18 essays, averaging 13 pages each, on topics ranging from psychology to cosmology, the former being rather overrepresented.

This short book is a collection of essays about the future of science and was a nice illuminating read. Oddly enough, much of the material was already familiar to a dilettante like myself which I guess shows the efficacy of listening to podcasts of Scientific American. The title is a little misleading as the majority of this book is "what's now" with the authors not speculating much about the future, which is good science. Popular topics among the essays are climate change, neurology as it relates to memory, language, and morality, and human evolution. Favorite essays include Lera Boroditsky: "How Does Our Language Shape The Way We Think?", Nathan Wolfe: "The Aliens Among Us" (about viruses), and Katerina Harvarti: "Extinction and the Evolution of Humankind." This is a good book to pick up if you're interested in a quick overview of contemporary scientific research. ( )