Aug 21
Jessica Riskin, "The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck" (Penguin, 2026)
In the early nineteenth century, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the first evolutionary theory of life and, with it, a new science: biology. Yet for centuries, evolutionary theorists have endeavored to discredit Lamarck and his theory of self-transforming org ... Show More
1h 10m
Aug 13
The New Modern Medicine: Disease, Evidence, and Epidemiological Medicine with Jonathan Fuller
Jonathan Fuller’s The New Modern Medicine: Disease, Evidence, and Epidemiological Medicine (Oxford UP, 2025) takes the reader on a philosophical tour through scientific medicine, visiting its distinctive problems, particularly problems brought about by the twentieth century fusio ... Show More
45m 14s
Aug 7
Giulio Boccaletti, "The Environmental Republic: Why Citizens Will Save the World" (Princeton UP, 2026)
Republicanism is arguably the most powerful political idea in history, an extraordinary feat of human imagination that balances individual liberty with collective responsibility. The Environmental Republic: Why Citizens Will Save the World (Princeton University Press, 2026) re ... Show More
1h 26m
Aug 2021
Summer of Science Reading, Episode 2: Life beneath Our Feet
In Science Book Talk, a new four-part podcast miniseries, host Deboki Chakravarti acts as literary guide to two science books that share a beautiful and sometimes deeply resonant entanglement. In this week’s show: Entangled Life, by Merlin Sheldrake, and Gathering Moss, by Robin ... Show More
22m 3s
Mar 2021
164. Neil deGrasse Tyson — Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going
<p>In this thought-provoking conversation on life, the universe, and everything, Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles the world's most important philosophical questions about the universe with wit, wisdom, and cutting-edge science. For science geeks, space and physics nerds, and all who w ... Show More
1h 47m
Sep 2021
Summer of Science Reading, Episode 4: Navigating Loss and Hope with Nature
In Science Book Talk, a new four-part podcast miniseries, host Deboki Chakravarti acts as literary guide to two science books that share a beautiful and sometimes deeply resonant entanglement. In this week’s show: World of Wonders, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Vesper Flights, by ... Show More
22m 27s
Oct 2025
How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy in a scientific society have much of a future? Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Angie Rasmussen and Deb Houry discuss some of the sources and motivations that perhaps belie the current state of scientific affairs. Pr ... Show More
31m 30s
Apr 2022
261. Jim Al-Khalili on the Joy of Science
<p>In this conversation with quantum physicist, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author, and BBC host Jim Al-Khalili reveals how 8 lessons from the heart of science can help us all get the most out of our lives.</p> <p>Today's world is unpredictable and full of contradictions, ... Show More
1h 42m
The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and other ... Show More
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about his new book,</span> <a href= "https://amzn.to/3EiUO4F"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Starry Messenger</span></em></a><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></em> <span style="font-wei ... Show More
