New Books Network Podcast

Van Leer Institute Series on Ideas with Renee Garfinkel February 26, 2023

Time and Beauty

Why Time Flies and Beauty Never Dies

Adrian Bejan

Hosted by Renee Garfinkel

Poets and philosophers are fascinated by time and beauty. They are two of our most visceral perceptions. In Time and Beauty: Why Time Flies and Beauty Never Dies (World Scientific …

Ministry of Ideas February 23, 2023

Love, Work, and Play--Neuroscience and Meaning

Making Meaning Series 20

Paul Thagard

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Though life’s ultimate meaning may be elusive, the goods of love, work and play are so deeply rewarding that for most people they are sufficient for creating a happy life …

Animal Studies January 26, 2023

If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal

What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity

Justin Gregg

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

What if human intelligence is actually more of a liability than a gift? After all, the animal kingdom, in all its diversity, gets by just fine without it. At first …

Neuroscience December 23, 2022

Brain Energy

A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health--and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More

Christopher M. Palmer

Hosted by Sine Yaganoglu

Christopher M. Palmer's book Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health (Benbella Books, 2022) will forever change the way we understand and treat mental health. If you or someone …

Psychology December 9, 2022

Curious Minds

The Power of Connection

Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett

Hosted by Ari Barbalat

Curious about something? Google it. Look at it. Ask a question. But is curiosity simply information seeking? According to this exhilarating, genre-bending book, what's left out of the conventional understanding …

Scholarly Communication December 7, 2022

Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words

David Lindsay

Hosted by Daniel Shea

Listen to this interview of David Lindsay, emeritus professor of the University of Western Australia. We talk about his book Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words (CSIRO Publishing, 2020) and how your …

Van Leer Institute Series on Ideas with Renee Garfinkel December 5, 2022

The Grieving Brain

The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss

Mary-Frances O'Connor

Hosted by Renee Garfinkel

For as long as humans have existed, we have struggled when a loved one dies. Poets and playwrights have written about the dark cloak of grief, the deep yearning, how …

Neuroscience November 22, 2022

Minding the Climate

How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis

Ann-Christine Duhaime

Hosted by Victor Monnin

Why is it so difficult to adopt a more sustainable way of life, even when convinced of the urgency of the environmental crisis? If adopting new behaviors beneficial for the …

Neuroscience November 4, 2022

A Stethoscope for the Brain

Preventive Approaches to Protect the Mind

Ayan S. Mandal

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

A taken-for-granted miracle occurs in doctors’ offices across the world every single day. With only a stethoscope and an inflatable cuff, a physician can check your blood pressure to predict …

Neuroscience November 3, 2022

Curious Minds

The Power of Connection

Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Curious about something? Google it. Look at it. Ask a question. But is curiosity simply information seeking? According to this exhilarating, genre-bending book, what's left out of the conventional understanding …

Drugs, Addiction and Recovery September 16, 2022

The Psychedelic Handbook

A Practical Guide to Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, and DMT/Ayahuasca

Rick Strassman

Hosted by Geert Slabbekoorn

Entering the world of psychedelic drugs can be challenging, and many aren't sure where to start. As research continues to expand and legalization looms on the horizon for psychedelics like …

Medicine September 7, 2022

Model Systems in Biology

History, Philosophy, and Practical Concerns

Georg Striedter

Hosted by Rachel Pagones

Biomedical research using various animal species and in vitro cellular systems has resulted in both major successes and translational failure. In Model Systems in Biology: History, Philosophy, and Practical Concerns …

Scholarly Communication September 5, 2022

How to Publish in Biological Sciences

A Guide for the Uninitiated

John Measey

Hosted by Daniel Shea

Listen to this interview of John Measey, Researcher at the Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. We talk about the needs of early-career researchers and also about our …

Darts & Letters August 31, 2022

This is Your Brain on Trial

How AI Brain Scans and Junk Science Make their Way into the Courtroom

Hosted by Jay Cockburn

Imagine reading or watching The Minority Report and thinking of that as a model for the criminal justice system. Well, plenty of forensic types are doing just that. Can you …

Psychoanalysis August 12, 2022

The Hidden Spring

A Journey to the Source of Consciousness

Mark Solms

Hosted by Philip Lance

If you have ever been skeptical about whether neuroscience has anything to teach psychoanalysis, or vice-versa, you will be stimulated by this book which engages the two disciplines in a …

Psychology August 4, 2022

The Mind and the Moon

My Brother's Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches

Daniel Bergner

Hosted by Steve Beitler

Why is our understanding of the mind so limited? How do cells become consciousness? What are the limitations of a biological model of the mind and its disorders? In The …

Neuroscience June 23, 2022

A Synthesizing Mind

A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory

Howard Gardner

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Howard Gardner's Frames of Mind was that rare publishing phenomenon--a mind-changer. Widely read by the general public as well as by educators, this influential book laid out Gardner's theory of …

Science June 21, 2022

Plan S for Shock

Science. Shock. Solution. Speed.

Robert-Jan Smits and Rachael Pells

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Plan S: the open access initiative that changed the face of global research. Robert-Jan Smits and Rachael Pells's book Plan S for Shock: Science. Shock. Solution. Speed. (Ubiquity Press, 2022) tells …

Neuroscience June 14, 2022

Brainspotting

Adventures in Neurology

A. J. Lees

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

As a trainee doctor, A. J. Lees was enthralled by his mentors: esteemed neurologists who combined the precision of mathematicians, the scrupulosity of entomologists, and the solemnity of undertakers in …

Science June 10, 2022

Spark

The Life of Electricity and the Electricity of Life

Timothy J. Jorgensen

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

When we think of electricity, we likely imagine the energy humming inside our home appliances or lighting up our electronic devices--or perhaps we envision the lightning-streaked clouds of a stormy …