New Books Network Podcast

High Theory November 22, 2022

Probability

A Discussion with Justin Joque and Júlia Irion Martins

Justin Joque and Júlia Irion Martins

In this episode of High Theory, Justin Joque talks with Júlia Irion Martins about Probability. This conversation is part of our High Theory in STEM series, which tackles topics in …

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 …

Science, Technology, and Society November 18, 2022

The Leak

Politics, Activists, and Loss of Trust at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Robert P. Crease with Peter D. Bond

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

In 1997, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory found a small leak of radioactive water near their research reactor. Brookhaven was--and is--a world-class, Nobel Prize-winning lab, and its reactor was the …

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast November 15, 2022

The Sounds of Life

How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants

Karen Bakker

Hosted by Mark Klobas

The natural world teems with remarkable conversations, many beyond human hearing range. Scientists are using groundbreaking digital technologies to uncover these astonishing sounds, revealing vibrant communication among our fellow creatures …

Medicine November 15, 2022

Methuselah's Zoo

What Nature Can Teach Us about Living Longer, Healthier Lives

Steven N. Austad

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Opossums in the wild don't make it to the age of three; our pet cats can live for a decade and a half; cicadas live for seventeen years (spending most …

Mathematics November 11, 2022

Mathematical Tools for Real-World Applications

A Gentle Introduction for Students and Practitioners

Alexandr Draganov

Hosted by Jim Stein

I’ve never read a book like Mathematical Tools for Real-World Applications: A Gentle Introduction for Students and Practitioners (MIT Press, 2022) – it’s a book about how engineers and scientists …

Biology and Evolution November 7, 2022

A World in a Shell

Snail Stories for a Time of Extinctions

Thom van Dooren

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

In this time of extinctions, the humble snail rarely gets a mention. And yet snails are disappearing faster than any other species. In A World in a Shell: Snail Stories …

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 …

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 …

Medicine October 31, 2022

The Exquisite Machine

The New Science of the Heart

Sian E. Harding

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Your heart is a miracle in motion, a marvel of construction unsurpassed by any human-made creation. It beats 100,000 times every day--if you were to live to 100, that would …

History of Science October 28, 2022

Rebels, Scholars, Explorers

Women in Vertebrate Paleontology

Annalisa Berta and Susan Turner

Hosted by Victor Monnin

In Rebels, Scholars, Explorers: Women in Vertebrate Paleontology (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020), Professors Annalisa Berta and Susan Turner uncover the rich legacy of women in the field of vertebrate …

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 …

Science, Technology, and Society October 18, 2022

The Leak

Politics, Activists, and Loss of Trust at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Robert P. Crease with Peter D. Bond

Hosted by Ari Barbalat

In 1997, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory found a small leak of radioactive water near their research reactor. Brookhaven was--and is--a world-class, Nobel Prize-winning lab, and its reactor was the …

History of Science October 11, 2022

Killer Instinct

The Popular Science of Human Nature in Twentieth-Century America

Nadine Weidman

Hosted by Nathan Moore

A historian of science examines key public debates about the fundamental nature of humans to ask why a polarized discourse about nature versus nurture became so entrenched in the popular …

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 …

Writ Large September 28, 2022

On Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species"

A Discussion with Robert Proctor

Robert Proctor

Hosted by Zachary Davis

Charles Dawin’s 1859 book The Origin of Species introduced his famous theory of evolution. Darwin developed his theories of life and evolution after a historic voyage circumnavigating the globe on …

Environmental Studies September 22, 2022

How the Biosphere Works

Fresh Views Discovered While Growing Peppers

Fred Spier

Hosted by Nathan Moore

How the Biosphere Works: Fresh Views Discovered While Growing Peppers (CRC Press, 2022) offers a simple and novel theoretical approach to understanding the history of the biosphere, including humanity’s place …

Grinnell College: Authors and Artists September 15, 2022

Lessons from Plants

Beronda L. Montgomery

Hosted by Marshall Poe

We know that plants are important. They maintain the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They nourish other living organisms and supply psychological benefits to humans as well …

How to Be Wrong September 14, 2022

History, Space, and Getting Things Wrong

A Conversation with Steven Dick, Retired Chief Historian at NASA

Steven Dick

Hosted by John Traphagan

In today’s episode of How To Be Wrong we welcome Dr. Steven Dick, retired Chief Historian at NASA and one of the leading historians of space exploration. Our conversation ranges …

Mathematics September 12, 2022

The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920–1950

Karen Hunger Parshall

Hosted by Marc Goulet

In The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920-1950 (Princeton University Press, 2022) Karen Parshall explores the institutional, financial, social, and political forces that shaped and supported the American Mathematics community …