The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2026

A collection of twenty pieces that represent the best science and nature writing published the previous year and explores our ever-changing world.

The Best American series, launched in 1915, is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction, and it is the most respected—and most popular—of its kind.

This year's Best American Science and Nature Writing complies twenty pieces that represent the best writing in the genre published the previous year.