New Books Network Podcast

Science June 7, 2023

Not Just for the Boys

Why We Need More Women in Science

Athene Donald

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

Listen:

Why are girls discouraged from doing science? Why do so many promising women leave science in early and mid-career? Why do women not prosper in the scientific workforce? Not Just …

History of Science May 20, 2023

Split and Splice

A Phenomenology of Experimentation

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger

Hosted by Victor Monnin

In Split & Splice: A Phenomenology of Experimentation (University of Chicago Press, 2023), Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, investigates …

Physics and Chemistry May 2, 2023

The Magick of Physics

Uncovering the Fantastical Phenomena in Everyday Life

Felix Flicker

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

If you were to present the feats of modern science to someone from the past, those feats would surely be considered magic. In The Magick of Physics: Uncovering the Fantastical …

Why We Argue April 6, 2023

Seeing Truth in Physics

A Conversation with Professor of Physics Stephon Alexander

Stephon Alexander

Hosted by Alexis Boylan

Stephon Alexander talks about a better way of thinking about the interconnections between music, physics, and creativity and how as someone often seen as “outside” the field, he has found …

Physics and Chemistry April 3, 2023

The Evolution of Everything

The Patterns and Causes of Big History

Brian Villmoare

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Big History seeks to retell the human story in light of scientific advances by such methods as radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis. Brian Villmoare's book The Evolution of Everything: The Patterns …

MIT Press Podcast March 30, 2023

Water Is in the Air

Physics, Politics, and Poetics of Water in the Arts

Hosted by MIT Press

Our contributors discuss their work in the arts and sciences, which is showcased in the new article collection, Water Is in the Air: Physics, Politics, and Poetics of Water in …

MIT Press Podcast March 27, 2023

Art and Atoms

A Roundtable Discussion

Hosted by MIT Press

Our contributors discuss the connections between science, specifically chemistry, and art, and talk about how materials traditionally identified with science can be used to create art. This conversation was recorded …

Ministry of Ideas March 9, 2023

Star Ladder or, How Far Away are the Stars?

Measure for Measure Episode 8

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Scientists discovered that some stars have heartbeats and that some of them can be used to measure the longest distances that exist. This episode was produced by Andrew Middleton and …

Ministry of Ideas March 4, 2023

Mohs or, How Hard Are Rocks?

Measure for Measure Episode 3

Hosted by Zachary Davis

We’re hitting up against the very nature of measurement: How can we best describe the world around us, in its infinite complexity, with finite measures? In other words, how hard …

MIT Press Podcast March 3, 2023

Gravity's Kiss

The Detection of Gravitational Waves

Harry Collins

Hosted by MIT Press

The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 rocked the science community. In this episode, Chris Gondek spoke with author Harry Collins, whose book Gravity's Kiss centers around the incredible discovery …

The Future of . . . with Owen Bennett-Jones February 4, 2023

The Future of Nuclear Fusion

A Discussion with Sharon Ann Holgate

Sharon Ann Holgate

Hosted by Owen Bennett-Jones

How useful will nuclear fusion be? In a major breakthrough last year at the National Ignition Facility in California, 192 lasers achieved fusion – and created energy - for the …

Science December 20, 2022

The Poetry and Music of Science

Comparing Creativity in Science and Art

Tom McLeish

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

What human qualities are needed to make scientific discoveries, and which to make great art? Many would point to 'imagination' and 'creativity' in the second case but not the first …

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 …

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast November 28, 2022

Back to the Moon

The Next Giant Leap for Humankind

Joseph Silk

Hosted by Mark Klobas

Just over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. Laying …

Science November 2, 2022

"Well, Doc, You're In"

Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe

David Kaiser

Hosted by Matthew Jordan

Freeman Dyson (1923–2020)—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—helped invent modern physics. Not bound by disciplinary divisions, he went on to explore foundational topics in mathematics, astrophysics, and the origin of life …

High Theory October 25, 2022

Halloween Special: Schrödinger’s Cat

A Discussion with George Gibson

George Gibson

Hosted by Kim Adams and Saronik Bosu

Kim talks with George Gibson about Schrödinger’s cat. This cat is a thought experiment proposed by Erwin Schrödinger, and taken up in correspondence with Albert Einstein, in the 1930s. Schrödinger’s …

Writ Large September 29, 2022

On Einstein's Discoveries

A Discussion with Peter Galison

Peter Galison

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Before Albert Einstein, our understanding of space, time, and gravity hadn’t really shifted from the theories that Sir Isaac Newton developed in the 1700s. But in 1905, Einstein published his …

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 …