Explore the Latest Full Audiobooks in Non-Fiction, Biology & Chemistry

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/625252 to listen full audiobooks. Title: It's a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World Author: Mark Miodownik Narrator: Daniel Weyman Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 6 hours 50 minutes Release date: September 17, 2024 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: The New York Times bestselling author of Stuff Matters presents a rollicking guided tour of the secret lives of gases: the magnificent, strange, and fascinating substances that shape our world. Gases are all around us—they fill our lungs, power our movement, create stars, and warm our atmosphere. Often invisible and sometimes odorless, these ubiquitous substances are also the least understood materials in our world, and always have been. It wasn’t long ago that gases were seen as the work of ancient spirits: the sudden closing of a door after a change in airflow signaled a ghost’s presence. Scientists and engineers have struggled with their own gaseous demons. The development of high-pressure steam power in the eighteenth century literally blew away some researchers, ushering in a new era for both safety regulations and mass transit. And carbon dioxide, that noxious by-product of fossil fuel consumption, gave rise to modern civilization. Its warming properties known for centuries, it now spells ruin for our fragile atmosphere. In It’s a Gas, bestselling materials scientist Mark Miodownik chronicles twelve gases and technologies that shaped human history. From hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and neon to laughing gas, steam, and even wind, the story of gases is the story of the space where science and belief collide, and of the elusive limits of human understanding.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/621893 to listen full audiobooks. Title: A Brief History of Intelligence: Why the Evolution of the Brain Holds the Key to the Future of AI Author: Max Bennett Narrator: George Newbern Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 12 hours 17 minutes Release date: October 24, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Bridges the gap between AI and neuroscience by telling the story of how the brain came to be. 'I found this book amazing' Daniel Kahneman, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and bestselling author of Thinking Fast & Slow The entirety of the human brain’s 4-billion-year story can be summarised as the culmination of five evolutionary breakthroughs, starting from the very first brains, all the way to the modern human brains. Each breakthrough emerged from new sets of brain modifications, and equipped animals with a new suite of intellectual faculties. These five breakthroughs are the organising map to this book, and they make up our itinerary for our adventure back in time. Each breakthrough also has fascinating corollaries to breakthroughs in AI. Indeed, there will be plenty of such surprises along the way. For instance: the innovation that enabled AI to beat humans in the game of Go – temporal difference reinforcement learning – was an innovation discovered by our fish ancestors over 500 million years ago. The solutions to many of the current mysteries in AI – such as ‘common sense’ – can be found in the tiny brain of a mouse. Where do emotions come from? Research suggests that they may have arisen simply as a solution to navigation in ancient worm brains. Unravelling this evolutionary story will reveal the hidden features of human intelligence and with them, just how your mind came to be.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/618160 to listen full audiobooks. Title: A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains Author: Max Bennett Narrator: George Newbern Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 12 hours 17 minutes Release date: October 24, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Equal parts Sapiens, Behave, and Superintelligence, but wholly original in scope, A Brief History of Intelligence offers a paradigm shift for how we understand neuroscience and AI. Artificial intelligence entrepreneur Max Bennett chronicles the five “breakthroughs” in the evolution of human intelligence and reveals what brains of the past can tell us about the AI of tomorrow.  In the last decade, capabilities of artificial intelligence that had long been the realm of science fiction have, for the first time, become our reality. AI is now able to produce original art, identify tumors in pictures, and even steer our cars. And yet, large gaps remain in what modern AI systems can achieve—indeed, human brains still easily perform intellectual feats that we can’t replicate in AI systems. How is it possible that AI can beat a grandmaster at chess but can’t effectively load a dishwasher? As AI entrepreneur Max Bennett compellingly argues, finding the answer requires diving into the billion-year history of how the human brain evolved; a history filled with countless half-starts, calamities, and clever innovations. Not only do our brains have a story to tell—the future of AI may depend on it. Now, in A Brief History of Intelligence, Bennett bridges the gap between neuroscience and AI to tell the brain’s evolutionary story, revealing how understanding that story can help shape the next generation of AI breakthroughs. Deploying a fresh perspective and working with the support of many top minds in neuroscience, Bennett consolidates this immense history into an approachable new framework, identifying the “Five Breakthroughs” that mark the brain’s most important evolutionary leaps forward. Each breakthrough brings new insight into the biggest mysteries of human intelligence. Containing fascinating corollaries to developments in AI, A Brief History of Intelligence shows where current AI systems have matched or surpassed our brains, as well as where AI systems still fall short. Simply put, until AI systems successfully replicate each part of our brain’s long journey, AI systems will fail to exhibit human-like intelligence. Endorsed and lauded by many of the top neuroscientists in the field today, Bennett’s work synthesizes the most relevant scientific knowledge and cutting-edge research into an easy-to-understand and riveting evolutionary story. With sweeping scope and stunning insights, A Brief History of Intelligence proves that understanding the arc of our brain’s history can unlock the tools for successfully navigating our technological future.  Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/641319 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversation Shapes Our Worlds Author: Shane O'mara Narrator: Shane O'mara Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 38 minutes Release date: August 3, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. Language and talking is part of what makes us human. It forms the basis of all our lives. Every day we speak to ourselves and to each other, about ourselves and about others. Whether ruminating on a past event alone or gossiping with a group of friends, we move through life in a state of near-constant chatter - even during those moments we profess to wanting nothing more than some peace and quiet. So, why do we do it, and what purpose does talking serve? In this paean to conversation, neuroscientist Shane O'Mara encourages us to marvel at our brains distinct mechanisms for communicating. In the process, he reveals how our unique ability to remember and, critically, our instinct to share memories fashions the world as we know it: a complex social world born out of thoughts and feelings, modified by the stories we tell about ourselves and others, divided by constructed borders and shared cultures, and propelled forward by our longing for a better, alternative tomorrow. Talking Heads is a deep dive into the science of how we talk, why we speak to each other, and what happens when we do. From neurons to nations, this is the story of how conversation shapes us and builds the world around us. ©2023 Shane O'Mara (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/644811 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Science of Spin: How Rotational Forces Affect Everything from Your Body to Jet Engines to the Weather Author: Roland Ennos Narrator: Matt Godfrey Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 26 minutes Release date: July 18, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: What exactly made the earth round? How do boomerangs turn around mid-air? And why do cats always land on their feet? “A basic scientific concept receives long overdue attention” (Kirkus Reviews) in this “fascinating” (Wall Street Journal) new book from the masterful author of The Age of Wood. From the solar system to spinning tops, hurricanes to hula hoops, power plants to pendulums, one mysterious force shapes almost every aspect of our lives: spin. Despite its ubiquity, rotational force continues to baffle and surprise, and few people realize how it makes our planet habitable or how it has been tamed by engineers to make our lives more comfortable. Charting the development of engineering and technology from the earliest prehistoric drills to the gas turbine, critically acclaimed author and scientist Roland Ennos presents a riveting account of human ingenuity and the seemingly infinite ways spin affects our daily lives. He also shows how this new approach not only helps us better understand the world but also ourselves. After all, even our own bodies are complex systems of rotating joints and levers. Artfully moving between astrophysics and anthropology, The Science of Spin shows how, whether natural or engineered, spin is really what makes the world go round.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/555121 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome Author: James Kinross Narrator: James Kinross Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 11 hours 17 minutes Release date: June 15, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. An urgent investigation into the brave new world of the microbiome and how it shapes our lives and health. The microbiome is the missing link in modern medicine: a vast genetic universe of bacteria, yeasts, viruses and parasites that live inside us, influencing every aspect of our health, even the way we think and feel. In this mindblowing book, scientist and surgeon James Kinross explains how the organisms that live within us have helped us evolve, shaped our biology and defined the success of our species. But just as we have discovered this delicate and complex ecosystem within us, it is being irrevocably destroyed through the globalisation of our diets and lifestyles, our addiction to antibiotics, and the destruction of our environment. With dazzling science and fascinating stories spanning from the dawn of humankind to the current race to develop personalised healthcare, and practical advice on how to nurture your microbiome through your diet and lifestyle, this pioneering book will change the way you think about human health forever. ©2023 James Kinross (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/602055 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Being Human: How our biology shaped world history Author: Lewis Dartnell Narrator: John Sackville Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 51 minutes Release date: June 1, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. We are a wonder of evolution. Powerful yet dextrous, instinctive yet thoughtful, we are expert communicators and innovators. Our exceptional abilities have created the civilisation we know today. But we're also deeply flawed. Our bodies break, choke and fail, whether we're kings or peasants. Diseases thwart our boldest plans. Our psychological biases have been at the root of terrible decisions in both war and peacetime. This extraordinary contradiction is the essence of what it means to be human - the sum total of our frailties and our faculties. And history has played out in the balance between them. Now, for the first time, Lewis Dartnell tells our story through the lens of this unique, capricious and fragile nature. He explores how our biology has shaped our relationships, our societies, our economies and our wars, and how it continues to challenge and define our progress. Being Human is history made flesh. It will change the way you see the world. ©2023 Lewis Dartnell (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/639067 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World Author: Theresa Macphail Narrator: Jaime Lamchick Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 11 hours 13 minutes Release date: May 30, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: An “important and deeply researched” (The Wall Street Journal) exploration of allergies, from their first medical description in 1819 to the cutting-edge science that is illuminating the changes in our environment and lifestyles that are making so many of us sick Hay fever. Peanut allergies. Eczema. Either you have an allergy or you know someone who does. Billions of people worldwide—an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the global population—have some form of allergy. Even more concerning, over the last decade the number of people diagnosed with an allergy has been steadily increasing, placing an ever-growing medical burden on individuals, families, communities, and healthcare systems. Medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail, herself an allergy sufferer whose father died of a beesting, set out to understand why. In pursuit of answers, MacPhail studied the dangerous experiments of early immunologists as well as the mind-bending recent development of biologics and immunotherapies that are giving the most severely impacted patients hope. She scaled a roof with an air-quality controller who diligently counts pollen by hand for hours every day; met a mother who struggled to use WIC benefits for her daughter with severe food allergies; spoke with doctors at some of the finest allergy clinics in the world; and discussed the intersecting problems of climate change, pollution, and pollen with biologists who study seasonal respiratory allergies. This is the story of allergies: what they are, why we have them, and what that might mean about the fate of humanity in a rapidly changing world.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/616762 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Our Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good Author: David R. Samson Narrator: Fajer Al-Kaisi Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 14 hours 52 minutes Release date: May 30, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: An astounding and inspiring look at the science behind tribalism, and how we can learn to harness it to improve the world around us. What do you think of when you hear the word “tribalism?” For many, it conjures images of bigotry, xenophobia, and sectarian violence. Others may envision their own tribe: family, friends, and the bonds of loyalty that keep them together. Tribalism is one of the most complex and ancient evolutionary forces; it gave us the capacity for cooperation and competition, and allowed us to navigate increasingly complex social landscapes. It is so powerful that it can predict our behavior even better than race, class, gender, or religion. But in our vast modern world, has this blessing become a curse? Our Tribal Future explores a central paradox of our species: how altruism, community, kindness, and genocide are all driven by the same core adaptation. Evolutionary anthropologist David R. Samson engages with cutting-edge science and philosophy, as well as his own field research with small-scale societies and wild chimpanzees, to explain the science, ethics, and history of tribalism in compelling and accessible terms. This bold and brilliant book reveals provocative truths about our nature. Readers will discover that tribalism cannot, and should not, be eliminated entirely—to do so would be to destroy what makes us human. But is it possible to channel the best of this instinct to enrich our lives while containing the worst of its dangers?

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/620388 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes Author: Christine Yu Narrator: Cindy Kay Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 10 hours 20 minutes Release date: May 16, 2023 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.5 of Total 2 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: “Up to Speed is a roadmap and toolbox for athletes of all ages. Every coach should read it and discuss it with their athletes. I wish I had been able to read this book while I was competing.” —Kara Goucher, Olympic long-distance runner and author of The Longest Race How the latest science can help women achieve their athletic potential Over the last fifty years, women have made extraordinary advances in athletics. More women than ever are playing sports and staying active longer. Whether they’re elite athletes looking for an edge or enthusiastic amateurs, women deserve a culture of sports that helps them thrive: training programs and equipment designed to work with their bodies, as well as guidelines for nutrition and injury prevention that are based in science and tailored to their lived experience. Yet too often the guidance women receive is based on research that fails to consider their experiences or their bodies. So much of what we take as gospel about exercise and sports science is based solely on studies of men. The good news is, this is finally changing. Researchers are creating more inclusive studies to close the gender data gap. They’re examining the ways women can boost athletic performance, reduce injury, and stay healthy.  Sports and health journalist Christine Yu disentangles myth and gender bias from real science, making the case for new approaches that can help women athletes excel at every stage of life, from adolescence to adulthood, through pregnancy, menopause, and beyond. She explains the latest research and celebrates the researchers, athletes, and advocates pushing back against the status quo and proposing better solutions to improve the active and athletic lives of women and girls.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/620403 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa Author: Jonathan B. Losos Narrator: Jonathan B. Losos Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 11 hours 21 minutes Release date: May 2, 2023 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: The past, present, and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover. 'Engaging and wide-ranging ... The Cat's Meow is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy.' —The Washington Post The domestic cat—your cat—has, from its evolutionary origins in Africa, been transformed in comparatively little time into one of the most successful and diverse species on the planet. Jonathan Losos, writing as both a scientist and a cat lover, explores how researchers today are unraveling the secrets of the cat, past and present, using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you’d be amazed where those backyard cats roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat . . . really?) to forensic archaeology. In addition to solving the mysteries of your cat's past, it gives us a cat's-eye view of today's habitats, including meeting wild cousins around the world whose habits your sweet house cat sometimes eerily parallels. Do lions and tigers meow? If not, why not? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet (or on my pillow)? Is a pet ocelot a bad idea? When and why did the cat make its real leap off the African plain? What’s with all those cats in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In a genial voice, casually deciphering complex science and history with many examples from his own research and multi-cat household, Losos explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the last several millennia has shaped the contemporary cat, with new breeds vastly different in anatomy and behavior from their ancestral stock. Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new lands around the world. Humans are transforming cats, and they in turn are transforming the world around them. This charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for both Felis catus and Homo sapiens.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/616326 to listen full audiobooks. Title: In Search of Perfumes: A Lifetime Journey to the Source of Nature’s Scents Author: Dominique Roques Narrator: Jean Brassard Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 5 minutes Release date: May 2, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: In this intoxicating concoction of history, travelogue, and memoir, one of the perfume industry’s leading scouts of natural ingredients tells the story of the precious ingredients needed to make our favorite fragrances. Do you know how many flowers it takes to produce a kilo of rose oil? One million roses, each handpicked. When it comes to nature, Dominique Roques is a unique authority. He has spent the last thirty years working closely with local communities across the globe to establish a sustainable supply of natural ingredients crucial to perfume making. From resin cultivated by traditional methods in El Salvador to rose oil distilleries in India as old as the Taj Mahal, his network reveals an elusive trade built on the fault lines of tradition and modernity. With In Search of Perfumes, Roques tells the story of seventeen of the industry’s most precious ingredients–where they come from, their cultural and historic significance, and why we love them—from Indonesian patchouli to the ''Damask rose,” interweaving his own recollections and reflections on his life and work. From Andalusia to Somaliland, Roques takes us on an exclusive tour of a vast but delicate ecosystem wholly sustained by the artisans who are its caretakers. Isolated and rural, the tropical jungles of northern Laos remain to this day the only source of benzoin that centuries earlier wafted through the air of Louis XIV’s court. In Madagascar, where every transaction is made in cash, a caravan of porters carry pallets bearing $500,000 dollars to exchange for vanilla beans. The Venezuelan tonka bean, as fickle as the weather, may refuse to flower for years but is so esteemed by perfumers that patience becomes its truest virtue. Everywhere Roques takes us, his infectious curiosity and amiability illuminate an immersive world of the uncharted. Entertaining and eye-opening, decorated with beautiful black-and-white illustrations , In Search of Perfumes is an irresistible exploration of the smells that fuel our nostalgia and suffuse our fantasies. Translated from the French by Stephanie Smee Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/615069 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality Author: Andy Clark Narrator: Andy Clark Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 36 minutes Release date: May 2, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. For as long as we've studied the mind, we've believed that information flowing from our senses determines what our mind perceives. But as our understanding of neuroscience and psychology has advanced in the last few decades, a provocative and hugely powerful new view has flipped this assumption on its head. The brain is not a passive receiver, but an ever-active predictor. At the forefront of this cognitive revolution is widely acclaimed philosopher and cognitive scientist Andy Clark, who has synthesized his ground-breaking work on the predictive brain to explore its fascinating mechanics and implications. Among the most stunning of these is the realization that experience itself, because it is guided by prior expectation, is a kind of controlled hallucination. This even applies to our bodies, as the way we experience pain and medical symptoms is shaped by our expectations. From the most mundane experiences to the most sublime, it is our predictions that sculpt our experience. A landmark study of cognitive science, The Experience Machine lays out the extraordinary explanatory power of the predictive brain for our lives, mental health and society. ©2022 Andy Clark (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/604355 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality Author: Andy Clark Narrator: Andy Clark Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 36 minutes Release date: May 2, 2023 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.67 of Total 3 Ratings of Narrator: 4 of Total 1 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: A brilliant new theory of the mind that upends our understanding of how the brain interacts with the world For as long as we’ve studied human cognition, we’ve believed that our senses give us direct access to the world. What we see is what’s really there—or so the thinking goes. But new discoveries in neuroscience and psychology have turned this assumption on its head. What if rather than perceiving reality passively, your mind actively predicts it? “This thoroughly readable book will convince you that the brain and the world are partners in constructing our understanding.” —Sean Carroll, New York Times bestselling author of The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion Widely acclaimed philosopher and cognitive scientist Andy Clark unpacks this provocative new theory that the brain is a powerful, dynamic prediction engine, mediating our experience of both body and world. From the most mundane experiences to the most sublime, reality as we know it is the complex synthesis of sensory information and expectation. Exploring its fascinating mechanics and remarkable implications for our lives, mental health, and society, Clark nimbly illustrates how the predictive brain sculpts all human experience. Chronic pain and mental illness are shown to involve subtle malfunctions of our unconscious predictions, pointing the way towards more effective, targeted treatments. Under renewed scrutiny, the very boundary between ourselves and the outside world dissolves, showing that we are as entangled with our environments as we are with our onboard memories, thoughts, and feelings. And perception itself is revealed to be something of a controlled hallucination. Unveiling the extraordinary explanatory power of the predictive brain, The Experience Machine is a mesmerizing window onto one of the most significant developments in our understanding of the mind. * This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of supporting figures with evidence and claims to follow along with.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/614968 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins and the fight for women in science Author: Kate Zernike Narrator: Kathe Mazur Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 14 hours 30 minutes Release date: April 27, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: ‘Outstanding’ Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry The remarkable untold story of how a group of sixteen determined women used the power of the collective and the tools of science to inspire ongoing radical change. This is a triumphant account of progress, whilst reminding us that further action is needed. These women scientists entered the work force in the 1960s during a push for affirmative action. Embarking on their careers they thought that discrimination against women was a thing of the past and that science was a pure meritocracy. Women were marginalized and minimized, especially as they grew older, their contributions stolen and erased. Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who broke the story in 1999 for The Boston Globe, when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made the astonishing admission that it discriminated against women on its faculty, The Exceptions is an intimate narrative which centres on Nancy Hopkins – a surprisingly reluctant feminist who became a hero to two generations of women in science. In uncovering an erased history, we are finally introduced to the hidden scientists who paved the way for collective change.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/646622 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Planting Our World Author: Stefano Mancuso Narrator: David Stifel Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 33 minutes Release date: April 18, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: It all begins and ends with plants. From the chance to live on this planet to the pleasure of listening to the sound of a violin—every story begins with a plant. We animals account for a paltry 0.3% of the planet's biomass while plants add up to 85%. It is obvious that every story on this planet has a plant as its protagonist. Our world is a green world; Earth is the planet of plants. And when, with just a little training, we are able to look at the world without seeing it solely as humanity's playground, we cannot help but notice the ubiquity of plants. They are everywhere and their stories are inevitably wound up with ours. Not to see this plan, or even worse, to ignore its existence, is one of the most serious threats to the survival of our species. Neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso is back with a book to tell us about the greenprint of our world. He does it through unforgettable stories starring plants; stories combining an inimitable narrative style and remarkable scientific rigor. From the story of the red spruce that gave Stradivarius the wood for his fourteen violins, to the Kauri tree stump, kept alive for decades by the interconnected root system of nearby trees. From the story of the slipperiness of the banana skin to the plant that solved the 'crime of the century,' the Lindbergh kidnapping, by way of wooden ladder rungs.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/591678 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Pathogenesis: How germs made history Author: Jonathan Kennedy Narrator: Jonathan Kennedy Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 27 minutes Release date: April 13, 2023 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. Humans did not make history - we played host. This humbling and revelatory book shows how infectious disease has shaped humanity at every stage, from the first success of Homo sapiens over the equally intelligent Neanderthals to the fall of Rome and the rise of Islam. How did an Indonesian volcano help cause the Black Death, setting Europe on the road to capitalism? How could 168 men extract the largest ransom in history from an opposing army of eighty thousand? And why did the Industrial Revolution lead to the birth of the modern welfare state? The latest science reveals that infectious diseases are not just something that happens to us, but a fundamental part of who we are. Indeed, the only reason humans don't lay eggs is that a virus long ago inserted itself into our DNA, and there are as many bacteria in your body as there are human cells. We have been thinking about the survival of the fittest all wrong: evolution is not simply about human strength and intelligence, but about how we live and thrive in a world dominated by germs. By exploring the startling intimacy of our relationship with infectious diseases, Dr Jonathan Kennedy shows how they have been responsible for some of the seismic revolutions of the past 50,000 years. A major reassessment of world history, Pathogenesis also reveals how the crisis of a pandemic can offer vital opportunities for change. ©2023 Jonathan Kennedy (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/578804 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Frontier Below: The Past, Present and Future of Our Quest to Go Deeper Underwater Author: Jeff Maynard Narrator: Adam Fitzgerald Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 10 hours 10 minutes Release date: April 13, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Triumphs and disasters in the deep sea This is a journey through time and water, to the bottom of the ocean and the future of our planet. We do not see the ocean when we look at the water that blankets more than two thirds of our planet. We only see the entrance to it. Beyond that entrance is a world hostile to humans, yet critical to our survival. The first divers to enter that world held their breath and splashed beneath the surface, often clutching rocks to pull them down. Over centuries, they invented wooden diving bells, clumsy diving suits, and unwieldy contraptions in attempts to go deeper and stay longer. But each advance was fraught with danger, as the intruders had to survive the crushing weight of water, or the deadly physiological effects of breathing compressed air. The vertical odyssey continued when explorers squeezed into heavy steel balls dangling on cables, or slung beneath floats filled with flammable gasoline. Plunging into the narrow trenches between the tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust, they eventually reached the bottom of the ocean in the same decade that men first walked on the moon. Today, as nations scramble to exploit the resources of the ocean floor, The Frontier Below recalls a story of human endeavour that took 2,000 years to travel seven miles, then investigates how we will explore the ocean in the future. Meticulously researched and drawing extensively on unpublished sources and personal interviews, The Frontier Below is the untold story of the pioneers who had the right stuff, but were forgotten because they went in the wrong direction.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/612320 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential Author: Rina Bliss Narrator: Samantha Tan Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 35 minutes Release date: April 11, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: A genetics expert and professor challenges our understanding of intelligence, explaining what it truly means to be “smart,” why conventional assessments are misleading, and what everyone can do to optimize their potential. Growing up in middle-class suburban Los Angeles in the 1980s, Rina Bliss saw intelligence as her ticket out. Like height and stature, intelligence was said to run in families. The prevailing idea was that mental capacity was determined by our DNA and could be measured; a simple IQ test could predict a child’s future. Yet, once Dr. Bliss looked closer, first as a student, then as a scientist, and later as a mom of identical twins who share a genome, she began to challenge conventional wisdom about innate intelligence. In Rethinking Intelligence, she shares her findings, drawing on cutting-edge scientific research to offer a new model for how we understand, define, and assess intelligence, using a measurement that is far more flexible and expansive. Intelligence has little to do with standardized test results or other conventional measures of intellect, Dr. Bliss argues. Intelligence is a process, a journey defined by change that cannot be scored or taken away. Intelligence is influenced by our surroundings in ways that are often overlooked—more than Baby Mozart or flash cards or superfoods, factors like stress, connection, and play actually sculpt young minds. In Rethinking Intelligence, Dr. Bliss shares insights from the burgeoning science of epigenetics to help us harness our environments to empower our minds. If we truly want to nurture potential, we must eliminate toxic stress so that our genes can work optimally, in harmony with our environment. Dr. Bliss offers successful strategies we can use as individuals and a society, including embracing a growth mindset, prioritizing connection, becoming more mindful, and reforming systemic issues—poverty, racism, the lack of quality early childhood education—that have a negative and lasting neurobiological impact. Joining acclaimed works by Carol Dweck, Amy Cuddy, and James Clear, Rethinking Intelligence reframes human behavior and intellect, offering a new perspective for understanding ourselves and our children, and the practical tools necessary to thrive.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/629590 to listen full audiobooks. Title: A Gardener's Guide to Botany: The biology behind the plants you love, how they grow, and what they need Author: Scott Zona Narrator: Lee Osorio Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 6 hours 50 minutes Release date: March 28, 2023 Genres: Biology & Chemistry Publisher's Summary: Ever wonder if plants sleep or why their leaves are shaped a certain way? The inner workings of the plants you love are revealed and celebrated in this guide by botany expert Dr. Scott Zona. A Gardener’s Guide to Botany is not just another book on how to grow plants. Instead, it’s a botanical journey into what makes plants tick, delivered in layman’s terms that are easily understood and appreciated by both advanced gardeners and first-timers. It’s the chlorophyll-infused science behind the plants you know and love, whether you grow them indoors or out. You’ll learn how different plant parts function (do you know what stomata are and why every leaf has hundreds of them?), the traits that separate plants from animals, and how through eons of evolution the plants we grow in our gardens and homes have developed a million different fascinating adaptations that allow them to survive and thrive. From their leaf shape and growth habit to how they have sex and metabolize the nutrients they absorb, A Gardener’s Guide to Botany covers it all in an accessible and thought-provoking way. Divided into chapters based on what plants need to survive, some of the topics you’ll discover include: - How plants convert water, air, and sunshine into roots, stems, leaves, and flowers through photosynthesis - How plants react to their environment and  “know” when it’s right for supporting growth and reproduction - How light can inhibit or facilitate chemical reactions in a plant  - How plants access and use water and different nutrients, including through lifelong partnerships with other living organisms  - How plants reproduce in some pretty ingenious ways, both with and without sex - How plant genes are dispersed via seeds spread by wind, water, animals, or by the mechanics of the plant or the seed itself Up your #plantnerd status by going on a knowledge expedition to learn about all things botanical, including the enlightening science of plant communication, hormones, insect relationships, and even plant sleep. Plus, learn the many varied ways plants protect themselves, from growing spines and producing toxic leaf compounds to emitting volatile chemicals that serve as messages to insect predators or warning signals to neighboring plants. Through fascinating and relatable text, get to know your plant family like you never have before! Whether you grow houseplants on a windowsill, vegetables in raised beds, or shrubs and perennials along your front walk, A Gardener’s Guide to Botany takes you on a beautiful adventure into the amazing kingdom of plants.