Biologist and journalist Rowan Hooper challenges the common perception of evolution as solely driven by competition in his new book, *Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life’s Greatest Collaborations*. Hooper, a senior editor at *New Scientist*, acknowledges Charles Darwin’s emphasis on competition in *On the Origin of Species*, but argues that cooperation among species—known as symbiosis—has also played a crucial role in evolutionary success. He points to examples such as orchids, which number about 28,000 species, nearly triple the number of bird species, largely due to their symbiotic relationship with fungi that enable them to grow without soil and access underground nutrients. Other instances include the Hawaiian bobtail squid, which hosts light-emitting bacteria that help it evade predators under moonlight, as well as corals, lichens, and ants, all shaped by cooperative biological partnerships. Hooper notes that symbiosis has historically been underappreciated, sometimes dismissed because of perceived ideological biases.

Another perspective on the natural world comes from Frieda Gormley, co-founder of the interior design firm House of Hackney, in her book *In the Company of Nature: Regenerating Business, Community and the Living World*. Gormley, who previously worked at Topshop with model Kate Moss, recounts the challenges of sustaining a business committed to environmental as well as financial sustainability since its launch in 2011. Although their nature-inspired wallpapers and fabrics attracted major retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Harrods, the company faced tight profit margins, strict payment terms, and high costs from a flagship store. A private equity deal intended to stabilize finances threatened the founders’ control of both the business and their home. Ultimately, they restructured to better align with their mission of integrating environmental and future generational concerns into business governance.

Expanding the view upward, engineer and inventor Lucy Rogers examines the dynamic environment of the skies in her book, *Up: A Scientist’s Guide to the Magic Above Us*. She highlights how creatures such as condors rely on thermal air currents to soar with minimal wing flapping and describes monarch butterflies’ long migrations—traveling up to 3,000 miles from North America to central Mexico—boosted by thermals that extend their daily range. Rogers also shares her experiences observing vast colonies of bats in Borneo and studying starling murmurations in Rome, phenomena that continue to puzzle scientists. She underscores the importance of reconnecting with the natural world by turning attention away from digital devices to the environment above.

Offering a sobering outlook, climate scientist Bill McGuire, a volcanologist and professor emeritus at University College London, presents historical context and future projections in his book *The Fate of the World: A History and Future of the Climate Crisis*. McGuire argues that the greenhouse gases emitted since the industrial revolution risk returning the planet to conditions similar to the Pliocene epoch (approximately 5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago), characterized by warmer seas and more extreme weather events than currently experienced. He warns that melting ice sheets, the release of methane, and rising sea levels could result in severe disruptions, with locations such as Cambridge and Miami potentially facing significant flooding and as much as 40 percent of Bangladesh at risk. McGuire anticipates major societal and economic dysfunction by mid-century but stresses that his intent is to motivate urgent emissions reductions rather than incite panic.

Collectively, these works highlight the complexity of natural systems, the challenges of sustaining environmentally conscious enterprises, and the pressing threats posed by climate change, emphasizing a growing recognition of nature’s intrinsic value and the need for concerted action.