
How to Speak Science
Gravity, Relativity, and Other Ideas That Were Crazy Until Proven Brilliant
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.94
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Braden Wright
About this listen
As smartphones, supercomputers, supercolliders, and AI propel us into an ever more unfamiliar future, How to Speak Science takes us on a rollicking historical tour of the greatest discoveries and ideas that make today's cutting-edge technologies possible.
Wanting everyone to be able to "speak" science, YouTube science guru Bruce Benamran explains - as accessibly and wittily as in his acclaimed videos - the fundamental ideas of the physical world: matter, life, the solar system, light, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, special and general relativity, and much more.
Along the way, Benamran guides us through the wildest hypotheses and most ingenious ideas of Galileo, Newton, Curie, Einstein, and science's other greatest minds, reminding us that while they weren't always exactly right, they were always curious. How to Speak Science acquaints us not only with what scientists know, but how they think, so that each of us can reason like a physicist - and appreciate the world in all its beautiful chaos.
©2018 Bruce Benamran and Stephanie Delozier Strobel (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Gravity's Century
- From Einstein's Eclipse to Images of Black Holes
- By: Ron Cowen
- Narrated by: John Patrick Walsh
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sweeping account of the century of experimentation that confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity, bringing to life the science and scientists at the origins of relativity, the development of radio telescopes, the discovery of black holes and quasars, and the still unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory.
-
-
Good stuff
- By Amazon Customer on 10-30-20
By: Ron Cowen
-
Einstein's Greatest Mistake
- A Biography
- By: David Bodanis
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widely considered the greatest genius of all time, Albert Einstein revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos with his general theory of relativity and helped to lead us into the atomic age. Yet in the final decades of his life, he was also ignored by most working scientists, his ideas opposed by even his closest friends.
By: David Bodanis
-
Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand
- Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe
- By: Marcus Chown
- Narrated by: Marcus Chown
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
So much of our world seems to make perfect sense, and scientific breakthroughs have helped us understand ourselves, our planet, and our place in the universe in fascinating detail. But our adventures in space, our deepening understanding of the quantum world, and our leaps in technology have also revealed a universe far stranger than we ever imagined. With brilliant clarity and wit, best-selling author Marcus Chown examines the profound science behind 50 remarkable scientific facts that help explain the vast complexities of our existence.
-
-
Amazing Scientific Facts Clearly Presented
- By Amazon Customer on 11-19-23
By: Marcus Chown
-
Genesis
- The Story of How Everything Began
- By: Guido Tonelli, Erica Segre - translator, Simon Carnell - translator
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A breakout best seller in Italy, now available for American listeners for the first time, Genesis: The Story of How Everything Began is a short, humanistic tour of the origins of the universe, earth, and life - drawing on the latest discoveries in physics to explain the seven most significant moments in the creation of the cosmos.
-
-
This is soooo boring to listen to
- By A. Galer on 02-27-23
By: Guido Tonelli, and others
-
Origin Story
- A Big History of Everything
- By: David Christian
- Narrated by: Jamie Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day - and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History", the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.
-
-
A brilliant achievement, must read/listen
- By 11104 on 09-05-18
By: David Christian
-
The Socrates Express
- In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pilgrimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to reconnect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives.
-
-
Wisdom, Wit and Warmth
- By NotTheDuchess on 08-28-20
By: Eric Weiner
-
Gravity's Century
- From Einstein's Eclipse to Images of Black Holes
- By: Ron Cowen
- Narrated by: John Patrick Walsh
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sweeping account of the century of experimentation that confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity, bringing to life the science and scientists at the origins of relativity, the development of radio telescopes, the discovery of black holes and quasars, and the still unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory.
-
-
Good stuff
- By Amazon Customer on 10-30-20
By: Ron Cowen
-
Einstein's Greatest Mistake
- A Biography
- By: David Bodanis
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widely considered the greatest genius of all time, Albert Einstein revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos with his general theory of relativity and helped to lead us into the atomic age. Yet in the final decades of his life, he was also ignored by most working scientists, his ideas opposed by even his closest friends.
By: David Bodanis
-
Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand
- Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe
- By: Marcus Chown
- Narrated by: Marcus Chown
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
So much of our world seems to make perfect sense, and scientific breakthroughs have helped us understand ourselves, our planet, and our place in the universe in fascinating detail. But our adventures in space, our deepening understanding of the quantum world, and our leaps in technology have also revealed a universe far stranger than we ever imagined. With brilliant clarity and wit, best-selling author Marcus Chown examines the profound science behind 50 remarkable scientific facts that help explain the vast complexities of our existence.
-
-
Amazing Scientific Facts Clearly Presented
- By Amazon Customer on 11-19-23
By: Marcus Chown
-
Genesis
- The Story of How Everything Began
- By: Guido Tonelli, Erica Segre - translator, Simon Carnell - translator
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A breakout best seller in Italy, now available for American listeners for the first time, Genesis: The Story of How Everything Began is a short, humanistic tour of the origins of the universe, earth, and life - drawing on the latest discoveries in physics to explain the seven most significant moments in the creation of the cosmos.
-
-
This is soooo boring to listen to
- By A. Galer on 02-27-23
By: Guido Tonelli, and others
-
Origin Story
- A Big History of Everything
- By: David Christian
- Narrated by: Jamie Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day - and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History", the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.
-
-
A brilliant achievement, must read/listen
- By 11104 on 09-05-18
By: David Christian
-
The Socrates Express
- In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pilgrimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to reconnect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives.
-
-
Wisdom, Wit and Warmth
- By NotTheDuchess on 08-28-20
By: Eric Weiner
-
Beyond Weird
- By: Philip Ball
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exhilarating tour of the contemporary quantum landscape, Beyond Weird is a book about what quantum physics really means - and what it doesn't. Science writer Philip Ball offers an up-to-date, accessible account of the quest to come to grips with the most fundamental theory of physical reality, and to explain how its counterintuitive principles underpin the world we experience.
-
-
A difficult listen
- By Ray on 03-17-19
By: Philip Ball
-
Origins
- How Earth's History Shaped Human History
- By: Lewis Dartnell
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we talk about human history, we often focus on great leaders, population forces, and decisive wars. But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Atmospheric circulation patterns later on shaped the progression of global exploration, colonization, and trade. Even today, voting behavior in the southeast United States ultimately follows the underlying pattern of 75 million-year-old sediments from an ancient sea.
-
-
GREAT Book with a Narrator Who's Falling Asleep
- By aaron on 08-02-20
By: Lewis Dartnell
-
Negotiation Genius
- How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond
- By: Deepak Malhotra, Max Bazerman
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From two leaders in executive education at Harvard Business School, here are the mental habits and proven strategies you need to achieve outstanding results in any negotiation.
-
-
Pragmatic & Powerful Negotiation Methodology
- By Martin Fierro on 09-30-16
By: Deepak Malhotra, and others
-
The Books of Enoch: The Angels, The Watchers and The Nephilim
- With Extensive Commentary
- By: Joseph Lumpkin
- Narrated by: Dennis Logan
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The well-known and acclaimed work of Dr. Joseph Lumpkin has been enlarged to include new research on the Books of Enoch, Fallen Angels, the Watchers, and the Nephilim. After presenting extensive historical backgrounds and brilliant translations of The First, Second, and Third Books of Enoch, Lumpkin takes time to piece together a historical narrative of Fallen Angels, the Watcher, and the Nephilim, using his extensive knowledge of ancient texts.
-
-
Lose the echo effect
- By Mark Medbery on 10-29-17
By: Joseph Lumpkin
-
The Great Divide
- Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them
- By: Joseph E. Stiglitz
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Great Divide, Joseph E. Stiglitz expands on the diagnosis he offered in his best-selling book The Price of Inequality and suggests ways to counter America's growing problem. With his signature blend of clarity and passion, Stiglitz argues that inequality is a choice - the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities.
-
-
Disappointing
- By A. Hill on 11-25-15
-
The Accidental Species
- Misunderstandings of Human Evolution
- By: Henry Gee
- Narrated by: Martin Dew
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The idea of a missing link between humanity and our animal ancestors predates evolution and popular science and actually has religious roots in the deist concept of the Great Chain of Being. Yet, the metaphor has lodged itself in the contemporary imagination, and new fossil discoveries are often hailed in headlines as revealing the elusive transitional step, the moment when we stopped being "animal" and started being "human". In The Accidental Species, Henry Gee, longtime paleontology editor at Nature, takes aim at this misleading notion.
-
-
Too much minutiae, please get to the point already!
- By D. Hellmann on 07-22-17
By: Henry Gee
-
Enabling Acts
- The Hidden Story of How the Americans With Disabilities Act Gave the Largest US Minority Its Rights
- By: Lennard Davis
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first significant book on the history and impact of the ADA - the "eyes on the prize" moment for disability rights. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the widest-ranging and most comprehensive piece of civil rights legislation ever passed in the United States, and it has become the model for disability-based laws around the world. Yet the surprising story behind how the bill came to be is little known.
-
-
this book is so informative
- By Anonymous User on 01-10-23
By: Lennard Davis
-
New Startup Mindset
- Ten Mindset Shifts to Build the Company of Your Dreams
- By: Sandra Shpilberg
- Narrated by: Cassandra Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sandra Shpilberg will show you a new way to succeed as an entrepreneur! This provocative startup tale of success exposes Silicon Valley’s startup myths and sets forth a new approach for aspiring and current founders to build companies that make an impact. In New Startup Mindset, Sandra Shpilberg, founder and CEO of Seeker Health, introduces a new mind-set for starting and building a successful company.
By: Sandra Shpilberg
-
Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln
- 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers
- By: James C. Humes
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this book, you'll discover how Napoleon Bonaparte mastered the use of the pregnant pause to grab attention, how Lady Margaret Thatcher punctuated her most serious speeches with the use of subtle props, how Ronald Reagan could win even the most hostile crowd with carefully timed wit, and much, much more. Whether you're addressing a small nation or a large staff meeting, you'll want to master the tips and tricks in Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln.
-
-
WHAT SPEAKING IS ALL ABOUT
- By J. Jason on 02-20-12
By: James C. Humes
-
The Enneagram of Belonging
- A Compassionate Journey of Self-Acceptance
- By: Christopher L. Heuertz
- Narrated by: Christopher L. Heuertz
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While most contemporary Enneagram books stop at the descriptions of the nine types, Enneagram teacher and The Sacred Enneagram best-selling author Chris Heuertz uncovers the missing link in our journey of living into our true self: radical self-compassion that can bring us back to belonging. Rather than get stuck on stereotypes or curated personality, Heuertz proposes we develop an honest relationship with our type, confronting our "inner dragons," practicing self-compassion, and thereby coming to fully belong to ourselves - and, ultimately, to love itself.
-
-
Interesting but please let someone else read it !
- By Elaine Polkhovsky on 05-22-20
-
The Body
- A Guide for Occupants
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body - how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted."
-
-
Must Read for the Sheer Fun of It
- By J.B. on 10-16-19
By: Bill Bryson
-
A Short History of Nearly Everything
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science. Although he doesn't know anything about the subject (at first), he is eager to learn, and takes information that he gets from the world's leading experts and explains it to us in a way that makes it exciting and relevant.
-
-
The Only Book I reread imediatley after reading
- By Andrew on 11-09-09
By: Bill Bryson
What listeners say about How to Speak Science
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ron Garner
- 03-02-21
Great read
The narrator fornthis book made the story. was interested in the subject matter , was not prepared for the work of the narrator to be so grossly enthralling. He made the book come alive
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- P. C.
- 10-21-21
People Magazine
Do you have a subscription to People Magazine? LoL :-)
Wonderful book as read in Audible. Well-done.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Caro
- 06-01-21
Education Entertainment Excellence
Very enjoyable format and execution. There was actually more detailed information and details than I expected. The humor and presentation were interesting and the narrator nailed the tone .
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-18-22
Interesting delivery of information
Enjoyable history of science and related material. Was a good refresher for me and an enjoyable presentation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Walter
- 03-31-23
best book ever
This book is quite literally hands down the best book I have ever listened to in my life. thank you for this please write another one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 12-30-20
Brilliant!
Vcause's Michael Stevens was a reaal treat!!
Also Story, Narration, Everything is tweaked to approach its best.
A Science book which is much more enjoyable than a Novel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joseph
- 07-04-21
Presented in a discovery mode
In the beginning this book seemed like it targeted high school students, or people with non-scientific backgrounds and perhaps it does but not exclusively. I have a science background and although I easily followed much of the book some parts I had to replay several times to understand.
The book presents ideas in a somewhat chronological order so it shows how scientific understanding develops. Additionally, it’s presented in a conversational manner with periodic humor. The book, and especially the narrator, make it a very entertaining listen. I highly recommend this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Meaghan
- 03-15-24
The narrator and personal, humorous tone of the text made it fun learning
Loved everything. A suggestion- There are 100 chapters and no chapter titles, making it difficult to find the topics I want to repeat. Can Audible add chapter titles?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mark Dorman
- 05-05-21
Crazy good!
This is very near the top of my list of favorite science books. little wasted time, all meat. Awesome narrator!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-06-21
So informative. Great audiobook.
Loaded with fascinating and relevant information that is so beautiful what you hear it. I’m going to listen to it a second time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!