What can businesses learn from the natural world? This article explores the transformative power of bio-inspired innovation, delving into key insights from the book 'Biomimicry' by Janine Benyus.

How can businesses deliver benefits to both people and our planet while remaining profitable? That’s the trillion-dollar question that journalist Esha Chhabra explores in her 2023 book Working to Restore: Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Business to Heal the World.

Scale by Geoffrey West guides readers through an exploration of the hidden principles that underlie the growth and dynamics of living organisms, cities, and companies. This book unearths surprising connections that may end up being helpful in thinking about leadership, business, and the future.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is a gripping sci-fi novel that delves into the powerful potential of gene editing. This is a must-read for fans of thought-provoking thrillers and anyone curious about the possible future(s) of technologies.

The Future of Health and Medicine is a fascinating topic that I love to explore with people around the world. In Well: What We Need to Talk About When We Talk About Health, Dr. Sandro Galea focuses on other pieces of that broader context that are so important to our health: economics, environment, politics, and social.

It's not every day you get to meet the author of one of your gems from your book collection. During a dinner get-together with friends, I had the incredible opportunity to meet Harold McGee, the author of 'On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.' Read this blog to explore the delightful surprises that unfolded!

Looking for inspiration about leadership and the most fragile ecosystem on Earth? Take a look at my Antarctica-inspired book recommendations!

If you feel a thrill each time the natural world reveals one of its secrets to you, then I suggest picking up a copy of The Song of the Cell. The book brims with the sheer joy of understanding the world of biological cells. It may not be a quick read, but it should leave you with the sense of momentous possibility that marks this special moment in human history.

Throughout this story, author Richard Powers draws powerful links between biodiversity and human diversity. If you’d like a glimpse at how the natural world can penetrate our lives to bring us both pain and enduring joy, pick up a copy of the novel Bewilderment.

Would you like coffee or tea? Before you decide, I recommend you read on. This is Your Mind on Plants is another Michael Pollan book that makes for a compelling read. As promised by the title, this book takes a deep dive into three plant-derived molecules and their impacts on people: opium, caffeine, and mescaline.

Looking for your next delicious read? I recommend you pick up a copy of The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats, by Daniel Stone. This book focuses on David Fairchild and his fellow “food explorers” who laid the foundation for modern agriculture. For page after page, I was truly astonished at their adventures

Want to increase your motivation, learning, and creativity? Then I recommend you pick up the book The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer by Steven Kotler. The book is a great place to start a deep dive into the neuroscience behind the best athletes, artists, and innovators.

What healthy habits are you creating today? Better sleep hygiene can make a profound difference across the board, from your mood to your ability to learn—likely even to your longevity! If you’re working towards improving the quality of your sleep (and increasing your healthspan and lifespan), I recommend picking up a copy of the book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Dr. Matthew Walker. I learned a lot … and I’m a biologist!

Looking for a book that will expand your knowledge on the world of science? Headstrong by Rachel Swaby is a collection of 52 short and punchy chapters about women who transformed medicine, biology, physics, math, and technology. I was inspired, over and over, by how many of these women paid forward their hard work to support later generations of women in STEMM.

As a scientist, I greatly enjoyed Pollan’s explorations of the neurobiology and evolutionary history of psychedelics in his 2018 book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Check out this blog to find out why I found this to be a compelling read.

Are you kickstarting your futurism practice? I highly recommend reading this book, and setting aside time for you and your team to try out Webb’s approaches. Future forecasting is a learned skill, with the right frameworks and a great deal of practice, we can improve in identifying where the future is going - and how we can prepare ourselves, our organizations, and our societies for those futures.

Looking for your next good science read? The Genesis Machine by Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel gives a clear and compelling look at how synthetic biology is poised to enable a radically different future. Check out Dr. Tiffany Vora’s book recommendation here.