New Books Network

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 …

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 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 …

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 Matthew 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 …

Scholarly Communication March 31, 2022

Science Research Writing

For Native and Non-Native Speakers of English

Hilary Glasman-Deal

Hosted by Daniel Shea

Listen to this interview of Hilary Glasman-Deal, teacher of STEMM communication at the Centre for Academic English, Imperial College London, and author ofScience Research Writing For Native and Non-Native Speakers …

Language March 23, 2022

Language Vs. Reality

Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists

N. J. Enfield

Hosted by Malcolm Keating

Nick Enfield’s book, Language vs. Reality: Why Language is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists (MIT Press, 2022), argues that language is primarily for social coordination, not precisely transferring …

Scholarly Communication March 21, 2022

The Scientist’s Guide to Writing

How to Write More Easily and Effectively Throughout Your Scientific Career, 2nd ed.

Stephen B. Heard

Hosted by Daniel Shea

Listen to this interview of Stephen Heard, Professor of Biology at the University of New Brunswick. We talk about his book The Scientist’s Guide to Writing: How to Write More Easily …

How to Be Wrong March 10, 2022

Intellectual Humility

A Discussion with Glenn Sauer

Glenn Sauer

Hosted by John Traphagan

Today’s episode of How To Be Wrong welcomes Glenn Sauer, who is Donald J. Ross Sr. Chair in Biology and Biochemistry and Professor of Biology at Fairfield University, where he …

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast February 15, 2022

So Simple a Beginning

How Four Physical Principles Shape Our Living World

Raghuveer Parthasarathy

Hosted by Mark Klobas

The form and function of a sprinting cheetah are quite unlike those of a rooted tree. A human being is very different from a bacterium or a zebra. The living …