New Books Network Podcast

MIT Press Podcast June 9, 2023

Turing’s Vision

The Birth of Computer Science

Chris Bernhardt

Hosted by MIT Press

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In 1936, when he was just twenty-four years old, Alan Turing wrote a remarkable paper in which he outlined the theory of computation, laying out the ideas that underlie all …

American West June 9, 2023

The Washington Apple

Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture

Amanda L. Van Lanen

Hosted by Troy Hallsell

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In the nineteenth century, most American farms had a small orchard or at least a few fruit-bearing trees. People grew their own apple trees or purchased apples grown within a …

MIT Press Podcast June 8, 2023

Updating to Remain the Same

Habitual New Media

Wendy Hui Kyong Chun

Hosted by MIT Press

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What it means when media moves from the new to the habitual--when our bodies become archives of supposedly obsolescent media, streaming, updating, sharing, saving. New media--we are told--exist at the …

General History June 8, 2023

Command

The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine

Lawrence Freedman

Hosted by Charles Coutinho

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Command in war is about forging effective strategies and implementing them, making sure that orders are appropriate, well-communicated, and then obeyed. But it is also an intensely political process. This …

MIT Press Podcast June 7, 2023

Drone

Remote Control Warfare

Hugh Gusterson

Hosted by MIT Press

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Drone Warfare is the first comprehensive analysis of one of the fastest growing--and most secretive--fronts in global conflict: the rise of robot warfare. In 2000, the Pentagon had fewer than …

Science June 7, 2023

Not Just for the Boys

Why We Need More Women in Science

Athene Donald

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

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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 …

Environmental Studies June 6, 2023

Ice

From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks--a Cool History of a Hot Commodity

Amy Brady

Hosted by Brian Hamilton

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Ice is everywhere: in gas stations, in restaurants, in hospitals, in our homes. Americans think nothing of dropping a few ice cubes into tall glasses of tea to ward off …

National Security June 6, 2023

The COVID-19 Intelligence Failure

Why Warning Was Not Enough

Erik J. Dahl

Hosted by Beth Windisch

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Epidemiologists and national security agencies warned for years about the potential for a deadly pandemic, but in the end global surveillance and warning systems were not enough to avert the …

Peoples & Things June 5, 2023

The History of 19th Century Quarantine Politics

A Conversation with David S. Barnes

David S. Barnes

Hosted by Lee Vinsel

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David S. Barnes, Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about his book, Lazaretto: How Philadelphia Used an Unpopular Quarantine Based on Disputed …

Science, Technology, and Society June 4, 2023

The Smartness Mandate

Orit Halpern and Robert Mitchell

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

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Over the last half century, "smartness"—the drive for ubiquitous computing—has become a mandate: a new mode of managing and governing politics, economics, and the environment. Smart phones. Smart cars. Smart …

Critical Theory June 4, 2023

Digital Futures for Learning

Speculative Methods and Pedagogies

Jen Ross

Hosted by Dave O'Brien

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What is the future of education? In Digital Futures for Learning: Speculative Methods and Pedagogies (Routledge, 2022), Jen Ross, a senior lecturer in digital education at the University of Edinburgh, analyses …

MIT Press Podcast June 3, 2023

Gender and Equality in Art and Exploration

A Discussion with Bettina Forget and Lindy Elkins-Tanton

Bettina Forget and Lindy Elkins-Tanton

Hosted by MIT Press

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Featured episode from Between Art and Science, a new podcast from Leonardo. This episode, hosted by Erica Hruby, features a conversation between two authors published in the Leonardo special issue …

Anthropology June 2, 2023

¡Alerta!

Engineering on Shaky Ground

Elizabeth Reddy

Hosted by Liliana Gil

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The Sistema de Alerta Sísmica Mexicano is the world’s oldest public earthquake early warning system. Given the unpredictability of earthquakes, the technology was designed to give the people of Mexico …

Disability Studies June 1, 2023

Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Justice

Amber Knight and Joshua Miller

Hosted by Shu Wan

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The routinization of non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) raises urgent questions about disability rights and reproductive justice. Supporters defend NIPT on the grounds that genetic information about the fetus helps …

Technology May 31, 2023

The Equality Machine

Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future

Orly Lobel

Hosted by Gregory LaBlanc

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The fear of algorithmic decision-making and surveillance capitalism dominate today's tech policy discussions. But instead of simply criticizing big data and automation, we can harness technology to correct discrimination, historical …

Political Science May 31, 2023

The "Third" United Nations

How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN Think

Tatiana Carayannis and Thomas G. Weiss

Hosted by Sally Sharif

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Tatiana Carayannis and Thomas G. Weiss' book The "Third" United Nations: How a Knowledge Ecology Helps the UN Think (Oxford UP, 2021) is about the Third UN: the ecology of supportive …

Environmental Studies May 29, 2023

Less Heat, More Light

A Guided Tour of Weather, Climate, and Climate Change

John D. Aber

Hosted by Melek Firat Altay

Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental topics of our day. To answer criticisms and synthesize available information, scientists have been driven to devise increasingly complex models …

Science, Technology, and Society May 29, 2023

The Possibility of Life

Science, Imagination and Our Vision of the Cosmos

Jaime Green

Hosted by John Traphagan

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In this episode we talk to Jaime Green about her superb cultural and scientific exploration of alien life and the cosmos. It examines how the possibility of life on other planets shapes our understanding …

Economic and Business History May 28, 2023

Better Money

Gold, Fiat, or Bitcoin?

Lawrence H. White

Hosted by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo

The recent rise of dollar, pound, and euro inflation rates has rekindled the debate over potential alternative monies, particularly gold and Bitcoin. Though Bitcoin has been much discussed in recent …

General History May 26, 2023

On Time

A History of Western Timekeeping

Kenneth Mondschein

Hosted by Boris Karpa

Western culture has been obsessed with regulating society by the precise, accurate measurement of time since the Middle Ages. In On Time: A History of Western Timekeeping (Johns Hopkins UP …