an ingenious man who explained nature and created a country. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Richard Munson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
3. Pillars of Creation: How the James Webb Telescope Unlocked the Secrets of the Cosmos
By Richard Panek
The James Webb Space Telescope is transforming the universe right before our eyes—and here, for the first time, is the inside account of how the mission originated, how it performs its miracles of science, and what its revolutionary images are revealing. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Richard Panek, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
2. Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply about the Meaning of Our Existence
By Samuel Wilkinson
By using principles from a variety of scientific disciplines, Yale Professor Samuel Wilkinson provides a framework for human evolution that reveals an overarching purpose to our existence. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Samuel Wilkinson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
1. Rumbles: A Curious History of the Gut: The Secret Story of the Body’s Most Fascinating Organ
By Elsa Richardson
The fascinating—and often secret—history of the body’s most fascinating system: the gut. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Elsa Richardson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
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