Welcome to the first in a series of books that showcases writings from Zygote Quarterly magazine. The Science of Seeing collects firsthand reports from the field by ZQ columnist Adelheid Fischer. Whether tromping across the slopes of the Mount St. Helens volcano, bending into a listening crouch in the night-time desert, or peering into an ephemeral pool, Fischer compounds our awe for the natural world and deepens our admiration for the men and women who study it.

"Once you meet the stars of these essays--outrageously tactile moles, volcano-healing spiders,...