Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchAl Posamentier and Christian Speitzer, “The Mathematics of Everyday Life” (Prometheus Books, 2018)
Episode 33
Today I talked to Al Posamentier about his books (co-authored with Christian Speitzer) The Mathematics of Everyday Life (Prometheus Books, 2018). We…
1 year, 9 months ago
S4E4 In Defense of Bad Science and the Philosophy of Being
Episode 117
What role does science play in shaping our laws? How do we distinguish between good science and bad science? Where does science hit its limits due to…
1 year, 9 months ago
Kostas Kampourakis, "Darwin Mythology: Debunking Myths, Correcting Falsehoods" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
Episode 28
Many historical figures have their lives and works shrouded in myth, both in life and long after their deaths. Charles Darwin (1809–82) is no exceptio…
1 year, 9 months ago
Brian Clegg, "Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe" (MIT Press, 2021)
Episode 82
Our universe might appear chaotic, but deep down it's simply a myriad of rules working independently to create patterns of action, force, and consequ…
1 year, 9 months ago
Directions of Peer Review in Software Engineering
Episode 185
Listen to this interview of Bram Adams, Professor at the School of Computing, Queen's University, Canada. We talk about current developments in peer …
1 year, 10 months ago
Cyrus Mody on the Importance of Square (as in NOT COOL) Scientists and Engineers
Episode 79
Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Cyrus Mody, Professor in the History of Science, Technology, and Innovation and Director of the STS Progr…
1 year, 10 months ago
Nick Chater, "The Mind Is Flat: The Remarkable Shallowness of the Improvising Brain" (Yale UP, 2019)
Episode 4
Psychologists and neuroscientists struggle with how best to interpret human motivation and decision making. The assumption is that below a mental “su…
1 year, 10 months ago
Nick Haddad, "The Last Butterflies: A Scientist's Quest to Save a Rare and Vanishing Creature" (Princeton UP, 2019)
Episode 62
Butterflies have long captivated the imagination of humans, from naturalists to children to poets. Indeed it would be hard to imagine a world without…
1 year, 10 months ago
Iris Berent, "The Blind Storyteller: How We Reason about Human Nature" (Oxford UP, 2020)
Episode 11
Do newborns think-do they know that 'three' is greater than 'two'? Do they prefer 'right' to 'wrong'? What about emotions--do newborns recognize happ…
1 year, 10 months ago
David Badre, "On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done" (Princeton UP, 2020)
Episode 8
On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done (Princeton UP, 2020) is a look at the extraordinary ways the brain turns thoughts into actions—and how this s…
1 year, 11 months ago