The Michael Shermer Show
Episodes
97. Amber Scorah — Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this revealing conversation Amber Scorah opens the box into the psychology of religious belief to show how, exactly, religions and cults convince m...
96. Catherine Wilson — How to Be an Epicurean: The Ancient Art of Living Well
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging conversation the philosopher Catherine Wilson makes the case that if the pursuit of happiness is the question, Epicureanism is th...
95. John Martin Fischer — Death, Immortality and Meaning in Life
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
John Martin Fischer's Death, Immortality, and Meaning in Lifeoffers a brief yet in-depth introduction to the key philosophical issues and problems con...
94. David Leiser — How We Misunderstand Economics and Why it Matters
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first book to explain why people misunderstand economics. From the cognitive shortcuts we use to make sense of complex information, to the...
93. Geoffrey Miller — Virtue Signaling: Essays on Darwinian Politics & Free Speech
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Shermer talks with the polymathic polyamorous sapiosexual classically liberal evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller about: virtue signali...
92. Tim Samuels — Future Man: How to Evolve and Thrive in the Age of Trump, Mansplaining, and #MeToo
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If ever there was an urgent need for a frank understanding of what's going on with men, it is now. Male rage and frustration have driven resurgent pop...
91. James Traub — What Was Liberalism? The Past, Present, and Promise of a Noble Idea
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging conversation James Traub and Michael Shermer discuss: the changing meaning of "liberalism" over the centuries and decades why th...
90. Melvin Konner — Believers: Faith in Human Nature
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
World renowned biological anthropologist Mel Konner examines the nature of human nature, including and especially in his new book the nature of religi...
89. Richard Dawkins — Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 12 fiercely funny, mind-expanding chapters, Richard Dawkins explains how the natural world arose without a designer — the improbability and bea...
88. Daniel Oberhaus — Extraterrestrial Languages
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The endlessly fascinating question of whether we are alone in the universe has always been accompanied by another, more complicated one: if there is e...
87. Douglas Murray — The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his devastating new book The Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray examines the 21st century's most divisive issues: sexuality, gender, technology and ...
86. Neil deGrasse Tyson — Letters from an Astrophysicist
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world's largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into sc...
85. Deepak Chopra — Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation long-time adversaries and now friends Michael Shermer and Deepak Chopra make an attempt at mutual understanding through the caref...
84. Christof Koch — The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness is Widespread but Can't Be Computed
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this fascinating discussion of one of the hardest problems in all of science — the hard problem of consciousness, that is, explaining how the fee...
83. Peter Boghossian — How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In our current political climate, it seems impossible to have a reasonable conversation with anyone who has a different opinion. Whether you're online...
82. Phil Zuckerman — What it Means to be Moral: Why Religion is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life, Phil Zuckerman argues that morality does not come from God. Ra...
81. Bruce Hood — Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You may not believe it, but there is a link between our current political instability and your childhood attachment to teddy bears. There's also a rea...
80. Bryan Walsh — End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World is a compelling work of skilled reportage that peels back the layers of complexity around the unthink...
79. Anthony Kronman — The Assault on American Excellence
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The former dean of Yale Law School argues that the feverish egalitarianism gripping college campuses today is out of place at institutions whose job i...
78. Dr. Donald Hoffman — The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth From Our Eyes
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his new book, The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth From Our Eyes, the U.C. Irvine cognitive scientist Dr. Donald Hoffman challenge...
77. Dr. Lee McIntyre — The Scientific Attitude: Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this engaging conversation on the nature of science, Dr. McIntyre and Dr. Shermer get deep into the weeds of where to draw the line between science...
76. William Poundstone — The Doomsday Calculation: How an Equation that Predicts the Future is Transforming Everything We Know About Life and the Universe
23 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When will the world end? How likely is it that intelligent extraterrestrial life exists? Are we living in a simulation like the Matrix? Is our univer...
75. Charles Fishman — One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission that Flew us to the Moon
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this July 16th, the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, Michael Shermer speaks with veteran space reporter Charles Fishman who has been writing about NA...
74. Shaili Jain, M.D. — The Unspeakable Mind: Stories of Trauma and Healing from the Frontlines of PTSD Science
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From a physician and post-traumatic stress disorder specialist comes a nuanced cartography of PTSD, a widely misunderstood yet crushing condition that...
73. Andrew Seidel — Busting the Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this important new book, The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American, constitutional attorney and scholar at the Freedom from Relig...
72. Robert Zubrin — The Case for Space: Spaceflight Revolution
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this dialogue, visionary astronautical engineer Robert Zubrin lays out the plans for how humans can become a space faring, multi-planetary civiliza...
71. Dr. Michael Shermer — What is Truth?
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this live podcast event hosted by the Santa Barbara Science Salon in conjunction with the Skeptics Society and the Unitarian Society, co-hosted by ...
70. Dr. Brian Keating — Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor
11 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging conversation Science Salon host Dr. Michael Shermer speaks with cosmologist and inventor of the BICEP (Background Imaging of Co...
69. Dr. Barbara Tversky — Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thought
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
An eminent psychologist offers a major new theory of human cognition: movement, not language, is the foundation of thought. When we try to think about...
68. Dr. Michael Ruse — A Darwinian Meaning to Life
28 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, at Florid...
67. Dr. Christian Smith — Atheist Overreach: What Atheism Can't Deliver
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years atheism has become ever more visible, acceptable, and influential. Atheist apologists have become increasingly vociferous and confiden...
66. Dr. Christian List — Why Free Will is Real: A response to Sam Harris, Jerry Coyne, and Other Determinists
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Philosophers have argued about the nature and the very existence of free will for centuries. Today, many scientists and scientifically minded commenta...
65. Jared Diamond — Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For this special edition of the Science Salon Podcast Dr. Shermer took a camera crew to Jared Diamond's home in Los Angeles for an especially intimate...
64. Michael Tomasello — Becoming Human
30 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this fascinating conversation with the evolutionary anthropologist Michael Tomasello, the Max Planck Institute scientist presents his new theory of...
63. Dr. Hector A. Garcia — Sex, Power, and Partisanship: How Evolutionary Science Makes Sense of Our Political Divide
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Through the lens of evolutionary science, Dr. Garcia offers a novel perspective on why we hold our political ideas, and why they are so often in confl...
AMA-5. Dr. Michael Shermer — "Are the Miracles of Jesus Unbelievable?" Debate Postmortem
21 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this AMA special Dr. Shermer conducts a postmortem on his debate with the evangelical Christian theologian Luuk van de Weghe, with Windmill Ministr...
62. Dr. Mark Moffett — The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this riveting conversation, Dr. Shermer speaks with Dr. Mark Moffett, biologist (Ph.D. Harvard, under E. O. Wilson), wildlife photographer for Nati...
61. Dr. Richard Wrangham — The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We Homo sapiens can be the nicest of species and also the nastiest. What occurred during human evolution to account for this paradox? What are the two...
60. Nicholas A. Christakis — Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this exceptionally important conversation Dr. Shermer discusses at length the background to and research of Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a physician an...
59. Cass R. Sunstein — On Freedom
26 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this pathbreaking book, New York Times bestselling author Cass Sunstein asks us to rethink freedom. He shows that freedom of choice isn't nearly en...
58. Ben Shapiro — The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide ranging conversation, the noted conservative political commentator and public intellectual Ben Shapiro makes the case that what makes the...
57. Dr. Frans de Waal — Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves
12 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Based on his latest book — Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves — the legendary biologist and primatologist Fran...
56. Dr. Tyler Cowen — How an Economist Views the World
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide ranging dialogue Dr. Shermer speaks with the famed economist Dr. Tyler Cowen, whose new book, Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Societ...
AMA-4. Dr. Michael Shermer — The Problem of Evil
03 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this Ask Me Anything, Dr. Shermer performs a postmortem on his debate/dialogue on with Dr. Brian Huffling at the Southern Evangelical Seminary in C...
55. Dr. David Sloan Wilson — This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this dialogue Dr. Shermer speaks with Dr. David Sloan Wilson, the renowned evolutionary biologist and Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anth...
54. Dr. Michele Gelfand — Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging conversation Dr. Shermer talks with the author of the new book, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our...
53. Adam Higginbotham — China Syndrome II: The True Story of What Happened at Chernobyl
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this discussion with the author of the newly published book Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster, Adam...
52. Bruce Schneier — Hacked! Security and Survival in a Hyper-Connected World
05 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Schneier is a fellow and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society. He is a special advisor t...
51. Gregg Hurwitz — Into the Light: Myths, Narratives, Archetypes, and Trump
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging dialogue Michael Shermer and Gregg Hurwitz discuss being a public intellectual, how to convey ideas through fiction vs. nonfictio...
AMA-3. Dr. Michael Shermer — Ask Me Anything!
22 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Jordan Peterson Phenomenon In this short AMA Michael Shermer answers a single question: "What is your opinion of Jordan Peterson?" Dr. Shermer is ...
50. Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld — A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security
15 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Science Salon Podcast, Michael Shermer speaks with Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for Internat...
AMA-2. Dr. Michael Shermer: Ask Me Anything!
08 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his second Ask Me Anything, recorded on the final day of 2018, Dr. Shermer reviews the latest issue of Skeptic magazine, introduces upcoming podcas...
49. Dr. Gad Saad — Doing Gad's Work
01 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Science Salon Podcast, Michael Shermer talks to the renowned evolutionary behavioral scientist and Concordia University profess...
48. Sir Martin Rees — On the Future: Prospects for Humanity
25 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging dialogue Michael Shermer talks to Martin Rees about: his early education and how he got interested in astronomy and cosmology •...
47. Dr. Susan Blackmore — Altered States and Conscious Beings
04 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Susan Blackmore is no stranger to skeptics. Dr. Shermer has known Dr. Blackmore since the early 1990s. When the Skeptics Society and Skeptic magaz...
46. Zac Sechler interviews Michael Shermer about Why People Believe in God
27 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this unusual Science Salon we bring you an interview of Dr. Shermer by Zac Sechler, a high school senior at Grace Prep High School in State College...
45. Daniel de Visé — On Comebacks in Sports and Life
13 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this unusual dialogue Dr. Shermer talks to author and journalist Daniel de Visé about one of the greatest athletes in American history, three-time...
44. Dr. David P. Barash — Human Nature Through a Glass Brightly
06 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Humans have long seen ourselves as the center of the universe, the apple of God's eye, specially-created creatures who are somehow above and beyond th...
43. Dr. Jonathan Haidt — Coming Apart
30 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A lecture by and follow-up discussion with Jonathan Haidt about the excessive divisiveness of American politics and culture the past several years. Dr...
42. Dr. Clay Routledge — The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this dialogue on life's deepest and most meaningful issues Michael Shermer talks with psychologist Clay Routledge about: the evolution of motivatio...
40. Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah — Who Am I? Who Are You? The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging conversation Dr. Appiah and Dr. Shermer review the 5 "Cs" of identity—Creed, Country, Color, Class, and Culture—and what they...
39. Heather Mac Donald — The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this riveting review of the campus craziness investigative journals, writer, and lawyer Heather Mac Donald and Michael Shermer dive deep into the r...
38. Dr. Yuval Noah Harari — 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
18 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this dialogue with one of the most interesting minds of our time, the Hebrew University historian and best-selling author (Sapiens, Homo Deus), D...
37. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson — Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this deep dive into the history of science and war, and the strange but productive alliances that have been formed over the centuries—particularl...
36. Dr. Jonathan Haidt — The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this fascinating dialogue Dr. Haidt and Dr. Shermer discuss what has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are ...
35. Dr. Tali Sharot — The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About our Power to Change Others
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In her new book, The Influential Mind, neuroscientist Tali Sharot takes readers on a thrilling exploration of the nature of influence, so she and Sher...
34. Colin McGinn — Paradoxes, Puzzles, and Philosophy
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In their second Science Salon conversation Michael Shermer and Colin McGinn consider the broader sweep of philosophy after their first encounter in wh...
33. David Quammen — The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this dialogue with one of the best nature and science writers of our generation, David Quammen and Michael Shermer discuss his new book on the hist...
32. Nina Teicholz — The Big Fat Surprise About Diet and Nutrition
07 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this fascinating conversation with Michael Shermer, the investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reviews the scientific literature on diet and nutrit...
31. Amy Alkon — Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence
31 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this unique conversation Michael Shermer talks with the science writer and weekly advice columnist Amy Alkon about her new book, Unf*ckology: A Fie...
30. Dr. Ralph Lewis — Finding Meaning in a Meaningless Universe
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging conversation Michael Shermer talks with the author of the new book Finding Purpose in a Godless World: Why We Care Even if the Un...
29. Colin McGinn — Mysterianism, Consciousness, Free Will, and God
16 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast was initiated after McGinn commented publicly, and critically, on Shermer's latest Scientific American column on the mysteries of consci...
AMA-1. Dr. Michael Shermer — Ask Me Anything!
09 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this first Ask Me Anything (AMA) Dr. Shermer attempts to answer as many questions as possible in a reasonable time among the hundreds submitted by ...
28. Edward J. Larson — On Faith and Science
02 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout history, scientific discovery has clashed with religious dogma, creating conflict, controversy, and sometimes violent dispute. In this enli...
27. Charles S. Cockell — The Equations of Life: How Physics Shapes Evolution
25 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We are all familiar with the popular idea of strange alien life wildly different from life on earth inhabiting other planets. Maybe it's made of silic...
26. Dr. Stephen T. Asma — Why We Need Religion
22 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this dialogue Dr. Michael Shermer talks with philosopher Stephen T. Asma, a Professor of Philosophy and Founding Fellow of the Research Group in Mi...
25. Richard Rhodes — Energy: A Human History
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of the best dialogues Dr. Shermer has ever had in his quarter century of talking to the leading scientists and scholars of our time. Liste...
24. Dr. Alan Stern and Dr. David Grinspoon — Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto
22 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in on this remarkable conversation with mission leader Dr. Alan Stern and co-author of the spell-binding new book Chasing New Horizons, Dr. Dav...
23. Dr. Kenneth R. Miller — The Human Instinct: How We Evolved to Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will
19 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Miller is well known for his work in debunking Intelligent Design Creationism, most notably for his testimony in the Dover Pennsylvania trial that...
22. Dr. Gregory Berns — What It's Like to Be a Dog…and Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this wide-ranging dialogue (recorded on September 1, 2017) on the nature of consciousness Dr. Michael Shermer talks with Dr. Gregory Berns, Disting...
21. Dr. Leonard Mlodinow — Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change
09 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Out of the exploratory instincts that allowed our ancestors to prosper hundreds of thousands of years ago, humans developed a cognitive style that Mlo...
20. Dr. Michael Shermer — Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia
25 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In his most ambitious work yet—a scientific exploration into humanity's obsession with the afterlife and quest for immortality—bestselling author ...
19. Bill Nye the Science Guy Saves the World on Netflix
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Shermer interviews Bill Nye the Science Guy about his new Netflix series "Bill Nye Saves the World," which aired Friday, April 21, 2017. The c...
18. Dr. Bart Ehrman — How a Forbidden Religion (Christianity) Swept the World
19 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this remote Science Salon (recorded on February 19, 2018), Dr. Shermer converses with the great bible scholar and historian Dr. Bart D. Ehrman, the...
17. Dr. Kip Thorne — Gravitational Waves, Black Holes, Time Travel, and Hollywood
18 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for what promises to be one of the deepest and most profound conversations we've had in our Science Salon series as Dr. Thorne reflects on his...
16. Dr. Robert Trivers — Evolutionary Theory & Human Nature
16 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Robert Trivers and Dr. Michael Shermer have a lively conversation on everything from evolutionary theory and human nature to how to win a knife fi...
15. Donald Prothero & Timothy Callahan — UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens: What Science Says
15 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
UFOs. Aliens. Strange crop circles. Giant figures scratched in the desert surface along the coast of Peru. The amazing alignment of the pyramids. Stra...
14. Dr. Nancy Segal — Twin Mythconceptions: False Beliefs, Fables, and Facts about Twins
17 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Nancy Segal, the world's leading expert on twins, has a new book that sheds light on over 70 commonly held ideas and beliefs about the origins and...
13. Dr. Walter Scheidel — The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the 21st Century
11 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the ans...
12. Derren Brown — Magic, Happiness, and Skepticism
15 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this remote Science Salon, Michael Shermer talks with Derren Brown, a British magician and writer. His TV show Derren Brown: Mind Control received ...
11. Dr. Andrew Shtulman — Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong
23 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we catch colds? What causes seasons to change? And if you fire a bullet from a gun and drop one from your hand, which bullet hits the ground fi...
10. Dr. Carol Tavris — Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
19 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it so hard to say "I made a mistake"—and really believe it? Social psychologist Dr. Carol Tavris, one of the most influential thinkers and wr...
9. Gary Taubes — The Case Against Sugar
22 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Among Americans, diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcohol...
8. Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan — Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal The Cosmos
13 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan is a cosmologist and theoretical astrophysicist from Yale University, specializing in dark matter, dark energy, and black hol...
7. Dr. Benjamin Bergen — What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves
16 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Benjamin Bergen is a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, and in his new book he explains why profanity is s...
6. Dr. Stephon Alexander — The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe
22 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe, physicist and jazz saxophonist Dr. Stephon Alexander revisits...
5. Dr. Janna Levin — Gravitational Waves, Black Holes and the Nature of the Cosmos
10 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, February 11, 2016, the National Science Foundation made a thrilling announcement: gravitational waves—first predicted by Einstein as pa...
4. Dr. Sean B. Carroll — The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters
20 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies prod...
3. Dr. Arthur Benjamin — The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring Out Why
24 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Magic of Math is the math book you wish you had in school. Using a delightful assortment of examples—from ice cream scoops and poker hands to me...
2. Michelle Feynman — The Quotable Feynman & His Van
20 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918–88) was a towering scientific genius who could make himself understood by anyone and who beca...