History & Philosophy

Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science...

Based on the newly released personal letters of Albert Einstein, Walter Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos....

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine....

How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Find out....

Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time—war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race—in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all....

The science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology....

An eye-opening investigation into the history of diabetes research and treatment by the award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Why We Get Fat....

For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s new book is a guide to meditation as a rational spiritual practice informed by neuroscience and psychology....

Today's "machine-learning" systems, trained by data, are so effective that we've invited them to see and hear for us - and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases.

From the world's leading forest ecologist who forever changed how people view trees and their connections to one another and to other living things in the forest—a moving, deeply personal journey of discovery....

An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish....

For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best....

Listeners learn the difference between how the world works at the quantum level, the cosmic level, and the human level - and then how each connects to the other....

Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley's most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs....

Discover the secret method used to build the world....

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is essential listening for understanding the history, philosophy, and evolution of science....

With characteristic pungency and simplicity of style, the author of Sociobiology challenges old prejudices and current misconceptions about the nature-nurture debate....

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman....

Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith dons a wet suit and journeys into the depths of consciousness in Other Minds....

The national bestseller chosen by The New York Times Book Review as one of the ten best books of 1991 is now available as an audiobook....

Whether you are a student struggling to fulfill a math or science requirement, or you are embarking on a career change that requires a new skill set, A Mind for Numbers offers the tools you need to get a better grasp of that intimidating material....

How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life....

Ignition! is the story of the Cold War era search for a rocket propellant that could be trusted to take man into space. A favorite of Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, listeners will want to tune into this "really good book on rocket[s]," available for the first time in audio....

Over the last 220 years, society has evolved a universal belief that electricity is "safe" for humanity and the planet. Scientist and journalist Arthur Firstenberg disrupts this conviction by telling the story of electricity in a way it has never been told before....

"Correlation does not imply causation". This mantra has been invoked by scientists for decades and has led to a virtual prohibition on causal talk. But today, that taboo is dead....

Our fascination with AI stems from the perceived uniqueness of human intelligence. We believe it's what differentiates us. Fears of AI not only concern how it invades our digital lives, but also the implied threat of an intelligence that displaces us from our position at the centre of the world. Neil D. Lawrence's visionary book shows why these fears may be misplaced. By contrasting our own intelligence with the capabilities of machine intelligence through history, The Atomic Human reveals the technical origins, capabilities and limitations of AI systems, and how they should be wielded.

Highlighting men and women across the globe who have dedicated themselves to pushing the limits of space exploration, this book surveys the programs, technological advancements, medical equipment, and automated systems that have made space travel possible. Beginning with the invention of balloons that lifted early explorers into the stratosphere, Ted Spitzmiller describes how humans first came to employ lifting gasses such as hydrogen and helium.

Looking forward to a book that explains life? Well, here it is! Explaining Life Through Evolution opens a window to the four billion year history of the millions of species we see on this planet. This book does not simply narrate the story of evolution: It brings to light who we are and where we came from.

In my eighty-eight years as a well-educated wonderer, many of my assumed facts have been proven wrong. I see that as progress a good thing. The challenge is to be able to accept that one of your lifelong facts just isn't true. I have only a few things that I learned that have stayed true so far and have been stabilizers in my world. I think they can be of use to almost everyone and need sharing.

Upon its first English publication in 1959, Popper's The Logic of Scientific Discovery revolutionized thinking about the scientific method. Largely an exploration of the demarcation problem, or what distinguishes science from non-science, Popper introduced and defended his concept of falsifability -- that scientific systems are ones open to empirical disconfirmation -- against the prevailing views of his day.

Daily we overlook fundamental simplicities. There are some fascinating things about how things got so easy. This book explores some interesting and captivating history behind everyday things that simplify our lives immensely. Why is your keyboard QWERTY? Why do we have 24 hours in a day and 12 months in a year? To highlight the importance of these simplicities, the book contrasts the daily lives of people who live in Anarcha, where there is no agreed-upon clock, calendar, unit of measurement, et cetera.

Throughout history, across cultures and countries, silk has reigned as the undeniable queen of fabrics, yet its origins and evolution remain a mystery. In a gorgeous and sweeping narrative, Silk weaves together its intricate story and the indelible mark it has left on humanity.

Africa, a continent teeming with diversity, culture, and history, has long been a destination for explorers seeking knowledge and enlightenment. While often portrayed through the lens of its natural wonders and political struggles, Africa has also been a crucible for intellectual exploration.

In Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion, Agnes Arnold-Forster blends neuroscience and psychology with the history of medicine and emotions to explore the evolution of nostalgia from its first identification in seventeenth-century Switzerland (when it was held to be an illness that could, quite literally, kill you) to the present day (when it is co-opted by advertising agencies and politicians alike to sell us goods and policies).

Science helps us to understand ourselves in a world where we often feel like strangers - but what we know about the world around us, what has already been explored and discovered is only half of science's story. Unexplained will explore the frontier between what we do and don't know about the world: where knowledge meets mystery, complexity overwhelms certainty, and the vastness of our universe unspools the logic of science's established laws. Dr Camilla Pang will teach you to embrace the beauty in the unexplained and fall in love with the search for unknown answers.

"Temporal Voyage" is a fascination-fueled journey that plunges readers into the enigma of time travel. From discerning its theoretical beginnings to evaluating its scientific implications, this eBook encompasses a full spectrum of engaging insights and in-depth knowledge about the science and philosophies of time travel. Our first encounter strikes at the core as we delve into the concept, examining various theories and philosophies that lay the foundation for temporal exploration. The adventure continues with an in-depth look into the physics that could potentially make this theoretical ...

Prepare to dive deep into the realms of the known and the unknown with an eBook that is both engaging and enlightening. "Theoretical Frontiers" offers a unique exploration of the most compelling theories and discoveries in modern science. Starting your journey with "Decoding the Universe String Theory," you'll delve into the intricate world of quantum mechanics and branes, providing a grand tour of dimensions beyond our perception. The second chapter pulls back the curtains on Quantum Computing and the intriguing concept of qubits, which could revolutionize the way we process information. ...

Unlock the secrets of the cosmos as you embark on a captivating journey through millennia of astonishing evidence, hidden artifacts, and lost civilizations in "Ancient Aliens Among Us." This captivating eBook delves into the fascinating and controversial theory that extraterrestrial beings have visited our planet throughout history, influencing humankind and shaping the course of our existence. Be amazed and intrigued as you traverse the enigmatic world of ancient mysterious monuments and out-of-place artifacts that challenge mainstream historical accounts. Immerse yourself in the awe-...

Do you find it suspect that the HIV virus showed up in two different places (Haiti and Africa) at the exact same time? For the most part, Africans do not travel, or vacation in Haiti and vice-versa (neither place considered ideal for vacation, and relaxation (where sexual interludes often occur), providing a gateway for transmission of the deadly virus. Yet this is where the virus was initially discovered. Science cannot explain how the HIV virus took a leap to these two distinct places in the mid, to latter 1970s. In 1981, AIDS made its debut in the United States; again, strangely, rapidly...

Welcome to "Eternal Pursuit," an intriguing exploration of humanity's age-old obsession with longevity and invulnerability! Are we designed to endure endlessly, or is mortality an unalterable part of our existence? "Dive in and explore the multidimensional facets of immortality, from philosophical and theological perspectives to the potential technological, biological, and psychological implications of eternal life. Disentangle fascinating narratives of everlasting existence in different cultures, stories weaved throughout time that shaped our collective consciousness. Witness the magic of ...