A new wave encompassing neuroscience, ecology, and astronomy is emerging in the South Korean science non-fiction book market in 2026. Through three recently spotlighted bestsellers, readers can persuade their own brains, question the relationship between humans and nature, and discover the secrets of the 13.8-billion-year universe.

[If You Hate Running, You Are Perfectly Normal] — *The Neuroscience of Running* (May 29, 2026)

In 2026, a Korean runner in his seventies surprised the world by setting a new world record in the 70s age group marathon. The domestic running population has now exceeded 10 million, and the enthusiasm for running crew cultures and marathon shows no signs of cooling down. However, behind this fervor lies an uncomfortable statistic: more than half of those who start running give up midway.

Experts often point to a lack of physical stamina or willpower as the cause, but recent neuroscience studies point in a different direction. The fundamental reason for failing to continue running lies in the way the brain operates. The human brain has been designed through millions of years of evolution to minimize energy, and it instinctively tries to avoid movement without a clear survival purpose. Being unable to step out the front door is not a lack of willpower, but a normal survival strategy of the brain.

In response, Dr. Kim Dae-young, a doctor of brain education who has researched neuroscience and brain training for 30 years, has published the new book *The Neuroscience of Running* (Dasan Chodang). The author, once a severe exercise-hater, has garnered attention through his YouTube channel <Kim Dae-young's Shining Brain>. Based on over 100 recent neuroscience studies, this book presents a 5-step 'brain-running program,' such as secreting dopamine through a small 5-minute daily success. It is the most scientific and warmhearted solution book, proving that running is an inner training that goes beyond simple physical conditioning to reduce stress and regain control of one's life.

[What We Called Coexistence Was an Illusion] — *The Illusion of Coexistence* (May 26, 2026)

Lee Jung-mo, author of the bestseller *Brilliant Extinction* and former director of the Seodaemun Museum of Natural History, strongly recommended Frank Westerman's new book *The Illusion of Coexistence*, saying, "This is not a book about animals, but a book about us humans." He pointed out, "We say we must protect nature, but a human-centric gaze still remains in those words," adding that this book awakens us to the fact that humans must answer the questions thrown back by animals.

Westerman, a master of non-fiction representing the Netherlands and a former journalist, won the prestigious Pim de Kuijer Prize (formerly the Golden Owl Award) in the Netherlands and Belgium, and was recognized for his literary merit by becoming a finalist for the Boekenbon Literature Prize, the highest authority in the Netherlands, in 2024. This book garnered attention by successfully signing publishing contracts in four European countries, including Germany and France, simultaneously upon its release.

The author three-dimensionally investigates the stories of seven animals (narwhal, Norwegian lemming, European eel, dark-bellied brent goose, polar bear, reindeer, and king crab) that appeared in Dutch polar navigation logs from about 400 years ago. Through examples such as the European eel that lost its waterways due to human dam construction and the polar bear wandering between outlaw and solitary animal, he sharply points out that the very language humans use to observe and explain nature is soaked in human-centric interpretations.

[Falling in Love with the Universe Was Because of a Single Book] — *To Earthlings, From the Stars* (April 29, 2026)

Astronomer Ji Woong-bae (Space Dust), who graduated from the Department of Astronomy and Space Science at Sejong University and is currently an assistant professor in the Division of Liberal Arts, has published his first astronomy non-fiction book *To Earthlings, From the Stars* (Dasan Chodang). Having been active on the YouTube channel <Space Dust's Sage Times> with 270,000 subscribers and the science channel <Boda> with 3.06 million subscribers, recording over 1 billion cumulative views, he chose '12 stars' that can be found with the naked eye as the starting point of this book.

Using a dozen stars that humanity has observed for a long time, such as Sirius, Polaris, and Betelgeuse, as a medium, he unravels the scientific laws from the Big Bang to quantum mechanics with clear storytelling. He crosses science history and human history, from the story of temples built when Sirius rose above the horizon 12,000 years ago to the records of Goryeo's Myocheong manipulating public sentiment with Canopus, and a Joseon astronomer seeing through the brightness changes of Mira.

The author also revealed his recommended bookshelf through the Yes24 [Scientist's Library] project. He listed Lee Jung-mo's *Brilliant Extinction*, which highlights the process of an ecosystem flourishing; Andy Weir's *Project Hail Mary*, which allowed the imagination of an alien world through empathy rather than war; Kim Myung-ho's *A History of Science of Observation and Expression*, which captures the moment the perception of the universe changed with the advent of the telescope; and Min Tae-gi's *Panta Rhei*, which reads the history of science from the perspective of fluid dynamics.

Meanwhile, *To Earthlings, From the Stars* contains 57 high-resolution photo plates taken by NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope, vividly unfolding the secrets of the 13.8-billion-year universe.