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.
A Scientific Notebook
Summary
Although Thomas Henry Huxley is most commonly known as Charles Darwin’s Bulldog (Pitbull, today?), the fact remains that he was one of the most insightful thinkers to ever write about the nature of science and its methods. Huxley coined the common usage of the word agnostic (as in “not” or “un” knowing) in contradistinction to the more commonly used Greek word gnosis (as in “knowing” or “to know”). He was an eminently rational man, who though critical of dogmatic religion and believed in the high ethical standards of Judaism and Christianity in terms of how we should treat one another. This small book contains 100 aphorisms from a much larger collection culled by Henrietta A. Huxley at the beginning of the 20th century and published in London, England, in 1908. Our hope is that these penetrating thoughts (occasionally Koan-like in their import) will serve as guideposts on how to become a better critical thinker in all endeavors, scientific or otherwise.
Public Domain (P)2020 David Christopher Lane
A Scientific Education
Summary
This delightful and insightful series of essays on the practice of science was written by one of the great minds of the 19th century, Thomas Henry Huxley, a great friend and defender of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution by natural selection. It includes Huxley's autobiography and essays covering improving natural knowledge; a liberal education; on a piece of chalk; the principle subjects of education; the method of scientific investigation; on the physical basis of life; and a postscript: a review of Huxley's life and work. Highly understandable and very pertinent in this age of doubt.
©2016 David Christopher Lane (P)2016 David Christopher Lane
Quantum Physics and Quantum Mechanics for Beginners
Summary
Are you intrigued by quantum physics but turned off by the complexities, the mathematics, and the formulas? Did your education in mathematics and physics leave you with more questions than answers? Are you fascinated by the universe and want to know about its basic components? If so, these may be the questions you want answers to: Do you want to learn about the giants of quantum theory, including Max Planck and Albert Einstein? Do you want to get in on the inspiring Bohr-Einstein debates on a “grand unifying theory” to bring together quantum mechanics and general relativity theory? Is it possible to look inside the atom, deep inside protons and neutrons to discover the quarks that give these particles their electromagnetic charge? Is wave-particle duality a real phenomenon? Can light be both a wave and a particle? How about the dark sector - the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 percent of the universe? Could ghostly neutrinos solve the mystery? Do you want to know about string and superstring theory, and whether strings can unify the four known forces in a unified field theory? What about Schrödinger’s famous cat experiment? Can a particle be in two places at once? Can a cat be both dead and alive? How about the concept of entanglement, with particles interacting at a distance? How do entanglement and superposition make quantum computing possible? Are we alone in our universe, or are there parallel universes “out there” that may have copies of ourselves? Theories on the idea of a multiverse are creative, and maybe close to reality. Or, maybe not. If these questions are your questions, you are in the right place. This audiobook was made to make quantum physics clear and understandable for those who find the study of math and science challenging. Come share in the amazing discoveries that are defining the subatomic world within the vast, expanding universe and everything it contains. We’ll begin at the beginning with the big bang, 13.8 billion years ago, and conclude with quantum mechanics’ most recent breakthrough, the confirming discovery of the elusive Higgs boson. Ready? Let’s begin the exploration of quantum science and have a good time along the way.
©2020 Bluesource and Friends (P)2020 Bluesource and Friends
Homo faber
Summary
Siamo abituati a concepire la Storia come il susseguirsi sanguinoso di imperi e dinastie. Ma il cammino dell'uomo può essere studiato anche in ambiti specifici del suo ingegno - nell'arte, nella filosofia o nelle scienze. Questo audiolibro propone una chiave molto stimolante attraverso cui "ricapitolare" la storia dell'umanità: quella che vede l'essenza del nostro genere nell'"essere artefice". Perché, a pensarci bene, dietro ogni passo dell'uomo c'è sempre un'invenzione o un manufatto che ha avuto nei secoli imprevedibili sviluppi. Dall'agricoltura è nata la produzione di tessuti. Metallurgia e alchimia sono gli antenati dell'odierna chimica. Non ci sarebbero state scoperte di nuovi mondi senza i progressi nella navigazione oceanica, e senza i primi aerei di legno non saremmo sbarcati sulla Luna. Dalla clava come arma siamo arrivati all'atomica, e dal libro stampato alla comunicazione multimediale.
©2015 Baldini & Castoldi Srl (P)2019 Audible Studios
The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Volume 12, Feynman on Sound
Summary
For more than 30 years, Richard P. Feynman's three-volume Lectures on Physics has been known worldwide as the classic resource for students and professionals alike. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable theories as Einstein's general relativity, superconductivity, and quantum mechanics, Feynman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight. This timeless audio serves as a comprehensive library of essential physics by a legend in science.Volume 12 makes up a course in modes, harmonics, beats, waves, and more.
(P)2000 Perseus Publishing
Systems Biology
Summary
Systems biology came about as growing numbers of engineers and scientists from other fields created algorithms which supported the analysis of biological data in incredible quantities. Whereas biologists of the past had been forced to study one item or aspect at a time, due to technical and biological limitations, it suddenly became possible to study biological phenomena within their natural contexts. This interdisciplinary field offers a holistic approach to interpreting these processes, and has been responsible for some of the most important developments in the science of human health and environmental sustainability. This Very Short Introduction outlines the exciting processes and possibilities in the new field of systems biology. Eberhard O. Voit describes how it enabled us to learn how intricately the expression of every gene is controlled, how signaling systems keep organisms running smoothly, and how complicated even the simplest cells are. He explores what this field is about, why it is needed, and how it will affect our understanding of life, particularly in the areas of personalized medicine, drug development, food and energy production, and sustainable stewardship of our environments.
©2020 Eberhard O. Voit (P)2020 Tantor
First Light
Summary
Bloomsbury presents First Light by Emma Chapman, read by Emma Chapman. Astronomers have successfully observed a great deal of the universe’s history, from recording the afterglow of the big bang to imaging thousands of galaxies, and even to visualising an actual black hole. There’s a lot for astronomers to be smug about. But when it comes to understanding how the universe began and grew up, we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first one billion years from the timeline of the universe. This brief but far-reaching period in the universe’s history, known to astrophysicists as the ‘Epoch of Reionisation’, represents the start of the cosmos as we experience it today. The time when the very first stars burst into life, when darkness gave way to light. After hundreds of millions of years of dark, uneventful expansion, one by the one these stars suddenly came into being. This was the point at which the chaos of the big bang first began to yield to the order of galaxies, black holes and stars, kick-starting the pathway to planets, to comets, to moons and to life itself. Incorporating the very latest research into this branch of astrophysics, this audiobook sheds light on this time of darkness, telling the story of these first stars, hundreds of times the size of the sun and a million times brighter, lonely giants that lived fast and died young in powerful explosions that seeded the universe with the heavy elements that we are made of. Emma Chapman tells us how these stars formed, why they were so unusual and what they can teach us about the universe today. She also offers a first-hand look at the immense telescopes about to come on line to peer into the past, searching for the echoes and footprints of these stars, to take this period in the universe’s history from the realm of theoretical physics towards the wonder of observational astronomy.
©2020 Emma Chapman (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
The Re-Origin of Species
Summary
What does a mammoth smell like? Do dinosaurs bob their heads as they walk, like today’s birds? Do aurochs low like cows? You may soon find out. From the Siberian permafrost to balmy California, scientists across the globe are working to resurrect all kinds of extinct animals, from ones that just left us to those that have been gone for many thousands of years. Their tools in this hunt are both fossils and cutting-edge genetic technologies. Some of these scientists are driven by sheer curiosity; others view the lost species as a powerful weapon in the fight to preserve rapidly changing ecosystems. It seems certain that these animals will walk the earth again, but what world will that give us? And is any of this a good idea? Science journalist Torill Kornfeldt travelled the world to meet the men and women working to bring these animals back from the dead. Along the way, she has seen the mammoth that has been frozen for 20,000 years and visited the places where these furry giants will live again.
©2016 Torill Kornfeldt English translation: Fiona Graham 2018 (P)2018 Audible, Ltd
The Hidden World of the Fox
Summary
Ecologist Adele Brand has devoted her life to understanding the fabled yet enigmatic fox. Now, she reveals their secrets in this extraordinary portrait of our most remarkable wild neighbors. The fox. For thousands of years, myth and folklore have celebrated its cunning intelligence. Today, the red fox is the nature’s most populous carnivore, its dancing orange tail a common sight in backyards. Yet, who is this wild neighbor, truly? How do we negotiate this uneasy new chapter of an ancient relationship? Join British ecologist Adele Brand on a journey to discover the surprising secrets of the fabled fox, the familiar yet enigmatic creature that has adapted to the human world with astonishing - some say, unsettling - success. Brand has studied foxes for 20 years across four continents - from the Yucatán rainforest to India’s remote Thar Desert, from subarctic Canada to metropolitan London. Her observations have convinced her that the fox is arguably the most modern of all wildlife, uniquely suited to survival in the rapidly expanding urban/wild interface. Blending cutting-edge science, cultural anthropology, and intimate personal storytelling drawn from her own remarkable fieldwork, The Hidden World of the Fox is Brand’s rich and revelatory portrait of the extraordinary animal she has devoted her life to understanding. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Adele Brand (P)2019 HarperAudio
Survival: Evolutionary Rules for Intelligent Species Survival
Summary
14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards - Finalist How different might the history of our species have been had our hunter-gatherer forebears failed to migrate out of Africa in time to survive 70,000 years ago when threatened by extinction due to climate change brought on by the last ice age? Simply put, we would not exist. Now, similarly threatened, we too must act quickly if we hope to survive. Yet despite all the signs of a potential greenhouse mass extinction, again due to climate change, this threat is still being ignored. Like the passengers aboard the Titanic, who knew that in two hours and 40 minutes they would either be in a lifeboat or drowning in the cold waters of the Atlantic but waited a full hour before taking action - we too are not getting our lifeboats ready. This book is a wake-up call and looks to evolution itself for guidance on how to avoid extinction. Evolution, the author claims, seems firmly on the side of survival and has left evolutionary survival patterns - adapt, innovate, mature, and migrate to survive or go extinct. Survival depends on how we adapt and innovate as well as on whether we can mature and migrate. Unfortunately, misuse of the adapt and innovate patterns over the last 200 years has driven us to the brink of self-extinction. What can be done? Survival, this book claims, will not emerge from the products of adapting and innovating - science, technologies, and inventions - but by migrating and maturing to evolutionary maturity - maturing beyond the ability to drive ourselves and other species to extinction - and by restoring Earth's habitats and species and a return to sustaining our lives from within Earth's ecosystems, as our forebears did. And failing these, like them, we must be free, willing, and able to choose to migrate - to other planets if necessary - to survive.
©2020 Allan Danns (P)2020 Allan Danns
Speuren naar buitenaards leven: Een hoorcollege over onze kijk op het heelal, van de klassieke oudheid tot nu
Summary
De speurtocht naar buitenaards leven, vanaf de eerste hypothesen tot de nieuwste ontwikkelingen op het gebied van het astronomisch onderzoek. Een fascinerend beeld van de plaats van aarde en mens in ruimte en tijd. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2014 Home Academy (P)2014 Home Academy
Matter
Summary
What is matter? Matter is the stuff from which we and all the things in the world are made. Everything around us - from desks, to books, to our own bodies - are made of atoms, which are small enough that a million of them can fit across the breadth of a human hair. Inside every atom is a tiny nucleus and orbiting the nucleus is a cloud of electrons. The nucleus is made out of protons and neutrons, and by zooming in further, you would find that inside each there are even smaller particles: quarks. Together with electrons, the quarks are the smallest particles that have been seen, and are the indivisible fundamental particles of nature that have existed since the Big Bang, almost 14 billion years ago. The 92 different chemical elements that all normal matter is made from were forged billions of years ago in the Big Bang, inside stars, and in violent stellar explosions. This Very Short Introduction takes us on a journey from the human scale of matter in the familiar everyday forms of solids, liquids, and gases to plasmas, exotic forms of quantum matter, and antimatter. Geoff Cottrell explores the latest research into matter, and shows that there is still a lot we don't know about the stuff our universe is made of.
©2019 Geoff Cottrell (P)2019 Tantor
Il cosmo della mente
Summary
Quanti anni ha la vita? Qual è il destino delle stelle? Se l'atomo è fatto di vuoto, che cosa sostiene il mondo? Perché solo i nostri neuroni, tra quelli di tutte le specie, sono in grado di descrivere i neutrini? Edoardo Boncinelli e Antonio Ereditato ci raccontano l'avventura dell'Universo: dall'esplosione iniziale al costituirsi dell'architettura delle galassie, dal principio dello spaziotempo all'evoluzione dei sapiens e al sorgere della coscienza umana. Tornano a istanti che vanno da 10-^30 a 10-^20 secondi dopo il Big Bang, durante i quali sono avvenuti cambiamenti più importanti che nell'ultimo miliardo di anni. Ci spiegano la natura ambivalente delle particelle elementari, corpuscolare e ondulatoria insieme, grazie a cui possiamo far rivivere in laboratorio il cosmo ai suoi esordi, clonando il "dinosauro-Universo-appena-nato". Si spingono fino ai giganteschi filamenti delle galassie che formano la rete del cosmo e oltre, agli insondabili buchi neri. Penetrano il mistero di un cervello troppo grande e complesso per sostenere soltanto la sua sopravvivenza ed enunciano una grande verità: fra tutto ciò che conosciamo, solo la nostra mente - indecifrabile congegno biologico con neuroni più numerosi delle stelle che popolano la Via Lattea - ci consente di donare una storia all'Universo in cui pensiamo e agiamo da milioni di anni; di donargli, in fondo, l'esistenza. Il cosmo della mente spazia dalle distanze siderali all'infinitamente piccolo; ascolta il moto di espansione dell'Universo, il suo respiro; osserva quelle grandezze di cui solo oggi, grazie agli ultimi progressi tecnologici, iniziamo davvero ad avere contezza. È un viaggio attraverso cui l'ascoltatore avrà modo di avvicinarsi alla radiazione cosmica di fondo; al luogo in cui, sul confine tra noto e ignoto, svanisce ogni certezza e ci affacciamo alla vertigine dell'oscurità; là dove, insieme alle stelle, brillano il mistero e la bellezza del cosmo, lasciandoci senza fiato.
©2018 Il Saggiatore S.r.l. (P)2021 Audible Studios
Electric Universe
Summary
In his best-selling E=mc2, David Bodanis led us, with astonishing ease, through the world's most famous equation. Now, in Electric Universe, he illuminates the wondrous yet invisible force that permeates our universe, and introduces us to the virtuoso scientists who plumbed its secrets. For centuries, electricity was seen as little more than a curious property of certain substances that sparked when rubbed. Then, in the 1790s, Alessandro Volta began the scientific investigation that ignited an explosion of knowledge and invention. The force that once seemed inconsequential was revealed to be responsible for everything from the structure of the atom to the functioning of our brains. In harnessing its power, we have created a world of wonders, complete with roller coasters and radar, computer networks and psychopharmaceuticals. A superb storyteller, Bodanis weaves tales of romance, divine inspiration, and fraud through lucid accounts of scientific breakthroughs. The great discoverers come to life in all their brilliance and idiosyncrasy, including the visionary Michael Faraday, who struggled against the prejudices of the British class system, and Samuel Morse, a painter who, before inventing the telegraph, ran for mayor of New York City on a platform of persecuting Catholics. Here too is Alan Turing, whose dream of a marvelous thinking machine, what we know as the computer, was met with indifference, and who ended his life in despair after British authorities forced him to undergo experimental treatments to "cure" his homosexuality. From the frigid waters of the Atlantic to the streets of Hamburg during a World War II firestorm to the interior of the human body, Electric Universe is a mesmerizing journey of discovery by a master science writer.
©2005 David Bodanis (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.
Sedona: Fun Facts on the Arizona Redrocks
Summary
Children's book writer and children's songwriter presents Sedona. This book chooses some of the best of the historically beautiful Sedona Red Rocks, teaching kids about the beauty of Arizona. The Kid Kongo Travel the World Series shows off some of the beauty that can be found in desert landscapes. This book provides easy information for any parent to listen to along with their child. It describes the beautiful Sedona Red Rocks, so children are given an understanding of one of the world's greatest treasures.
©2014 Kid Kongo (P)2016 Kid Kongo
Global Weirdness
Summary
Produced by Climate Central — a highly regarded, independent, nonprofit journalism and research organization founded in 2008 — and reviewed by scientists at major educational and research institutions the world over, Global Weirdness summarizes, in clear and accessible prose, everything we already know about the science of climate change. It explains what is likely to happen to the climate in the future and lays out in practical terms what we can and cannot do to avoid further shifts. Sixty easy-to-read entries tackle such questions as: Is climate ever "normal"? Why and how do fossil-fuel burning and other human practices produce greenhouse gases? What natural forces have caused climate change in the past? What risks does climate change pose for human health? What accounts for the diminishment of mountain glaciers and small ice caps around the world since 1850? What are the economic costs and benefits of reducing carbon emissions? Global Weirdness enlarges our understanding of how climate change affects our daily lives and arms us with the incontrovertible facts we need to make informed decisions about the future of the planet and of humankind.
©2012 Climate Central (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Life on Mars
Summary
Does life exist on Mars? The question has captivated humans for centuries, but today it has taken on new urgency. NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars orbit by the 2030s. SpaceX wants to go by 2024, while Mars One wants to land a permanent settlement there in 2032. As we gear up for missions like these, we have a responsibility to think deeply about what kinds of life may already inhabit the planet - and whether we have the right to invite ourselves in. David Weintraub tells why, of all the celestial bodies in our solar system, Mars has beckoned to us the most. He traces how our ideas about life on Mars have been refined by landers and rovers, terrestrial and Mars-orbiting telescopes, spectroscopy, and even a Martian meteorite. He explores how finding DNA-based life on the Red Planet could offer clues about our distant evolutionary past, and grapples with the profound moral and ethical questions confronting us as we prepare to introduce an unpredictable new life form - ourselves - into the Martian biosphere.
©2018 Princeton University Press (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Summer World
Summary
As the snow melts and the spring approaches, the animal kingdom awakens. In Summer World, Bernd Heinrich, the best-selling author of Winter World, brings us an up-close and personal view of that awakening and rebirth. Almost all life on the surface of the earth derives its energy from the sun, either directly through photosynthesis or indirectly by consuming plants, making summer the time when nature is most active - feeding, fighting, mating, and nesting. From frogs, wasps, and caterpillars to hummingbirds and woodpeckers, Heinrich explores these animals' adaptations for surviving and procreating during the short window of summer, and he delights in the seemingly infinite feats of animal inventiveness he discovers there. Infused with his inexhaustible enchantment with nature, Summer World encourages a sense of wonder and discovery for the natural world and its busiest season.
©2009 Bernd Heinrich (P)2009 Tantor
Big Coal
Summary
Long dismissed as a relic of a bygone era, coal is back -- with a vengence. Coal is one of the nation's biggest and most influential industries -- Big Coal provides more than half the electricity consumed by Americans today -- and its dominance is growing, driven by rising oil prices and calls for energy independence. Is coal the solution to America's energy problems?On close examination, the glowing promise of coal quickly turns to ash. Coal mining remains a deadly and environmentally destructive industry. Nearly 40 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from coal-fired power plants. In the last two decades, air pollution from coal plants has killed more than half a million Americans. In this eye-opening call to action, Goodell explains the costs and consequences of America's addiction to coal and discusses how we can kick the habit.
©2007 Jeff Goodell (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
Backyard Chickens
Summary
Grow your own chickens, always eat organic and start a successful farming business! People have never been more obsessed with the quality of their food. We are constantly bombarded with stories about damaging drugs, pesticides, and chemicals found in the food we consume every day - from vegetables to meat and everything in between. Poultry meat, and especially chicken, has been heavily analyzed, and the results were defeating. It turns out, most chicken farms use a lot of antibiotics and other drugs to stimulate growth, fatten the animals up, and ultimately make more profit. Eating that meat, poisoned with chemicals, can seriously damage your health, and even cause cancer. So, what can you do? Have your own chicken farm! It might sound like a complicated thing to do, but with this book, you’ll enjoy organic, healthy chicken meat and eggs in no time! Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of space. This audiobook will show you how to grow quality chickens in even the smallest backyards. Here’s what you’ll learn: How to choose the breed of chicken to farm, based on whether you want to grow them for eggs, meat, or both How to feed and grow healthy chickens, without drugs and other damaging compounds How to raise chickens in any surroundings, including backyards And much more! Establishing a chicken farm doesn’t require a lot of investment. Growing chickens is simple, mainly because they don’t require a lot of space, and the costs of growing them are lower compared to some other livestock. Use this book to find out how to eat healthy, attested food, and make a profit out of it!
©2020 Martin Travis (P)2020 Martin Travis