New Books Network

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast May 17, 2022

When Animals Dream

The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness

David M. Peña-Guzmán

Hosted by Mark Klobas

Are humans the only dreamers on Earth? What goes on in the minds of animals when they sleep? When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness (Princeton UP, 2022) …

Animal Studies May 13, 2022

Elephant Trails

A History of Animals and Cultures

Nigel Rothfels

Hosted by Marcela Hernandez

When looking at historic records of all kinds—from prehistoric cave drawings and ancient rock art in Africa and India, from poetic narrations of travelers to hunter memoirs and press stories …

American West April 22, 2022

Rodeo

An Animal History

Susan Nance

Hosted by Stephen Hausmann

Animals are both the focus of rodeo and its most invisible participants, argues University of Guelph history professor Susan Nance in Rodeo: An Animal History (U Oklahoma, 2020). Nance flips the usual …

Academic Life April 21, 2022

From PhD to Picture Book

A Conversation with Julie Dillemuth

Julie Dillemuth

Hosted by Christina Gessler

Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about: Dr. Julie Dillemuth’s path through higher edWhat led her to try to write for a popular audience, and what …

Science, Technology, and Society April 18, 2022

Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves

Why Animals Matter for Pandemics, Climate Change, and Other Catastrophes

Jeff Sebo

Hosted by Austin Clyde

In 2020, COVID-19, the Australia bushfires, and other global threats served as vivid reminders that human and nonhuman fates are increasingly linked. Human use of nonhuman animals contributes to pandemics …

High Theory April 5, 2022

Dogs

Hosted by Kim Adams and Saronik Bosu

In this episode, Kim finds out that Saronik gets a little weird when it comes to dogs. We talk about Donna J. Haraway’s book The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People …

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast April 1, 2022

All About Birds

A Series of Regional Field Guides

Jill Leichter and Hugh Powell

Hosted by Mark Klobas

The All About Birds Regional Field-Guide Series brings birding enthusiasts the best information from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, AllAboutBirds.org, used by more than 21 million people each …

Science March 28, 2022

Bitch

On the Female of the Species

Lucy Cooke

Hosted by Sine Yaganoglu

Bitch: On the Female of the Species (Basic Books, 2022) is a fierce, funny, and revolutionary look at the queens of the animal kingdom. Studying zoology made Lucy Cooke feel like …

Animal Studies March 23, 2022

The Meat Paradox

Eating, Empathy, and the Future of Meat

Rob Percival

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Our future diet will be shaped by diverse forces. It will be shaped by novel technologies, by geopolitical tensions, and the evolution of cultural preferences, by shocks to the status …

Science March 23, 2022

Sentient

How Animals Illuminate the Wonder of Our Human Senses

Jackie Higgins

Hosted by Ana Georgescu

Packed with beautiful imagery, but also hard scientific facts, Jackie Higgins's book Sentient: How Animals Illuminate the Wonder of Our Human Senses (Atria Books, 2022) explores how we process the world …

Anthropology March 16, 2022

Herring and People of the North Pacific

Sustaining a Keystone Species

Thomas F. Thornton and Madonna L. Moss

Hosted by Adam Bobeck

Herring are vital to the productivity and health of marine systems, and socio-ecologically Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is one of the most important fish species in the Northern Hemisphere. Human …

On Religion March 14, 2022

On Spirituality and Horses

A Discussion with Linda Kohanov

Linda Kohanov

Hosted by Gregory Soden

The author of The Five Roles of the Master Herder and the bestseller The Tao of Equus, Linda Kohanov speaks and teaches internationally. She established Eponaquest Worldwide to explore the …

Environmental Studies February 18, 2022

Environmental Defenders

Deadly Struggles for Life and Territory

Mary Menton and Philippe Le Billon

Hosted by Matthew Brown

Join Dr. Mary Menton and Dr. Philippe Le Billon as they dive into their new edited volume, Environmental Defenders: Deadly Struggle for Life and Territory, published by Routledge as a part of their Explorations in …

Medicine February 9, 2022

Mao's Bestiary

Medicinal Animals and Modern China

Liz P. Y. Chee

Hosted by Rachel Pagones

Controversy over the medicinal uses of wild animals in China has erupted around the ethics and efficacy of animal-based drugs, the devastating effect of animal farming on wildlife conservation, and …

Science February 2, 2022

Ant Architecture

The Wonder, Beauty, and Science of Underground Nests

Walter R. Tschinkel

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Walter Tschinkel has spent much of his career investigating the hidden subterranean realm of ant nests. This wonderfully illustrated book takes you inside an unseen world where thousands of ants …

Children's Literature January 4, 2022

Whooo Knew?

The Truth about Owls

Annette Whipple

Hosted by Mel Rosenberg

Today I talked to Annette Whipple about her book Whooo Knew? The Truth About Owls (Reycraft Books, 2020) How do owls see in the dark? Can owls spin their heads all the way …

Science December 28, 2021

Pump

A Natural History of the Heart

Bill Schutt

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

In this lively, unexpected look at the hearts of animals—from fish to bats to humans—American Museum of Natural History zoologist Bill Schutt tells an incredible story of evolution and scientific …

Science December 24, 2021

Silent Earth

Averting the Insect Apocalypse

Dave Goulson

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Drawing on thirty years of research, Goulson has written an accessible, fascinating, and important book that examines the evidence of an alarming drop in insect numbers around the world. "If …

Environmental Studies November 22, 2021

Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations, 5-Volume Set

Gavin Van Horn, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and John Hausdoerffer

Hosted by Brady McCartney

From The Center for Humans and Nature, Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a five-volume collection of essays, interviews, poetry, and stories of solidarity that highlight the interdependence …

Ideas Roadshow Podcast November 19, 2021

On Atheists and Bonobos

Frans de Waal

Hosted by Howard Burton

On Atheists and Bonobos is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and primatologist Frans de Waal, Emory University, who is renowned for his work on the behaviour …