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Sep 2021
1h 3m

Ruth Aylett and Patricia A. Vargas, "Liv...

NEW BOOKS NETWORK
About this episode
There's a lot of hype about robots; some of it is scary and some of it utopian. In this accessible book, two robotics experts reveal the truth about what robots can and can't do, how they work, and what we can reasonably expect their future capabilities to be. It will not only make you think differently about the capabilities of robots; it will make you thin ... Show More
Up next
Apr 16
Ibrahim J. Gedeon and Kyle Murray, "Automata: The Power of AI Integrated with Advanced Robotics" (U Toronto Press, 2026)
Automata examines how AI and advanced robotics are rapidly surpassing human abilities in fields once thought uniquely ours – from playing chess to discovering new antibiotics to fraud detection. The question is no longer if machines will replace workers, but how we can stay relev ... Show More
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Apr 15
Keith Cooper, "Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact" (Reaktion, 2025)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to watch a double sunset on Tatooine, stand among the sand dunes of Arrakis or gaze at the gas-giant planet Polyphemus from the moon Pandora? In Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact (Reaktion, 2025), Keith Cooper explores ... Show More
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Apr 14
Nabil Ali, "Gold from Newton's Apple Tree: Historical Recipes for Natural Inks, Paints, and Dyes" (Princeton UP, 2026)
Flowering currant, ivy, Portuguese laurel, and woad might all have grown in a medieval garden, but it would have taken special expertise to extract and create rich blue and purple pigments from them. Humans have been extracting dyes and inks from natural materials for millennia, ... Show More
43m 35s
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