Science & Engineering

Capybaras possess such a calm and gentle nature that many other animal species treat them as friends—including the birds who ride on their backs. In this episode, we follow a capybara as she lounges in the lagoon and covers herself in mud to repel bugs. And we’ll listen as she collectively parents her pups with the others in her herd, communicating through a complex language of whistles, clicks, and purrs.

From survival of the fittest to survival of the most conscious, discover a revolutionary scientific message of hope for humanity's future. For over a century, Darwin’s concept of “survival of the fittest,” or life as competition, has shaped the fate of civilization. Renowned cell biologist...

Andrew Huberman, host of the world’s leading health and science podcast Huberman Lab and neuroscientist and professor at Stanford School of Medicine, presents an essential guide to improving brain function, enhancing mood and energy, optimizing bodily health and physical performance, and...

Against the white expanse of the Arctic tundra, a snowy owl is hardly visible as he pauses to listen for the rustling of small prey. While most Arctic birds migrate south for the winter, this owl can survive through the endless polar nights. In this episode, we follow a snowy owl as he searches for food in the dark, soaring past the footprints of polar bears, howling huskies, and snow foxes that call this wintry world home.

While we have come a long way toward deciphering the laws of the universe, many physicists still regard time to be one of the greatest unsolved mysteries. On Time provides answers to the questions about time that philosophers and scientists have been asking for millennia, such as whether it has a beginning and an end, why it only points toward the future and not the past, whether it can be stretched and squeezed or even reversed, and whether it is even real.

An atmospheric memoir of the season of change from the no. 1 bestselling novelist Kate Mosse 'A beautifully written exploration of nature, memory and life itself. Wonderfully mellow, a golden read' MATT HAIG 'Profoundly captivating, a beautiful book that lingers in the mind.' ELIF SHAFAK 'When...

The author of the controversial bestseller Brain Trust brings his scientific expertise to the chilling true story of unexplained phenomena on Utah's Skinwalker Ranch -- and challenges us with a new vision of reality. For more than fifty years, the bizarre events at a remote Utah ranch have...

An award-winning neurologist on the Stone-Age roots of our screen addictions, and what to do about them. The human brain hasn't changed much since the Stone Age, let alone in the mere thirty years of the Screen Age. That's why, according to neurologist Richard Cytowic—who, Oliver Sacks...

THE FASCINATING AND UNEXPECTED STORY OF THE ICONIC HARRIER JUMP JET, AND THE BRITISH ENGINEER WHO BUILT IT Victory in the Falklands War made the Harrier’s name as a world-beating British icon, as capable of giving the enemy a bloody nose as it was of thrilling the crowds at airshows with its...

Bloomsbury presents The Grid by Gretchen Bakke, read by Katherine Fenton One of Bill Gates's Favorite Books of 2016 A revelatory look at our national power grid--how it developed, its current flaws, and how it must be completely reimagined for our fast-approaching energy future. America's...

The World's Most Fascinating Geologic Events takes you on a journey around the world and across time to explore the volcanic and seismic activity, dramatic shifts in climate, and superstorms that have inspired terror and awe over thousands of years. Taught by esteemed Professor Michael E. Wysession at Washington University in St. Louis, these 24 captivating lectures reveal the inseparable links between geologic phenomena and human affairs.

A radical new vision of reality from one of the great minds of our time, mapping a watershed moment in both physics and philosophy. “Carlo Rovelli is the best thinker out there articulating physics, philosophy, and literature. There simply are no scientists of his caliber who also are...

An illuminating journey through the past, present and future of the botanical world How did plants shape the modern world? And what can they tell us about our future? Our peculiarly British obsession with gardens goes back a long way and Plants: From Roots to Riches takes us back to where it all...

A heart-warming memoir of leaving the city behind to build a new life among the wild beauty of the Hebrides. When Fiona is given an old family ledger, she has no idea it will redirect the course of her life. With her husband, children, dogs and elderly father in tow, she exchanges the pressures...

A compelling blend of memoir, practical wisdom, and eye-opening food science. This is the homesteading book that tells you not just how to build a self-sufficient life, but why it matters more today than ever. Written by Drs. Robert and Jill Malone, Homesteading for Health is rooted in four decades of lived experience across six working farms in Maryland, Georgia, and Virginia.

A lively argument from an award-winning journalist proving that the key to reversing America’s health crisis lies in the overlooked link between nutrition and flavor: “The Dorito Effect is one of the most important health and food books I have read” (Dr. David B. Agus, New York Times...

In 1910, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his team set out on one of the most ambitious and perilous expeditions in the history of exploration: the race to reach the South Pole. In The Worst Journey in the World, expedition member Apsley Cherry-Garrard recounts the extraordinary story of...

Why do we still believe in UFOs, despite repeated efforts to dismiss them? For most of the twentieth century, reports of unidentified flying objects were treated as cultural error: cranks, hoaxes, late-night radio. Then, abruptly, the posture changed. The Pentagon released videos it could not...

Experience the world's most promising technological innovations and the science behind them in this entertaining photo-rich book. For futurists and sci-tech enthusiasts, every moment reveals advances powering our future, with on-site interviews, deep explainers, and helpful visuals.

“Thrilling and intrepid. A beautiful tale of dramatic, wild landscapes and the entangled lives of snow leopards, their prey, and the humans who share their terrain.” —Andrea Wulf, bestselling author of The Invention of Nature “By turns beautiful, terrible, and encouraging.”...

A microscopic worm has 959 cells. The Milky Way galaxy contains roughly the same number of stellar nursery cavities. The two are separated by twenty-four orders of magnitude in size—yet their proportions match almost exactly. This is not the only such pair. From protons to stars, from bacteria to galactic structures, from cities to the cosmic web, the same organizational pattern keeps repeating across forty-two orders of magnitude. A 200,000-trial statistical test of seven such pairings returned p = 0.000055—odds of about 1 in 18,000.

Two catastrophes. One unshakable truth: the moment humanity declares something invincible is the moment disaster starts writing its opening line. Great Disasters 2-in-1 brings together Dominic Haynes's gripping accounts of the Titanic and Chernobyl — two of history's most devastating reminders that confidence is not the same as safety.

“Within these pages, you’ll find delight, wisdom, and wonder.”—Sy Montgomery, author of The Hummingbirds’ Gift A delight for devoted birders, curious nature lovers, and casual backyard watchers alike, from two beloved local talents Fresh, experiential personal essays featuring more...

What if reality is far stranger than you've ever imagined? What if the world around you is not exactly what it appears to be? From recurring patterns in nature to the mysteries of consciousness, countless questions continue to challenge our understanding of existence.

When author Edmund Morris left the Philadelphia business world in the early 1800s and bought a small farm in the New Jersey countryside, he was so pleased with the results of his venture that he decided to tell others how he accomplished it. His written chronicle—one of the most popular books...