Biology & Chemistry Audiobooks | Science & Technology

When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection

In When the Body Says No, physician and writer Gabor Maté explores the mind-body link and the connection between stress and disease. Can a person literally die of loneliness? Is there a relationship between the ability to express emotions and Alzheimer's disease? Is there such a thing as a "cancer personality?" Dr. Maté has a gift for making complicated medical findings accessible for the lay-person while still relevant to the professional, and both will be grateful for the final chapter, "The Seven A's of Healing," in which Maté presents an open formula for healing and the prevention of illness resulting from hidden stress.

Gabor Maté (Author), Daniel Brooklyn Maté (Narrator)

Audiobook

Elemental Matters: An Introduction to Chemistry

In Elemental Matters, Professor Deborah Sauder leads a comprehensive overview of chemistry, a subject that influences every aspect of daily life. Kicking off the lecture series with a revealing look at one of the planet's most vital chemicals-water-Sauder then delves into the basics of molecular structure and chemical reactions. The course concludes with an eye-opening glimpse of 21st-century applications such as nanotechnology and energy alternatives.

Deborah G. Sauder, Professor Deborah G. Sauder (Author), Deborah G. Sauder, Professor Deborah G. Sauder (Narrator)

Audiobook

How the Mind Works

In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world's leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational-and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness? How the Mind Works synthesizes the most satisfying explanations of our mental life from cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and other fields to explain what the mind is, how it evolved, and how it allows us to see, think, feel, laugh, interact, enjoy the arts, and contemplate the mysteries of life. This new edition of Pinker's bold and buoyant classic is updated with a new foreword by the author. "Undeniably brilliant." -Newsday "Big, brash, and a lot of fun." -Time "Hugely entertaining . . . always sparkling and provoking." -Wall Street Journal "Witty popular science that you enjoy reading for the writing as well as for the science." -New York Times Book Review

Steven Pinker (Author), Mel Foster (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force

A groundbreaking work of science that confirms, for the first time, the independent existence of the mind-and demonstrates the possibilities for human control over the workings of the brain. Conventional science has long held the position that 'the mind' is merely an illusion, a side effect of electrochemical activity in the physical brain. Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.Dr Schwartz, a leading researcher in brain dysfunctions, and Wall Street Journal science columnist Sharon Begley demonstrate that the human mind is an independent entity that can shape and control the functioning of the physical brain. Their work has its basis in our emerging understanding of adult neuroplasticity-the brain's ability to be rewired not just in childhood, but throughout life, a trait only recently established by neuroscientists. Through decades of work treating patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Schwartz made an extraordinary finding: while following the therapy he developed, his patients were effecting significant and lasting changes in their own neural pathways. It was a scientific first: by actively focusing their attention away from negative behaviors and toward more positive ones, Schwartz's patients were using their minds to reshape their brains-and discovering a thrilling new dimension to the concept of neuroplasticity. The Mind and the Brain follows Schwartz as he investigates this newly discovered power, which he calls self-directed neuroplasticity or, more simply, mental force. It describes his work with noted physicist Henry Stapp and connects the concept of 'mental force' with the ancient practice of mindfulness in Buddhist tradition. And it points to potential new applications that could transform the treatment of almost every variety of neurological dysfunction, from dyslexia to stroke-and could lead to new strategies to help us harness our mental powers. Yet as wondrous as these implications are, perhaps even more important is the philosophical dimension of Schwartz's work. For the existence of mental force offers convincing scientific evidence of human free will, and thus of man's inherent capacity for moral choice. *** Due to Extended Track Length, it may not be possible to transfer this title to regular audio cd.

Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Sharon Begley (Author), Arthur Morey (Narrator)

Audiobook

In Other Worlds

At a time when speculative fiction seems less and less far-fetched, Margaret Atwood lends her distinctive voice and singular point of view to the genre in a series of essays that brilliantly illuminates the essential truths about the modern world. This is an exploration of her relationship with the literary form we have come to know as "science fiction," a relationship that has been lifelong, stretching from her days as a child reader in the 1940s, through her time as a graduate student at Harvard, where she worked on the Victorian ancestor of the form, and continuing as a writer and reviewer. This book brings together her three heretofore unpublished Ellmann Lectures from 2010: "Flying Rabbits," which begins with Atwood's early rabbit superhero creations, and goes on to speculate about masks, capes, weakling alter egos, and Things with Wings; "Burning Bushes," which follows her into Victorian otherlands and beyond; and "Dire Cartographies," which investigates Utopias and Dystopias. In Other Worlds also includes some of Atwood's key reviews and thoughts about the form. Among those writers discussed are Marge Piercy, Rider Haggard, Ursula Le Guin, Ishiguro, Bryher, Huxley, and Jonathan Swift. She elucidates the differences (as she sees them) between "science fiction" proper, and "speculative fiction," as well as between "sword and sorcery/fantasy" and "slipstream fiction." For all readers who have loved The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood, In Other Worlds is a must.

Margaret Atwood (Author), Margaret Atwood, Susan Denaker (Narrator)

Audiobook

Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules That Changed History

Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance—which, in turn, can result in great historical shifts. With lively prose and an eye for colorful and unusual details, Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson offer a novel way to understand the shaping of civilization and the workings of our contemporary world.

Jay Burreson, Penny Le Couteur (Author), Laural Merlington (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: or, The Preservation of Favored Races in the St

The Origin of Species sold out on the first day of its publication in 1859. It is the major book of the nineteenth century and one of the most readable and accessible of the great revolutionary works of the scientific imagination. Though, in fact, little read, most people know what it says-at least they think they do. The Origin of Species was the first mature and persuasive work to explain how species change through the process of natural selection. Upon its publication, the book began to transform attitudes about society and religion and was soon used to justify the philosophies of communists, socialists, capitalists, and even Germany's National Socialists. But the most quoted response came from Thomas Henry Huxley, Darwin's friend and also a renowned naturalist, who exclaimed, "How extremely stupid not to have thought of that!" "One of the most important contributions ever made to philosophic science."-New York Times

Charles Darwin (Author), Robin Field (Narrator)

Audiobook

Evolutionary Biology, Part 1: The Darwinian Revolutions: Modern Synthesis

With Evolutionary Psychology I and II, Allen D. MacNeill of Cornell University led a thought-provoking series of lectures on why people do the things they do. In Evolutionary Biology I, MacNeill addresses a different side of the coin by examining the biological component, from Charles Darwin's and Gregor Mendel's "dangerous ideas" to contemporary thought leaders and the forming of the modern synthesis of this vital field of study. ** Please contact Customer Service for additional content**

Allen Macneill, Professor Allen MacNeill (Author), Allen Macneill, Professor Allen MacNeill (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Magic of Reality: How we know what's really true

What are things made of? What is the sun? Why is there night and day, winter and summer? Why do bad things happen? Are we alone? Throughout history people all over the world have invented stories to answer profound questions such as these. Have you heard the tale of how the sun hatched out of an emu's egg? Or what about the great catfish that carries the world on its back? Has anyone ever told you that earthquakes are caused by a sneezing giant? These fantastical myths are fun - but what is the real answer to such questions? The Magic of Reality, with its explanations of space, time, evolution and more, will inspire and amaze listeners of all ages - young adults, adults, children, octogenarians.This book presents the real story of the world around us, taking us on an enthralling journey through scientific reality, and showing that it has an awe-inspiring beauty and thrilling magic which far exceed those of the ancient myths. We encounter rainbows, earthquakes, tsunamis, shooting stars, plants, animals, and an intriguing cast of characters in this extraordinary scientific voyage of discovery. Richard Dawkins has created a dazzling celebration of our planet that will entertain and inform for years to come. Read by Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward. Also available in hardback, fully illustrated by Dave McKean.

Richard Dawkins (Author), Lalla Ward, Richard Dawkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: or, The Preservation of Favored Races in the St

Charles Darwin (Author), Robin Field (Narrator)

Audiobook

Now You See It

When Cathy Davidson and Duke University gave free iPods to every member of the incoming freshman class in 2003, they didn't expect the uproar that followed. Critics called it a waste: What educational value could a music player have for college kids? Yet by the end of the year, Duke students had found academic uses for the new devices in virtually every discipline. The iPod experiment proved to be a classic example of the power of disruption - a way of refocusing attention to illuminate unseen possibilities. Using cutting-edge research on the brain, Davidson shows how the phenomenon of "attention blindness" shapes our lives, and how it has led to one of the greatest problems of our historical moment: Although we blog, tweet, and text as if by instinct, far too many of us still toil in schools and workplaces designed for the last century, not the one we live in. To change this, we must ask ourselves critical questions: How can we redesign our schools to prepare our kids for the challenges they'll face as adults? What will the workers and workplaces of the future look like? And how can we learn to adapt to life changes that seem almost too revolutionary to contemplate? Davidson takes us on a tour of the future of work and education, introducing us to visionaries whose groundbreaking ideas will soon affect us all. Now You See It opens a window onto the possibilities of a world in which the rigid ideas of the twentieth century have been wiped away and replaced with the flowing, collaborative spirit built into the very design of the Internet.

Cathy N. Davidson (Author), Laural Merlington (Narrator)

Audiobook

David Attenborough New Life Stories

One of the nation's most popular presenters examines twenty marvels of the natural world from his extraordinary and pioneering experiences. How did Sir David track down a giant Earthworm? Why does he respect Rats? What was the first bribe in nature? Why do well known foods often have two names? And where can you see evidence of the earliest life on Earth? His enthusiasm is as infectious as ever, and conveys a unique fascination on topics as diverse as the Kiwi, Hummingbirds, Monsters, Butterflies, Chimps, Cuckoos, Fireflies and Elsa, the famous lioness. So listen to these stories to find out why Rats should be respected and which insects emerge from the ground only once every 17 years. Includes detailed programme notes inside the booklet.

David Attenborough, David Attenborough (Author), David Attenborough, David Attenborough (Narrator)

Audiobook

Biology & Chemistry Audiobooks in Science & Technology