Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchBrian 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, 8 months ago
Violet Moller, "The Map of Knowledge: A Thousand-Year History of How Classical Ideas Were Lost and Found" (Doubleday, 2019)
Episode 51
Violet Moller has written a narrative history of the transmission of books from the ancient world to the modern. In The Map of Knowledge: A Thousand-…
1 year, 8 months ago
Elizabeth A. Williams, "Appetite and Its Discontents: Science, Medicine, and the Urge to Eat, 1750-1950" (U Chicago Press, 2020)
Episode 77
Why do we eat? Is it instinct? Despite the necessity of food, anxieties about what and how to eat are widespread and persistent. In Appetite and Its …
1 year, 8 months ago
Henry H. Work, "Wood, Whiskey and Wine: A History of Barrels"(Reaktion Books, 2024)
Episode 160
Barrels – we rarely acknowledge their importance, but without them we would be missing out on some of the world’s finest wines and spirits. For over …
1 year, 8 months ago
Susan Greenhalgh, "Soda Science: Making the World Safe for Coca-Cola" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
Episode 370
Soda Science: Making the World Safe for Coca-Cola (U Chicago Press, 2024) takes readers deep inside the secret world of corporate science, where powe…
1 year, 8 months ago
Mel Stanfill, "Fandom Is Ugly: Networked Harassment in Participatory Culture" (NYU Press, 2024)
Episode 194
In their latest book, Fandom is Ugly: Networked Harassment in Participatory Culture (NYU Press, 2024), Mel Stafill highlights the importance of consi…
1 year, 8 months ago
John V. Pavlik, "Journalism and the Metaverse" (Anthem Press, 2024)
Episode 79
Journalism has been in a state of disruption since the development of the Internet. The Metaverse, or what some describe as the future of the Interne…
1 year, 8 months ago
Tarryn Li-Min Chun, "Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theater, Technology, and Politics in Modern China" (U Michigan Press, 2024), "Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theater, Technology, and Politics in Modern China" (U Michigan Press, 2024)
Episode 543
Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theater, Technology, and Politics in Modern China (University of Michigan Press, 2024) offers a fascinating approach to mod…
1 year, 8 months ago
The Human Advantage: A Conversation with Jay Richards
Episode 116
In this episode, we explore the insights of Jay Richards, author of The Human Advantage: The Future of American Work in an Age of Smart Machines (For…
1 year, 8 months ago
Jonathan Shapiro Anjaria, "Mumbai on Two Wheels: Cycling, Urban Space, and Sustainable Mobility" (U Washington Press, 2024)
Episode 240
Mumbai is not commonly seen as a bike-friendly city because of its dense traffic and the absence of bicycle lanes. Yet the city supports rapidly expa…
1 year, 8 months ago