BookLab

Dan Falk and Amanda Gefter

From neurons to nanotech and from quarks to the cosmos, BookLab is the podcast that puts science books under the microscope! Join hosts Dan Falk and Amanda Gefter for a look at the latest in popular science writing: what's new, what's hot, and what you ought to be reading right now.

  1. BookLab 040: The best science books of 2025

    12/20/2025

    BookLab 040: The best science books of 2025

    A roundup of Dan and Amanda's picks for the top science books of the past year, featuring new books by Sam Kean, Dagomar Degroot, Lynn Gamwell, Pria Anand, David Baron, and many more!

    1h 28m
  2. BookLab 039: More Everything Forever, by Adam Becker

    07/05/2025

    BookLab 039: More Everything Forever, by Adam Becker

    Tech billionaires talk about colonizing Mars, building grand space stations far from Earth, lengthening life spans, and maybe even eradicating aging and death, or uploading our minds into computers. Well, not so fast, says Adam Becker in this provocative new book.

    1h 8m

  3. 03/25/2025

    BookLab 038: The Language Puzzle; Ways of Being; Playing Possum

    There's no question that animals communicate -- but only humans have full-blown symbolic language. So, how did we get here? In The Language Puzzle, archeologist Steven Mithen tries to figure out how we became such a talkative species. And on the nightstand: Ways of Being, by James Bridle; and Playing Possum by Susana Monsó.

    1h 10m
  4. BookLab 037: Ten Year Anniversary Special

    12/25/2024

    BookLab 037: Ten Year Anniversary Special

    Hosts Dan Falk and Amanda Gefter reflect on favorite science books, publishing trends, and more as BookLab marks its first ten years.

    53 min
  5. BookLab 036: Her Time, Her Space and The Enlightenment's Most Dangerous Woman

    12/13/2024

    BookLab 036: Her Time, Her Space and The Enlightenment's Most Dangerous Woman

    You know about Galileo, Newton, and Einstein -- but what about the many women scientists who helped shape our understanding of the cosmos? In this episode, we look at two books give those overlooked women the recognition they deserve.

    1h 5m
  6. BookLab 035: The Blind Spot; Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation; The Rigor of Angels

    08/22/2024

    BookLab 035: The Blind Spot; Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation; The Rigor of Angels

    Some researchers believe that the traditional scientific approach, in spite of its impressive 400-year track record, has left something out. Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser, and Evan Thompson lay out the argument in The Blind Spot. And on the nightstand: Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation, by George Musser; and The Rigor of Angels, by William Egginton.

    1h 23m

  7. 12/21/2023

    BookLab 034: Determined by Robert Sapolsky and Free Agents by Kevin Mitchell

    It's one of the oldest and most vexing questions in science and philosophy: Do we have free will? In this episode of BookLab, we take a close look at two books by two scientists who have considered the question at length -- and have been led to two very different conclusions.

    1h 15m
  8. BookLab 033: The Book of Minds; The Darkness Manifesto; Existential Physics

    08/03/2023

    BookLab 033: The Book of Minds; The Darkness Manifesto; Existential Physics

    The human mind is quite something. We can use it to reason; to envision past and future events; to ponder abstractions. But what other minds are out there? In Philip Ball's The Book of Minds, we're invited to explore the space of possible minds. And on the nightstand: The Darkness Manifesto, by  Johan Eklöf; and Existential Physics by Sabine Hossenfelder.

    1h 16m
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4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

From neurons to nanotech and from quarks to the cosmos, BookLab is the podcast that puts science books under the microscope! Join hosts Dan Falk and Amanda Gefter for a look at the latest in popular science writing: what's new, what's hot, and what you ought to be reading right now.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Falk and Amanda Gefter
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2025
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (c) 2014 Dan Falk and Amanda Gefter
  • Show Website
    BookLab

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