New Books Network Podcast

Biology and Evolution September 8, 2022

Scent

A Natural History of Fragrance

Elise Vernon Pearlstine

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the genus Boswellia seals injured tissues and protects trees from invading …

Writ Large August 22, 2022

On Edwin Hubble’s "The Realm of the Nebulae"

A Discussion with Marica Bartusiak

Marica Bartusiak

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Until the publication of Edwin Hubble’s 1936 book, The Realm of the Nebulae, astronomers believed that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the universe. Hubble infinitely expanded our …

Darts & Letters July 29, 2022

The Science Wars

Post-Truth and the Nature of Science

Hosted by Gordon Katic

Welcome to the final day of our weeklong deep dive into the politics of education. Today, we’ve got another episode of Cited for you. If you haven’t heard a Cited …

Medicine July 13, 2022

How to Sell a Poison

The Rise, Fall, and Toxic Return of DDT

Elena Conis

Hosted by Claire Clark

The story of DDT as you’ve never heard it before: a fresh look at the much-maligned chemical compound as a cautionary tale of how powerful corporations have stoked the flames …

History of Science July 6, 2022

Elusive

How Peter Higgs Solved the Mystery of Mass

Frank Close

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

On July 4, 2012, the announcement came that one of the longest-running mysteries in physics had been solved: the Higgs boson, the missing piece in understanding why particles have mass …

Science June 22, 2022

From Data to Quanta

Niels Bohr’s Vision of Physics

Slobodan Perovic

Hosted by Ana Georgescu

Niels Bohr was a central figure in quantum physics, well known for his work on atomic structure and his contributions to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. In From Data …

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 …

Science June 15, 2022

Hidden in Plain Sight

The History, Science, and Engineering of Microfluidic Technology

Albert Folch

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Hidden from view, microfluidics underlies a variety of devices that are essential to our lives, from inkjet printers to glucometers for the monitoring of diabetes. Microfluidics--which refers to the technology …

Grinnell College: Authors and Artists June 15, 2022

All About Dwarf Galaxies

A Conversation with Astronomer Charlotte Christensen

Charlotte Christensen

Hosted by Marshall Poe

Today I talked to astronomer Charlotte Christensen of Grinnell College. She studies (among other things) dwarf galaxies. Dwarf galaxies, galaxies with masses about 10% that of the Milky Way or …

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 …

Environmental Studies June 7, 2022

Geoengineering

The Gamble

Gernot Wagner

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Stabilizing the world's climates means cutting carbon dioxide pollution. There's no way around it. But what if that's not enough? What if it's too difficult to accomplish in the time …

Environmental Studies May 31, 2022

Song of the Earth

Understanding Geology and Why It Matters

Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim

Hosted by Aspen Brown

In today’s podcast, Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim explains how understanding harmonics of the earth provides a forward-thinking methodology to confront the challenges presented by the massive changes in the climate. In …

Environmental Studies May 30, 2022

Economic Poisoning

Industrial Waste and the Chemicalization of American Agriculture

Adam M. Romero

Hosted by Eyad Houssami

The toxicity of pesticides to the environment and humans is often framed as an unfortunate effect of their benefits to agricultural production. In Economic Poisoning: Industrial Waste and the Chemicalization …

Science May 30, 2022

Impact

How Rocks from Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong

Greg Brennecka

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

The Solar System. Dinosaurs. Donkey Kong. What is the missing link? Surprisingly enough, it's meteorites. They explain our past, constructed our present, and could define our future. Impact: How Rocks …

Science May 19, 2022

The Joy of Science

Jim Al-Khalili

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

Today’s world is unpredictable and full of contradictions, and navigating its complexities while trying to make the best decisions is far from easy. The Joy of Science (Princeton UP, 2022) …

Physics and Chemistry May 16, 2022

An Infinity of Worlds

Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe

Will Kinney

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

In the beginning was the Big Bang: an unimaginably hot fire almost fourteen billion years ago in which the first elements were forged. The physical theory of the hot nascent …

Science April 29, 2022

Carbon Queen

The Remarkable Life of Nanoscience Pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus

Maia Weinstock

Hosted by Ana Georgescu

Carbon Queen: The Remarkable Life of Nanoscience Pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus (MIT Press, 2022) follows Mildred Dresselhaus (or Millie, as everyone calls her) from her childhood in New York City to her …

Ideas Roadshow Podcast April 27, 2022

Covid and the Embrace of the Biological World

Pandemic Perspectives 8

Patricia Churchland

Hosted by Howard Burton

In this Pandemic Perspectives Podcast, Ideas Roadshow founder and host Howard Burton talks to renowned UC San Diego neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland about the importance of communicating science, the wonders of …

Environmental Studies April 19, 2022

No Standard Oil

Managing Abundant Petroleum in a Warming World

Deborah Gordon

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

In No Standard Oil: Managing Abundant Petroleum in a Warming World (Oxford University Press, 2021), Deborah Gordon shows that no two oils or gases are environmentally alike. Each has a …

Scholarly Communication April 13, 2022

The Science of Science

Dashun Wang and Albert-László Barabási

Hosted by Daniel Shea

Listen to this interview of Dashun Wang, Professor at the Kellogg School of Management and McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, and also with Albert-László Barabási, Robert Gray Dodge …