Leisure Science Books | Summaries & Audio

Soonish

by Kelly Weinersmith • 2017

Ten technologies that could reshape everything, and why each one might backfire spectacularly.

3.94

6k+

🚀 Emerging Technologies 🔮 Future Studies 😂 Science Humor

Soonish 90%

Ten technologies that could reshape everything, and why each one might backfire spectacularly.

by Kelly Weinersmith 2017

3.94

6k+ ratings

🚀 Emerging Technologies 🔮 Future Studies 😂 Science Humor

Ignorance

by Stuart Firestein • 2012

Science runs on ignorance not facts and the real skill is knowing which question to chase.

3.86

1k+

🧠 Philosophy Of Science 🎓 Science Education 🔬 Scientific Method

Ignorance 90%

Science runs on ignorance not facts and the real skill is knowing which question to chase.

by Stuart Firestein 2012

3.86

1k+ ratings

🧠 Philosophy Of Science 🎓 Science Education 🔬 Scientific Method

Bad Astronomy

by Philip Plait • 2002

From seasons to tides to falling stars: what you've gotten wrong about the night sky.

4.04

6k+

Bad Astronomy 90%

From seasons to tides to falling stars: what you've gotten wrong about the night sky.

by Philip Plait 2002

4.04

6k+ ratings

Astronomy For Dummies by Stephen P. Maran

by Stephen Maran • 1999

No math, no jargon: the astronomy guide that starts with 'look up' and builds from there.

3.86

637

☄️ Amateur Astronomy 🌌 Popular Astronomy 🔭 Stargazing Guides

Astronomy For Dummies by Stephen P. Maran Summary

Astronomy For Dummies by Stephen P. Maran 90%

No math, no jargon: the astronomy guide that starts with 'look up' and builds from there.

by Stephen Maran 1999

3.86

637 ratings

☄️ Amateur Astronomy 🌌 Popular Astronomy 🔭 Stargazing Guides

What If? 2

by Randall Munroe • 2022

What if you filled the solar system with soup? A cartoonist did the math.

4.37

18k+

🎭 Pop Science Humor 💭 Thought Experiments 🌌 Cosmic Scale

What If? 2 90%

What if you filled the solar system with soup? A cartoonist did the math.

by Randall Munroe 2022

4.37

18k+ ratings

🎭 Pop Science Humor 💭 Thought Experiments 🌌 Cosmic Scale

This Idea Is Brilliant

by John Brockman • 2018

The overlooked scientific ideas top minds most urgently want you to know, from entropy to emergence.

3.83

662

🧠 Third Culture 🔬 Scientific Method 🪞 Cognitive Biases

This Idea Is Brilliant 90%

The overlooked scientific ideas top minds most urgently want you to know, from entropy to emergence.

by John Brockman 2018

3.83

662 ratings

🧠 Third Culture 🔬 Scientific Method 🪞 Cognitive Biases

Physics of the Impossible

by Michio Kaku • 2008

Sci-fi's wildest tech, sorted by a physicist: what's coming this century, and what breaks reality.

4.09

42k+

⚛️ Theoretical Physics 🔮 Speculative Science 📖 Popular Physics

Physics of the Impossible 89%

Sci-fi's wildest tech, sorted by a physicist: what's coming this century, and what breaks reality.

by Michio Kaku 2008

4.09

42k+ ratings

⚛️ Theoretical Physics 🔮 Speculative Science 📖 Popular Physics

Cosmos

by Carl Sagan • 1980

From exploding stars to conscious minds: a cosmic journey that ends with a choice.

4.40

160k+

🔭 Cosmology 🚀 Space Exploration 👽 Extraterrestrial Life

Cosmos 89%

From exploding stars to conscious minds: a cosmic journey that ends with a choice.

by Carl Sagan 1980

4.40

160k+ ratings

🔭 Cosmology 🚀 Space Exploration 👽 Extraterrestrial Life

The Science of Star Wars

by Mark Brake • 2016

The real science of hyperspace, alien biology, and the Force: more surprising than Star Wars.

3.44

413

📘 Pop Science 🎬 Physics Of Sci-Fi 🚀 Space Science

The Science of Star Wars 89%

The real science of hyperspace, alien biology, and the Force: more surprising than Star Wars.

by Mark Brake 2016

3.44

413 ratings

📘 Pop Science 🎬 Physics Of Sci-Fi 🚀 Space Science

A Sense of the Mysterious

by Alan Lightman • 2005

The creative fire behind cold equations: a physicist-novelist on what science shares with art.

3.82

671

🧠 Scientific Creativity 🎨 Science And Art 🧵 Two Cultures

A Sense of the Mysterious 89%

The creative fire behind cold equations: a physicist-novelist on what science shares with art.

by Alan Lightman 2005

3.82

671 ratings

🧠 Scientific Creativity 🎨 Science And Art 🧵 Two Cultures

Momentos estelares de la ciencia

by Isaac Asimov • 1959

From Archimedes' bath to the splitting of the atom: the breakthroughs that built the modern mind.

4.11

674

📜 History Of Science 🔬 Popular Science 💡 Eureka Moments

Momentos estelares de la ciencia Summary

Momentos estelares de la ciencia 89%

From Archimedes' bath to the splitting of the atom: the breakthroughs that built the modern mind.

by Isaac Asimov 1959

4.11

674 ratings

📜 History Of Science 🔬 Popular Science 💡 Eureka Moments

Interstellar

by Avi Loeb • 2023

An object from another star defied physics. We weren't ready. A plan to catch the next one.

3.52

626

🧬 Astrobiology 🚀 Space Exploration 👽 Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar 89%

An object from another star defied physics. We weren't ready. A plan to catch the next one.

by Avi Loeb 2023

3.52

626 ratings

🧬 Astrobiology 🚀 Space Exploration 👽 Extraterrestrial Intelligence

The Elephant in the Universe

by Govert Schilling • 2022

Eighty-four percent of matter is invisible. A century-long hunt has yet to catch it.

4.07

265

🌌 Cosmology ⚛️ Particle Physics 📜 History Of Science

The Elephant in the Universe 89%

Eighty-four percent of matter is invisible. A century-long hunt has yet to catch it.

by Govert Schilling 2022

4.07

265 ratings

🌌 Cosmology ⚛️ Particle Physics 📜 History Of Science

The Golem (Canto Classics)

by Harry Collins • 1992

Science, like a golem, is powerful but clumsy. Its real process is social, not neat method.

3.77

341

🔬 Sociology Of Science 🤔 Philosophy Of Science 🧪 Scientific Method

The Golem (Canto Classics) 89%

Science, like a golem, is powerful but clumsy. Its real process is social, not neat method.

by Harry Collins 1992

3.77

341 ratings

🔬 Sociology Of Science 🤔 Philosophy Of Science 🧪 Scientific Method

The Physics of Superheroes

by James Kakalios • 2006

Superman's leap, Gwen Stacy's fall: real physics hides inside comic book panels.

3.92

3k+

🧪 Pop Science 🎬 Pop-Culture Science 📚 Comic Book Science

The Physics of Superheroes 89%

Superman's leap, Gwen Stacy's fall: real physics hides inside comic book panels.

by James Kakalios 2006

3.92

3k+ ratings

🧪 Pop Science 🎬 Pop-Culture Science 📚 Comic Book Science

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

by Stephen W. Hawking • 2018

Time travel might work, but the feedback loop of climate disaster probably kills us first.

4.26

89k+

🌌 Cosmology 🕳️ Black Holes ⚛️ Quantum Physics

Brief Answers to the Big Questions Summary

Brief Answers to the Big Questions 89%

Time travel might work, but the feedback loop of climate disaster probably kills us first.

by Stephen W. Hawking 2018

4.26

89k+ ratings

🌌 Cosmology 🕳️ Black Holes ⚛️ Quantum Physics

Physics of the Future

by Michio Kaku • 2011

What a century of real physics can actually deliver: from invisible computers to fusion power.

4.00

18k+

🔮 Future Studies 🌐 Ubiquitous Computing 🤖 Artificial Intelligence

Physics of the Future 89%

What a century of real physics can actually deliver: from invisible computers to fusion power.

by Michio Kaku 2011

4.00

18k+ ratings

🔮 Future Studies 🌐 Ubiquitous Computing 🤖 Artificial Intelligence

Einstein's Fridge

by Paul Sen • 2021

The science of heat built the modern world and governs time's arrow, life, and black holes.

4.26

989

📜 History Of Physics 🔥 Thermodynamics 🔬 History Of Science

Einstein's Fridge 89%

The science of heat built the modern world and governs time's arrow, life, and black holes.

by Paul Sen 2021

4.26

989 ratings

📜 History Of Physics 🔥 Thermodynamics 🔬 History Of Science

Letters to a Young Scientist

by Edward O. Wilson • 2013

Think like an artist, then work like an accountant. The real path to scientific discovery.

3.90

5k+

🧪 Scientific Careers 🔬 Field Biology 💡 Scientific Creativity

Letters to a Young Scientist 89%

Think like an artist, then work like an accountant. The real path to scientific discovery.

by Edward O. Wilson 2013

3.90

5k+ ratings

🧪 Scientific Careers 🔬 Field Biology 💡 Scientific Creativity

Reinventing Discovery

by Michael Nielsen • 2011

Science's discovery model held for 300 years. Open networks and citizen labs are replacing it.

3.94

640

🔓 Open Science 🔭 Citizen Science 🧠 Collective Intelligence

Reinventing Discovery 89%

Science's discovery model held for 300 years. Open networks and citizen labs are replacing it.

by Michael Nielsen 2011

3.94

640 ratings

🔓 Open Science 🔭 Citizen Science 🧠 Collective Intelligence

Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection

by Carl Sagan • 1973

Searching for alien intelligence is now a testable science, and the silence is a message in itself.

4.25

2k+

🪐 Planetary Science 📡 Seti 🌌 Cosmic Perspective

Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection 89%

Searching for alien intelligence is now a testable science, and the silence is a message in itself.

by Carl Sagan 1973

4.25

2k+ ratings

🪐 Planetary Science 📡 Seti 🌌 Cosmic Perspective

The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

by Richard W. Hamming • 1996

What separates great scientists from good ones: they pick better problems.

4.18

2k+

🧠 Scientific Thinking ⚙️ Engineering Practice 💻 Computational Thinking

The Art of Doing Science and Engineering Summary

The Art of Doing Science and Engineering 89%

What separates great scientists from good ones: they pick better problems.

by Richard W. Hamming 1996

4.18

2k+ ratings

🧠 Scientific Thinking ⚙️ Engineering Practice 💻 Computational Thinking

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

by Richard P. Feynman • 1985

Safe-cracking, bongos, and a fatal O-ring: a Nobel laureate's life of fearless curiosity.

4.26

219k+

🧮 Theoretical Physics ☢️ Midcentury Science ⚖️ Scientific Integrity

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" Summary

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" 89%

Safe-cracking, bongos, and a fatal O-ring: a Nobel laureate's life of fearless curiosity.

by Richard P. Feynman 1985

4.26

219k+ ratings

🧮 Theoretical Physics ☢️ Midcentury Science ⚖️ Scientific Integrity

Pasteur's Quadrant

by Donald E. Stokes • 1997

The report that sold America on funding pure science: the engine of health, security, and growth.

3.82

150

🧪 Science Policy 💰 Research Funding 🧬 Basic Research

Pasteur's Quadrant 89%

The report that sold America on funding pure science: the engine of health, security, and growth.

by Donald E. Stokes 1997

3.82

150 ratings

🧪 Science Policy 💰 Research Funding 🧬 Basic Research

About Time

by Adam Frank • 2011

Time is a human invention, rebuilt every era. Our cosmology just catches up.

3.88

484

🔬 History Of Science ⏳ Philosophy Of Time 🧠 Time Perception

About Time 89%

Time is a human invention, rebuilt every era. Our cosmology just catches up.

by Adam Frank 2011

3.88

484 ratings

🔬 History Of Science ⏳ Philosophy Of Time 🧠 Time Perception

Learning from Leonardo

by Fritjof Capra • 2013

He traced water, drew muscles, and built wings. He also painted the Mona Lisa.

3.96

108

🧠 Systems Thinking 🔍 Scientific Method 🏛️ Renaissance Science

Learning from Leonardo 89%

He traced water, drew muscles, and built wings. He also painted the Mona Lisa.

by Fritjof Capra 2013

3.96

108 ratings

🧠 Systems Thinking 🔍 Scientific Method 🏛️ Renaissance Science

What If?

by Randall Munroe • 2014

Dead-serious answers to the internet's dumbest questions, and why the math almost always ends badly.

4.14

197k+

⚛️ Pop Physics 💭 Thought Experiments 😂 Physics Humor

What If? 89%

Dead-serious answers to the internet's dumbest questions, and why the math almost always ends badly.

by Randall Munroe 2014

4.14

197k+ ratings

⚛️ Pop Physics 💭 Thought Experiments 😂 Physics Humor

The Quantum Universe

by Brian Cox • 2011

A theory that defies common sense underlies transistors, lasers, and every atom in your body.

3.76

5k+

⚛️ Quantum Mechanics 📖 Popular Physics 💥 Particle Physics

The Quantum Universe 89%

A theory that defies common sense underlies transistors, lasers, and every atom in your body.

by Brian Cox 2011

3.76

5k+ ratings

⚛️ Quantum Mechanics 📖 Popular Physics 💥 Particle Physics

The Perfectionists

by Simon Winchester • 2018

From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.

4.15

7k+

🔧 History Of Technology 🏭 Industrial Revolution 🔍 Microhistory

The Perfectionists 89%

From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.

by Simon Winchester 2018

4.15

7k+ ratings

🔧 History Of Technology 🏭 Industrial Revolution 🔍 Microhistory

How to Invent Everything

by Ryan North • 2018

Stranded in the past with nothing but your wits, and the flowchart says you're before 50,000 BCE.

4.14

6k+

🏛️ Civilization Building 🛠️ History Of Technology ⏳ Time Travel Conceit

How to Invent Everything 89%

Stranded in the past with nothing but your wits, and the flowchart says you're before 50,000 BCE.

by Ryan North 2018

4.14

6k+ ratings

🏛️ Civilization Building 🛠️ History Of Technology ⏳ Time Travel Conceit

How to Dunk a Doughnut

by Len Fisher • 2002

A physicist unpacks the hidden forces inside a doughnut dunk, a boiled egg, and a boomerang.

3.34

277

🧪 Everyday Science 🍞 Food Science 🔬 Applied Physics

How to Dunk a Doughnut 89%

A physicist unpacks the hidden forces inside a doughnut dunk, a boiled egg, and a boomerang.

by Len Fisher 2002

3.34

277 ratings

🧪 Everyday Science 🍞 Food Science 🔬 Applied Physics

Penguin Celebrations - The Science of Everyday Life

by Jay Ingram • 1989

What walking, blinking, and bees reveal about physics, evolution, and your own brain.

3.76

230

Penguin Celebrations - The Science of Everyday Life Summary

Penguin Celebrations - The Science of Everyday Life 89%

What walking, blinking, and bees reveal about physics, evolution, and your own brain.

by Jay Ingram 1989

3.76

230 ratings

How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog

by Chad Orzel • 2009

Quantum physics is baffling. The best way to understand it: talk it over with a dog.

3.91

3k+

⚛️ Quantum Mechanics 📚 Popular Physics 🧠 Copenhagen Interpretation

How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Summary

How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog 89%

Quantum physics is baffling. The best way to understand it: talk it over with a dog.

by Chad Orzel 2009

3.91

3k+ ratings

⚛️ Quantum Mechanics 📚 Popular Physics 🧠 Copenhagen Interpretation

In a Flight of Starlings

by Giorgio Parisi • 2021

Starlings, spin glasses, and science's messy path: why simple rules create complex systems.

3.41

2k+

🧩 Complex Systems 🐦 Emergence 🦅 Collective Behavior

In a Flight of Starlings 89%

Starlings, spin glasses, and science's messy path: why simple rules create complex systems.

by Giorgio Parisi 2021

3.41

2k+ ratings

🧩 Complex Systems 🐦 Emergence 🦅 Collective Behavior

Caesar's Last Breath

by Sam Kean • 2017

Your next breath shares molecules with Caesar's last, and with every war and volcano since.

4.25

5k+

🌀 Atmospheric Science 🔬 Periodic Table 📜 Science History

Caesar's Last Breath 89%

Your next breath shares molecules with Caesar's last, and with every war and volcano since.

by Sam Kean 2017

4.25

5k+ ratings

🌀 Atmospheric Science 🔬 Periodic Table 📜 Science History

The Big Picture

by Sean Carroll • 2016

How a purposeless cosmos produces life, mind, and the meaning we build for ourselves.

4.18

10k+

🔭 Cosmology 🧬 Origin Of Life 🧠 Consciousness Studies

The Big Picture 89%

How a purposeless cosmos produces life, mind, and the meaning we build for ourselves.

by Sean Carroll 2016

4.18

10k+ ratings

🔭 Cosmology 🧬 Origin Of Life 🧠 Consciousness Studies

To Infinity and Beyond

by Neil deGrasse Tyson • 2023

A cosmic tour where emptiness isn't empty, time bends, and most of reality remains invisible.

4.31

2k+

🔭 Astrophysics 🪐 Solar System 🌌 Cosmology

To Infinity and Beyond 89%

A cosmic tour where emptiness isn't empty, time bends, and most of reality remains invisible.

by Neil deGrasse Tyson 2023

4.31

2k+ ratings

🔭 Astrophysics 🪐 Solar System 🌌 Cosmology

What We Believe But Cannot Prove

by John Brockman • 2005

Science's greatest leaps begin as hunches without proof. A hundred top minds confess theirs.

3.65

2k+

🔬 Philosophy Of Science 💡 Scientific Intuition 🧠 Consciousness Studies

What We Believe But Cannot Prove Summary

What We Believe But Cannot Prove 89%

Science's greatest leaps begin as hunches without proof. A hundred top minds confess theirs.

by John Brockman 2005

3.65

2k+ ratings

🔬 Philosophy Of Science 💡 Scientific Intuition 🧠 Consciousness Studies

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

by Carlo Rovelli • 2014

Space bends. Time is an illusion. Seven short lessons on the universe as it actually is.

3.98

68k+

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics 89%

Space bends. Time is an illusion. Seven short lessons on the universe as it actually is.

by Carlo Rovelli 2014

3.98

68k+ ratings

The God Equation

by Michio Kaku • 2021

Three forces unified. Gravity alone resists. The ten-dimensional theory that might finally crack it.

4.11

9k+

🧮 Theoretical Physics 📜 History Of Physics 🎻 String Theory

The God Equation 89%

Three forces unified. Gravity alone resists. The ten-dimensional theory that might finally crack it.

by Michio Kaku 2021

4.11

9k+ ratings

🧮 Theoretical Physics 📜 History Of Physics 🎻 String Theory

The Science of Harry Potter

by Roger Highfield • 2002

Your brain is wired for magic. The science that explains why, from alchemy to Harry Potter.

4.02

3k+

The Science of Harry Potter 89%

Your brain is wired for magic. The science that explains why, from alchemy to Harry Potter.

by Roger Highfield 2002

4.02

3k+ ratings

Antimatter

by Frank Close • 2009

Half the universe should be antimatter. That it vanished is physics' most persistent mystery.

4.04

1k+

🧲 Particle Physics 📜 History Of Science 💥 Matter And Energy

Antimatter 89%

Half the universe should be antimatter. That it vanished is physics' most persistent mystery.

by Frank Close 2009

4.04

1k+ ratings

🧲 Particle Physics 📜 History Of Science 💥 Matter And Energy

This Idea Must Die

by John Brockman • 2015

175 scientists each nominate one idea to retire, from IQ to the Big Bang itself.

3.50

1k+

🔬 Meta-Science 🛑 Scientific Dead Ends 🕸️ Complexity Science

This Idea Must Die 89%

175 scientists each nominate one idea to retire, from IQ to the Big Bang itself.

by John Brockman 2015

3.50

1k+ ratings

🔬 Meta-Science 🛑 Scientific Dead Ends 🕸️ Complexity Science

Quantum Physics

by Jared Hendricks • 2015

Particles walk through walls and talk across galaxies. At quantum scales, impossible is the rule.

3.69

105

🧪 Quantum Mechanics 📚 Popular Science ⚛️ Particle Physics

Quantum Physics 89%

Particles walk through walls and talk across galaxies. At quantum scales, impossible is the rule.

by Jared Hendricks 2015

3.69

105 ratings

🧪 Quantum Mechanics 📚 Popular Science ⚛️ Particle Physics

The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected

by Marcelo Gleiser • 2016

In a trout stream, a physicist discovers that the unknown is meaning's source, not its enemy.

4.06

176

🧪 Natural Philosophy 🕊️ Science And Spirituality 🎣 Fly-Fishing

The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected Summary

The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected 88%

In a trout stream, a physicist discovers that the unknown is meaning's source, not its enemy.

by Marcelo Gleiser 2016

4.06

176 ratings

🧪 Natural Philosophy 🕊️ Science And Spirituality 🎣 Fly-Fishing

A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson • 2004

How the universe built itself from nothing, and the eccentric scientists who figured it out.

4.22

431k+

A Short History of Nearly Everything Summary

A Short History of Nearly Everything 88%

How the universe built itself from nothing, and the eccentric scientists who figured it out.

by Bill Bryson 2004

4.22

431k+ ratings

Lost in Math

by Sabine Hossenfelder • 2018

Theoretical physics is stuck. The culprit isn't bad math, but a fixation on elegant theories.

4.05

3k+

⚛️ Theoretical Physics 🤔 Philosophy Of Physics 🎨 Aesthetic Bias In Science

Lost in Math 88%

Theoretical physics is stuck. The culprit isn't bad math, but a fixation on elegant theories.

by Sabine Hossenfelder 2018

4.05

3k+ ratings

⚛️ Theoretical Physics 🤔 Philosophy Of Physics 🎨 Aesthetic Bias In Science

La ciencia pop 2

by Gabriel León • 2018

A tick bite that bans you from steak for life: the science of the body's strangest reactions.

4.13

289

La ciencia pop 2 88%

A tick bite that bans you from steak for life: the science of the body's strangest reactions.

by Gabriel León 2018

4.13

289 ratings

Dispatches from Planet 3

by Marcia Bartusiak • 2018

Thirty-two briefings on the invisible universe, colliding galaxies, and the women who mapped both.

4.11

161

🏛️ History Of Astronomy 👩‍🔬 Women In Science 🌌 Cosmology

Dispatches from Planet 3 88%

Thirty-two briefings on the invisible universe, colliding galaxies, and the women who mapped both.

by Marcia Bartusiak 2018

4.11

161 ratings

🏛️ History Of Astronomy 👩‍🔬 Women In Science 🌌 Cosmology

Everything Is Predictable

by Tom Chivers • 2024

The math behind your spam filter also reveals that your brain is hallucinating reality.

4.02

1k+

🧮 Bayesian Thinking 🎲 Probability Theory 🧠 Predictive Processing

Everything Is Predictable 88%

The math behind your spam filter also reveals that your brain is hallucinating reality.

by Tom Chivers 2024

4.02

1k+ ratings

🧮 Bayesian Thinking 🎲 Probability Theory 🧠 Predictive Processing

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