Sy Montgomery edits this year’s vol. of the finest science & nature writing. “Science is important because this is how we seek to discover the truth about the world. And this is what makes excellent science & nature writing essential,” observes Sy Montgomery. “Science & nature writing are how we share the truth about the universe with the people of the world.” And collected here are truths about nearly every corner of the universe. From meditations on extinction, to the search for alien life, to the prejudice that infects our medical system, the pieces in this year’s Best American Science a&nd Nature Writing seek to bring to the people stories of some of the most pressing issues facing our planet, as well as moments of wonder reflecting the immense beauty our natural world offersBALL: A Compassionate SubstanceBOYLE: The Search for Alien Life Begins in Earth’s Oldest DesertBRANNEN: Glimpses of a Mass Extinction in Modern-Day Western New YorkCOLIN: This Sand Is Your SandFOX: The Brain, ReimaginedGEARIN: Little Golden Flower-Room: On Wild Places & IntimacyGOLDFARB: The Endling: Watching a Species Vanish in Real TimeGREENBERG: What If the Placebo Effect Is Not a Trick?HANCE: The Great Rhino U-TurnHAWORTH: The Fading Stars: A ConstellationHOLLAND: Saving Baby Boy GreenIRVING: The Fire at Eagle CreekJACOBSEN: Deleting a SpeciesJARVIS: The Insect Apocalypse Is HereJONES: No Heart, No MoonKRAJICK: The Scientific Detectives Probing the Secrets of Ancient OraclesMACKINNON: You Really Don’t Want to Know What It’s Like to Be a Right Whale These DaysMCKIBBEN: How Extreme Weather Is Shrinking the PlanetMEAD: The Story of a Face OSBERG: How to Not Die in America ROTHMAN: Why Paper Jams PersistMICHAEL SMITH: The Professor of Horrible DeedsSTIRONE: Welcome to the Center of the UniverseVILLAROSA: The Hidden Toll: Why Are Black Mothers and Babies in the United States Dying at More Than Double the Rate of White Mothers and Babies? YONG: When the Next