The Science category has 986 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 9,896 ratings. The most-rated is Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.
The Greatest Show on Earth
Summary
In 2008, a Gallup poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years. In a Pew Forum poll in the same year, 42 percent believed that all life on earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time.
In 1859 Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke. But he surely would have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later.
Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity. Now the author of the iconic work The God Delusion takes them to task.
The Greatest Show on Earth is a stunning counterattack on advocates of "Intelligent Design", explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist "argument". Dawkins sifts through rich layers of scientific evidence: from living examples of natural selection to clues in the fossil record; from plate tectonics to molecular genetics. Combining these elements and many more, he makes the airtight case that "we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random selection."
The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is menacing as never before. In American schools, and in schools around the world, insidious attempts are made to undermine the status of science in the classroom. Dawkins wields a devastating argument against this ignorance, but his unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master's vision of life, in all its splendor.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2009 Richard Dawkins (P)2009 Simon & Schuster
What Happens Next? Conversations from MARS
Summary
The most innovative minds in science and technology reveal a vision for the future of life on Earth - and beyond. Every year, 200 experts across machine learning, automation, robotics, and space arrive in Palm Springs for MARS - the yearly, invitation-only event hosted by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos - to share new ideas about how these four fields will shape our future. In What Happens Next: Conversations from MARS, TV host and maker of things Adam Savage (MythBusters) takes listeners deep inside the MARS conference. In interviews with more than a dozen leading scientists and thinkers - including former astronaut Mike Massimino, iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks, Dava Newman (former deputy administrator of NASA), Oren Etzioni (CEO, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence), futurist Kate Compton, and Caleb Harper (director of the Open Agriculture initiative at MIT) - Savage explores the mind-blowing and often misunderstood ways in which science and innovation are transforming the way we live, work, and play. Full of wonder, optimism, and plain old awesomeness, What Happens Next will be a revelation for anyone who’s ever wondered about what our future will look like and how we’ll get there.
©2018 Audible Originals LLC (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
The Elegant Universe
Summary
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, one of the world's leading string theorists peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy. Brian Greene uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.
©2003 Brian Greene (P)2008 Random House Audio
The Science of Energy
Summary
Energy is, without a doubt, the very foundation of the universe. It's the engine that powers life and fuels the evolution of human civilization. To better put into perspective the various issues surrounding energy in the 21st century, you need to understand the essential science behind how energy works. And you need a reliable source whose focus is on giving you the facts you need to form your own educated opinions. In the 24 riveting lectures of The Science of Energy: Resources and Power Explained, expert geophysicist Professor Wysession presents an unbiased investigation into the energy sources that power our world. With clear and easy-to-follow explanations that make scientific and mathematical concepts approachable and understandable, this course is a marvelous window into the inner workings of energy that will keep you constantly engaged. You'll examine a wide portfolio of energy sources, how these sources work, the engineering marvels that adapt them to human needs, the economic and environmental consequences of using them, and more. Whatever exciting changes await us in the coming decades (from food production to public transportation to industrial manufacturing), they'll most certainly require lots of power. For this reason and many more, this course imparts essential information for any well-informed citizen of the world - whether you're powering a major city or simply turning on the light. The world-spanning civilizations that we have built rely on a vast, dependable, and lasting supply of energy. The choices we make have profound consequences for how the world will continue to develop. Get the facts you need to choose well. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2016 The Great Courses
False Alarm
Summary
The New York Times best-selling "skeptical environmentalist" argues that panic over climate change is causing more harm than good Hurricanes batter our coasts. Wildfires rage across the American West. Glaciers collapse in the Artic. Politicians, activists, and the media espouse a common message: climate change is destroying the planet, and we must take drastic action immediately to stop it. Children panic about their future, and adults wonder if it is even ethical to bring new life into the world. Enough, argues best-selling author Bjorn Lomborg. Climate change is real, but it's not the apocalyptic threat that we've been told it is. Projections of Earth's imminent demise are based on bad science and even worse economics. In panic, world leaders have committed to wildly expensive but largely ineffective policies that hamper growth and crowd out more pressing investments in human capital, from immunization to education. False Alarm will convince you that everything you think about climate change is wrong - and points the way toward making the world a vastly better, if slightly warmer, place for us all. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 Bjorn Lomborg (P)2020 Hachette Audio
The Theory of Everything
Summary
In physicist Stephen Hawking's brilliant opus, A Brief History of Time, he presented us with a bold new look at our universe, how it began, and how our old views of physics and tired theories about the creation of the universe were no longer relevant. In other words, Hawking gave us a new look at our world, our universe, and ourselves. Now, Hawking presents an even more comprehensive look at our universe, its creation, and how we see ourselves within it. Imagine sitting in a comfortable room listening to Hawking discuss his latest theories and place them in historical context with science's other great achievements--it would be like hearing Christopher Columbus deliver the news about the new world. Hawking presents a series of seven lectures in which he describes, more clearly than ever, the history of the universe as we know it. He begins with the history of ideas about the universe, from Aristotle's idea that the Earth is round to Hubble's discovery two millennium later that our universe is growing. Using this history as a launching pad, Hawking takes us on a fascinating journey through the telescopic lens of modern physics to gain a new glimpse of the universe--the nature of black holes, the space-time continuum, and new information about the origin of the universe. He uses this scientific basis to come up with a "unified theory of everything" that the author claims will be "the ultimate triumph of human reason."
©2007 Stephen Hawking (P)2009 Phoenix
The Science of Why
Summary
Ever wonder why onions make you cry? Or why lizards do pushups? Or why leaves change color in the fall? Don't worry, you're not alone. Acclaimed science writer and broadcaster Jay Ingram wonders the same things. After a long career of asking important questions (does time speed up as we age? How much Neanderthal is in me? Why do some animals throw their feces?), he's here to put our scientific quandaries to rest. In this insightful, witty book for curious listeners of all ages, Jay shares his favorite head scratchers and mind benders, settling pressing questions, such as.... What is déjà vu? Why were Tyrannosaurus rex's arms so short? Why are you plagued by mosquitoes while your friends aren't? Does your cat actually like you? What is déjà vu? ...along with everything you ever wondered about human echolocation, Bigfoot, and farts (though not all at once). Chock-full of fun science facts (and fictions), this book will delight and surprise your inner science geek. Spoiler: She actually thinks you're a larger, dumber version of her mother.
©2016 Mr. Science Productions Inc. (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Underland
Summary
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Underland by Robert Macfarlane. Shortlisted for the Best Nonfiction Audiobook at the New York Festival Radio Awards 2020. A Guardian Best Book of the 21st Century. The highly anticipated new book from the internationally best-selling, prize-winning author of Landmarks, The Lost Words and The Old Ways. Discover the hidden worlds beneath our feet.... In Underland, Robert Macfarlane takes us on a journey into the worlds beneath our feet. From the ice-blue depths of Greenland's glaciers, to the underground networks by which trees communicate, from Bronze Age burial chambers to the rock art of remote Arctic sea-caves, this is a deep-time voyage into the planet's past and future. Global in its geography, gripping in its voice and haunting in its implications, Underland is a work of huge range and power and a remarkable new chapter in Macfarlane's long-term exploration of landscape and the human heart.
©2018 Robert Macfarlane (P)2018 Penguin Books Ltd
Tout le monde ment... (et vous aussi !)
Summary
Les parents favorisent-ils les garçons plutôt que les filles ? L'école que l'on fréquente influence-t-elle réellement notre réussite ? Mentons-nous souvent sur notre sexualité ? En ce début de XXIe siècle, nos navigations Internet génèrent huit millions de giga-octets de données chaque jour. Une quantité stupéfiante d'informations qui en disent long sur chacun d'entre nous, car c'est à notre moteur de recherche que nous confions nos questions et nos pensées les plus intimes. S'appuyant sur les recherches Google de millions d'Américains, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz nous livre des révélations fascinantes sur des sujets aussi divers que la politique, le racisme, la violence, notre sexualité, nos relations familiales, le sport... À la lumière de ce "sérum de vérité numérique" qu'est le Big Data, il nous invite à lever le voile sur nous-mêmes et à prendre conscience de nos préjugés... pour mieux changer. Lorsque vous achetez ce titre, le fichier PDF qui l'accompagne sera disponible dans votre confirmation d'achat envoyée par mail ainsi que dans votre bibliothèque, depuis votre ordinateur. Â >> Ce livre audio en version intégrale vous est proposé en exclusivité par Audible et est uniquement disponible en téléchargement.
©2018 Leduc.s. Traduit de l'anglais américain par Michel Le Séac'h (P)2018 Audible Studios
A Feast of Science
Summary
An entertaining and digestible volume that demystifies science, from the author of 16 best-selling popular science books Crave answers? A Feast of Science demystifies the chemistry of everyday life, serving up practical knowledge to both inform and entertain. Guaranteed to satiate your hunger for palatable and relevant scientific information, Dr. Joe Schwarcz proves that "chemical" is not necessarily synonymous with "toxic". Are there fish genes in tomatoes? Can snail-slime cream and bone broth really make your wrinkles disappear? What's the problem with sugar, resistant starch, hops in beer, microbeads, and "secret" cancer cures? Are "natural" products the key to good health? And what is "fake news" all about? Dr. Joe answers these questions and more. Cutting through the fat of story, suggestion, and social-media speculation, A Feast of Science gets to the meat of the chemical reactions that make up our daily lives.
©2018 Joe Schwarcz (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
18 Miles
Summary
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air - 5,200 million million tons, to be exact. It sounds like a lot, but Earth’s atmosphere is smeared onto its surface in an alarmingly thin layer - 99 percent contained within 18 miles. Yet, within this fragile margin lies a magnificent realm - at once gorgeous, terrifying, capricious, and elusive. With his keen eye for identifying and uniting seemingly unrelated events, Chris Dewdney reveals to us the invisible rivers in the sky that affect how our weather works and the structure of clouds and storms and seasons, the rollercoaster of climate. Dewdney details the history of weather forecasting and introduces us to the eccentric and determined pioneers of science and observation whose efforts gave us the understanding of weather we have today. 18 Miles is a kaleidoscopic and fact-filled journey that uncovers our obsession with the atmosphere and weather - as both evocative metaphor and physical reality. From the roaring winds of Katrina to Palladio’s architectural triumph, La Rotonda, Dewdney entertains as he gives listeners a long overdue look at the very air we breathe.
©2018 Christopher Dewdney (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
Welcome to the Universe
Summary
Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel. Describing the latest discoveries in astrophysics, the informative and entertaining narrative propels you from our home solar system to the outermost frontiers of space. How do stars live and die? Why did Pluto lose its planetary status? What are the prospects of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? How did the universe begin? Why is it expanding, and why is its expansion accelerating? Is our universe alone or part of an infinite multiverse? Answering these and many other questions, the authors open your eyes to the wonders of the cosmos, sharing their knowledge of how the universe works. Breathtaking in scope, Welcome to the Universe is for those who hunger for insights into our evolving universe that only world-class astrophysicists can provide. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
She Has Her Mother's Laugh
Summary
2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist "Science book of the year" (The Guardian) One of New York Times 100 notable books for 2018. One of Publishers Weekly's top 10 books of 2018. One of Kirkus' best books of 2018. One of Mental Floss' best books of 2018. One of Science Friday's best science books of 2018. “Extraordinary” (New York Times Book Review) "Magisterial" (The Atlantic) "Engrossing" (Wired) "Leading contender as the most outstanding nonfiction work of the year." (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) Celebrated New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. As the technology for studying genes became cheaper, millions of people ordered genetic tests to link themselves to missing parents, to distant ancestors, to ethnic identities.... But, Zimmer writes, "Each of us carries an amalgam of fragments of DNA, stitched together from some of our many ancestors. Each piece has its own ancestry, traveling a different path back through human history. A particular fragment may sometimes be cause for worry, but most of our DNA influences who we are - our appearance, our height, our penchants - in inconceivably subtle ways." Heredity isn't just about genes that pass from parent to child. Heredity continues within our own bodies, as a single cell gives rise to trillions of cells that make up our bodies. We say we inherit genes from our ancestors - using a word that once referred to kingdoms and estates - but we inherit other things that matter as much or more to our lives, from microbes to technologies we use to make life more comfortable. We need a new definition of what heredity is, and, through Carl Zimmer's lucid exposition and storytelling, this resounding tour de force delivers it. Weaving historical and current scientific research, his own experience with his two daughters, and the kind of original reporting expected of one of the world's best science journalists, Zimmer ultimately unpacks urgent bioethical quandaries arising from new biomedical technologies but also longstanding presumptions about who we really are and what we can pass on to future generations.
©2018 Carl Zimmer (P)2018 Penguin Audio
Sue Perkins Earpedia: Animals
Summary
Former Bake Off host, passionate animal lover and comedian Sue Perkins, is our indispensable guide to the animal kingdom. Join her on a comical, insightful and, at times, shocking nature trail around the world. In this mad-cap adventure, she introduces us to the amazing, surprising and hysterical truth about all creatures great and small. From the African lungfish to the kangaroo, get ready for an irreverent, funny and often furry journey of discovery. This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 13 episodes to your Library now.
©2016 Audible, Ltd. (P)2016 Audible, Ltd.
A Briefer History of Time
Summary
From one of the most brilliant minds of our time comes an audiobook that clarifies his most important ideas. Stephen Hawking’s worldwide best seller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for those who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts - the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, and the history and future of the universe - A Briefer History of Time is Professor Hawking’s response. Although “briefer”, this audiobook is much more than a mere explanation of Hawking’s earlier work. A Briefer History of Time both clarifies and expands on the great subjects of the original and records the latest developments in the field - from string theory to the search for a unified theory of all the forces of physics. Thirty-seven full-color illustrations enhance the text and make A Briefer History of Time an exhilarating and must-have addition in its own right to the great literature of science and ideas. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2005 Stephen Hawking (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.
Biology: The Science of Life
Summary
One of the greatest scientific feats of our era is the astonishing progress made in understanding biology-the intricate machinery of life-a progress to which the period we are living in right now has contributed the most. As you read these words, researchers are delving ever deeper into the workings of living systems, turning their discoveries into new medical treatments, improved methods of growing food, and innovative products that are already changing the world. The 72 lectures in this comprehensive exploration of living systems at all levels-from biological molecules to global ecosystems-will give you all the information you need to grasp this fascinating field and its impact on both our own lives and our understanding of the life that surrounds us. Professor Nowicki presents his subject in a conceptual format, emphasizing the importance of broad principles. Though facts and details are offered in abundance, it is always in the context of developing a context listeners can readily absorb. Your newfound mastery of the fundamentals of biology will serve you in many ways-whether you want to read the headlines with greater insight, update a subject you studied long ago, view the natural world with new appreciation, become a better-informed voter and consumer, or gain the intellectual stimulation of understanding the basic principles that unite all living things. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses
Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time
Summary
Time rules our lives, woven into the very fabric of the universe - from the rising and setting of the sun to the cycles of nature, the thought processes in our brains, and the biorhythms in our day. Nothing so pervades our existence and yet is so difficult to explain. But now, in a series of 24 riveting lectures, you can grasp exactly why - as you take a mind-expanding journey through the past, present, and future, guided by a noted author and scientist. Designed for nonscientists as well as those with a background in physics, the lectures show how a feature of the world that we all experience - a process known as entropy - connects us to the instant of the formation of the universe, and possibly to a multiverse that is unimaginably larger and more varied than the known cosmos. Drawing on such exciting ideas as black holes, cosmic inflation, and dark energy, the lectures also address a momentous question that until recently was considered unanswerable: What happened before the big bang? And while the focus is on physics, Professor Carroll also examines philosophical views on time, how we perceive and misperceive time, the workings of memory, and serious proposals for time travel, as well as imaginative ways that time has been disrupted in fiction. "What is time?" asked Saint Augustine 1,600 years ago. "If no one asks me, I know. But if I wish to explain it to someone who asks, I know not." These lectures will move you much closer to an answer. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses
Une histoire de tout, ou presque...
Summary
Posez une question, Bryson y répond dans ce livre, clair, synthétique, vivant, truffé d'anecdotes, qui conjugue avec bonheur science et sourire. Vous y apprendrez sans efforts par quels hasards, traits de génie, intuitions, déductions, expérimentations, débats, les hommes en sont arrivés à connaître le monde tel qu'ils le connaissent aujourd'hui. Tout y est (ou presque) de l'histoire des sciences, de notre planète et de l'univers. Un merveilleux compagnon, dont la lecture devrait être recommandée à tous les collégiens… et à leurs parents ! Ce livre a été un best-seller en France et dans le monde entier. Il a reçu le prestigieux prix Aventis du meilleur livre de vulgarisation scientifique et l'Union européenne lui a décerné le prix Descartes pour la communication scientifique.
©2011 PAYOT & RIVAGES. Traduit de l'anglais (États-Unis) par Françoise Bouillot (P)2020 Audible Studios
Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime
Summary
It all started with Newton’s apple. Or did it? Gravity controls everything from the falling of an apple to the rising of ocean’s tides to the motions of the heavens above. If you’ve ever wondered how this most puzzling force works across our entire universe, you will be delighted by this 24-part course that is accessible to any curious person, regardless of your science education. No other product on the market presents the subject of gravity in as much detail as this course, which will follow the past 400 years of research and experimentation in the field. Your guide is Professor Schumacher, an award-winning educator, prominent theoretical physicist, and protégé of John Archibald Wheeler, the distinguished gravity theorist who first coined the term “black hole”. • Explore the intriguing features of gravity, including: why a hammer does not fall faster than a feather (neglecting air resistance, of course!); how astronauts float in space when they are still within reach of Earth’s gravitational pull; and how gravity shapes the four-dimensional fabric of the universe. • Become immersed in the fascinating study of gravity, experiencing the scientific breakthroughs alongside the great minds of physics: Galileo, Newton, Cavendish, Einstein, Hubble, Hawking, and more. • Examine a recent discovery: that the expansion of our universe is accelerating due to an as-yet-unexplained cosmic antigravity known as dark energy. • Delve into the Holy Grail of contemporary physics: the search for a theory that encompasses both gravity, which extends its reach across the cosmos, and quantum mechanics, which governs events at the smallest possible scale. In Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime, you will travel to the very edges of modern physics to explore several revolutionary theories and discover that physics is just as exciting today as it was when Newton sat by that fateful apple tree. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2013 The Great Courses (P)2013 The Teaching Company, LLC
The Science of Why 2
Summary
An all-new volume of science questions to delight, entertain, and inform listeners of all ages, from best-selling author Jay Ingram. Jay takes listeners on a tour of the universe, exploring wonders big and small. From the farthest reaches of space to the most perplexing historical riddles to the marvels of who we are and what we're made of, Jay answers the important questions, such as: What's inside a black hole? Will machines ever learn to feel? How much pee is in the average swimming pool? Because who hasn't wondered whether we're living in a computer simulation? Or whether Atlantis existed? Or why cats always land on their feet? With wit and wisdom, The Science of Why 2 will delight listeners of all ages with the answers to all these questions and more. Full of fun science facts (and fictions), this is the book that everyone's inner science geek needs to hear.
©2017 Mr. Science Productions Inc. (P)2017 Audible, Inc.