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The Science of Sci-Fi
- From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel
- Narrated by: Erin Macdonald
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
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Publisher's summary
Science fiction allows us to go places we can only dream of seeing - other worlds, distant stars, entirely different galaxies. While not every story is concerned with the hard science behind space travel and other futuristic ventures, fiction can give us amazing insight into what we could be capable of and what we dream of doing.
In the 10 lectures of The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel, Professor Erin Macdonald interweaves real science and the achievements of the imagination to reveal the truth that underlies our favorite stories and sheds light on what the future may hold. From faster-than-light travel to journeys through time itself, science fiction makes humanity seem limitless. So, what scientific boundaries are we pushing against as we seek to fly among the stars?
Beginning with an overview of the physics of time and space as we know them, Professor Macdonald shows how stories extrapolate current knowledge to create visions of the future and how likely - or unlikely - these fictional journeys could be. What would happen if a spaceship flew into a wormhole, as it does in the film Galaxy Quest? Or, if you prefer video games, what would happen if you fired a rocket launcher on the Moon like the soldiers of Mass Effect? Could we ever break the bounds of light speed as they do in Star Wars and move across the universe without spending decades trying to make it to a distant exoplanet? Is the transporter technology of Star Trek really possible?
As you look closely at artificial gravity, inertial dampeners, tachyons, red matter, time dilation, and other sci-fi mainstays through the theories of some of science’s greatest thinkers, you will find that your favorite science fiction stories become even more astonishing.
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About the Professor
Dr. Erin Macdonald is an astrophysicist, science fiction consultant, aerospace engineer, and host of the online series, Dr. Erin Explains the Universe. Her specialty is in general relativity, having previously worked in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration searching for gravitational waves. She has since found her home in science fiction, consulting with writers, teaching STEM through popular culture, and fulfilling her life goal of becoming a warp drive expert.
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- By: Marty Cagan
- Narrated by: Marty Cagan
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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How do today's most successful tech companies - Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla - design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently from the vast majority of tech companies. In Inspired, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides listeners with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love.
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Great book, terrible audio wanted to ask a refund
- By Srikanth Ramanujam on 11-15-18
By: Marty Cagan
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Welcome to the Universe
- An Astrophysical Tour
- By: Michael A. Strauss, J. Richard Gott, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel.
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All About What We Know About the Universe - ALL
- By J.B. on 02-17-17
By: Michael A. Strauss, and others
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Letters from an Astrophysicist
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Vikas Adam, Piper Goodeve, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of 100 letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto.
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Dear Neil...
- By Tina G. on 10-14-19
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Naked Statistics
- Stripping the Dread from the Data
- By: Charles Wheelan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you'll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more.
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Starts well then becomes non-Audible
- By Michael on 09-07-13
By: Charles Wheelan
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Ranger Confidential
- Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks
- By: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Julia Motyka
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The real stories behind the scenery of America’s national parks. For 12 years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
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Depressing from Cover to Cover
- By Drew (@drewsant) on 04-13-15
By: Andrea Lankford
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Good freshman high school lecture
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Excellent Course; Particularly as Review
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The Space Race
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A century ago very few people dreamed of space travel. Today it is the most daring and technologically sophisticated quest ever undertaken, being driven not just by government agencies such as NASA and ESA, but also by visionaries such as Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), Elon Musk (SpaceX) and Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin). To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing, this major drama-documentary series charts the definitive story of the past, present and future of humankind’s exploration of space. The Space Race is narrated by Kate Mulgrew and features a full cast.
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All Nonfiction Parts GREAT but Fiction Bad
- By Catherine Puma on 03-18-20
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
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- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Audible’s Best Science Offering, A Gem
- By MikeB on 12-08-18
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Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses
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Athena Aktipis of Arizona State University is a self-professed apocalypse enthusiast, and as the host of the podcast Zombified, she knows the undead inside and out. With Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses, she’s compiled her research and insights into a fascinating Audible Original that will have you thinking deeper about all those shambling, brain-hungry corpses in pop culture—not to mention our everyday lives. Drawing on years of research on zombies and zombification, these six lessons offer a fun way to explore and understand the many forces that influence us.
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Good attempt, lackluster execution
- By R. MCRACKAN on 10-14-23
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Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy
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The science fiction genre has become increasingly influential in mainstream popular culture, evolving into one of the most engaging storytelling tools we use to think about technology and consider the shape of the future. Along the way, it has also become one of the major lenses we use to explore important philosophical questions. The origins of science fiction are most often thought to trace to Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, a story born from a night of spooky tale-telling by the fireside that explores scientific, moral, and ethical questions that were of great concern in the 19th century - and that continue to resonate today.
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Weak philosophy loaded with misapplied facts and personal bias
- By KENDRA GOODMAN on 11-22-18
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Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime
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Gravity controls everything from the falling of an apple to the rising of ocean’s tides to the motions of the heavens above. If you’ve ever wondered how this most puzzling force works across our entire universe, you will be delighted by this 24-part course that is accessible to any curious person, regardless of your science education. No other product on the market presents the subject of gravity in as much detail as this course, which will follow the past 400 years of research and experimentation in the field.
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Good freshman high school lecture
- By Ron A. Parsons on 01-29-19
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Thermodynamics: Four Laws That Move the Universe
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Nothing has had a more profound impact on the development of modern civilization than thermodynamics. Thermodynamic processes are at the heart of everything that involves heat, energy, and work, making an understanding of the subject indispensable for careers in engineering, physical science, biology, meteorology, and even nutrition and culinary arts. Get an in-depth tour of this vital and fascinating science in 24 enthralling lectures suitable for everyone from science novices to experts who wish to review elementary concepts and formulas.
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Excellent Course; Particularly as Review
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The Space Race
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A century ago very few people dreamed of space travel. Today it is the most daring and technologically sophisticated quest ever undertaken, being driven not just by government agencies such as NASA and ESA, but also by visionaries such as Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), Elon Musk (SpaceX) and Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin). To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing, this major drama-documentary series charts the definitive story of the past, present and future of humankind’s exploration of space. The Space Race is narrated by Kate Mulgrew and features a full cast.
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All Nonfiction Parts GREAT but Fiction Bad
- By Catherine Puma on 03-18-20
By: Colin Brake, and others
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Audible’s Best Science Offering, A Gem
- By MikeB on 12-08-18
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Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses
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Athena Aktipis of Arizona State University is a self-professed apocalypse enthusiast, and as the host of the podcast Zombified, she knows the undead inside and out. With Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses, she’s compiled her research and insights into a fascinating Audible Original that will have you thinking deeper about all those shambling, brain-hungry corpses in pop culture—not to mention our everyday lives. Drawing on years of research on zombies and zombification, these six lessons offer a fun way to explore and understand the many forces that influence us.
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Good attempt, lackluster execution
- By R. MCRACKAN on 10-14-23
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Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy
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- Narrated by: Professor David K. Johnson PhD University of Oklahoma
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Weak philosophy loaded with misapplied facts and personal bias
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Understanding the Misconceptions of Science
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Consider these commonly held scientific beliefs: Planetary orbits are fixed ellipses; we only use 10 percent of our brains; nothing travels faster than light; a thrown object’s trajectory is a parabola. They seem correct, but they’re all misconceptions that aren’t entirely accurate. There’s much more to the story than you think. These magnificent 24 lectures are devoted to busting myths, clearing up confusion, and giving you scientific epiphanies that could change how you think about your everyday world.
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This title may do more harm than good for some readers.
- By Rick on 01-28-20
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Creation Stories of the Ancient World
- By: Joseph Lam, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Joseph Lam
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
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Creation stories, found within many ancient cultures, are traditional accounts of the origins of the universe, the earth, and humanity. Often embodied as epic poetry, and told through the acts of divine beings, creation stories illuminate the values, beliefs, and creeds of the earliest civilizations. As such, these stories show us how early cultures made sense of the human condition, in theological, philosophical, and political terms. These 12 dynamic and thought-provoking lectures offer you a penetrating look at the origin stories of the great civilizations of the Mediterranean.
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great survey of Ancient Creation stories
- By Anthony Alemany on 07-13-23
By: Joseph Lam, and others
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No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
- By: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
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What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom, life has continued to exert a profound attraction.
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Good for even a non-existentialist
- By Gary on 07-24-15
By: Robert C. Solomon, and others
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Light Falls
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Best-selling author, superstar physicist, and cofounder of the World Science Festival Brian Greene (The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos) and an ensemble cast led by award-winning actor Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) perform this dramatic story tracing Albert Einstein's discovery of the general theory of relativity.
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An enjoyable deviation from standard Non-Fiction
- By Heath on 10-25-16
By: Brian Greene
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Neuroscience of Everyday Life
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Sam Wang
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
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Your nervous system is you. All the thoughts, perceptions, moods, passions, and dreams that make you an active, sentient being are the work of this amazing network of cells. For many centuries, people knew this was true. But no one was sure how it happened. Now, thanks to the exciting new field of neuroscience, we can chart the workings of the brain and the rest of the nervous system in remarkable detail to explain how neurons, synapses, neurotransmitters, and other biological processes produce all the experiences of everyday life, in every stage of life.
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Release date!
- By Amazon Customer on 04-03-19
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The Big Mysteries of Human Evolution
- By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dr. Elen Feurriegel
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
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In 10 riveting episodes, paleoanthropologist Elen Feuerriegel takes you on an unrivaled tour of the human fossil record in search of the biological and behavioral underpinnings of our very “humanness”.
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Fascinating lecture
- By M Hester on 04-15-22
By: Dr. Elen Feuerriegel, and others
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Medical Mysteries Across History
- By: Roy Benaroch MD, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Roy Benaroch MD
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
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In these 10 eye-opening lectures by a practicing doctor and medical educator, you’ll walk through a series of medical mystery cases ripped from history and involving well-known historical figures whose identities are nevertheless hidden from you. Every one of these cases requires you to use your detective skills to identify and diagnose the mystery patient just like the doctors that attended them. In the process, you’ll learn fascinating insights into medicine: both the medicine that was practiced thousands of years ago and the medicine doctors practice today.
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delightful
- By Amazon Customer on 03-14-20
By: Roy Benaroch MD, and others
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The Life and Death of Stars
- By: Keivan G. Stassun, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Keivan G. Stassun
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
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We understand the stars at a much deeper level, not as legendary figures connected with constellations, but as engines of matter, energy, and the raw material of life itself. The Life and Death of Stars introduces you to this story in 24 half-hour lectures that lead you through the essential ideas of astrophysics - the science of stars. Your guide is Professor Stassun, an award-winning teacher and noted astrophysicist. He provides lively, eloquent, and authoritative explanations at a level suitable for science novices as well as for those who already know their way around the starry sky.
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Stassun keeps referring to visual material
- By pondo on 12-27-18
By: Keivan G. Stassun, and others
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Black Holes Explained
- By: Alex Filippenko, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Alex Filippenko
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Imagine a region in space where the force of gravity is so strong that nothing - not even light - can escape. This phenomenon is a black hole: one of the most exotic, mind-boggling, and profound subjects in astrophysics. Nearly everyone has heard of black holes, but few people outside of complex scientific fields understand their true nature and their implications for our universe. No movie, novel, or other fictional treatment of black holes matches Professor Filippenko’s absorbing presentation of the actual science behind these amazing objects.
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Based on material from 2009
- By John L Orrell on 04-09-19
By: Alex Filippenko, and others
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A History of Video Games
- By: Jeremy Parish, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jeremy Parish
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Original Recording
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Since their arrival in the mid-20th century, video games have become a sprawling, multi-billion dollar business. On an annual basis, the industry is even more profitable than Hollywood. Today’s video games feature stunning, lifelike visuals and complex storylines - but they didn’t start out that way. The origin of video games can be traced back to World War II. In the 10 lectures of A History of Video Games, listeners will follow the development of the digital game from its roots in the war room to its proliferation in the 21st-century living room.
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A fairly shallow and disjointed series of lectures
- By Michael G. Matrix on 01-31-22
By: Jeremy Parish, and others
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Origins, Revised and Updated
- Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution
- By: Donald Goldsmith, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Our true origins are not only human, or even terrestrial, but in fact cosmic. Drawing on recent scientific breakthroughs and cross-pollination among geology, biology, astrophysics, and cosmology, Origins illuminates the soul-stirring leaps in our understanding of the cosmos. This newly revised and updated edition features such startling discoveries as the more than 5,000 newly detected exoplanets that shed light on the origins of and possibilities for life in the cosmos.
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There is nothing here
- By Hermanubis on 12-30-22
By: Donald Goldsmith, and others
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Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works
- By: Maureen Corrigan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Maureen Corrigan
- Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Throughout the 24 lectures of Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works, author and book critic Professor Maureen Corrigan of Georgetown University will take you on a tour of some of the most challenged and controversial works of literature, from the plays of Shakespeare to 21st-century best-sellers—even including the dictionary and classic fairy tales. You will trace the history, in the United States and Great Britain, of the challenges to books, the censoring of books, book bans, and even burnings.
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Literary Value
- By Mark on 02-06-23
By: Maureen Corrigan, and others
What listeners say about The Science of Sci-Fi
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- John Sestak
- 04-02-20
Take The Course
Erin does a fantastic job matching the reality of current science to the science we take for granted in our favorite science fiction stories, movies, TV shows. She is very knowledgeable, plus a serious Sci-Fi fan!! And that marriage makes this book a great listen!
I learned a great deal about basic physics and was retaught things that I had learned years ago in high school and college. Erin explained things in a very straight forward manner which isn't always easy to do with Physics. And when she applied our current knowledge to how the Sci-Fi science might actually work, she did a great job in offering possibilities and explanations.
I thoroughly enjoyed the listen and I believe anyone else would that has any interest in these areas!!
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- Abdullah
- 05-22-20
Interesting
Very interesting and informative. The only issue with this book is the overuse of the word „Fun“.
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- Alex B.
- 07-20-21
Incredible!!
This was am amazing reading that I will never forget or erase from my device! I absolutely loved the meshing of sci-fi to science fact and I thought it was done very well. Thank you so much for creating this. I would be very interested in reading/listening to more like it!
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-03-21
Such an unexpected pleasure!
I happened onto this title and am now sharing it with many.
I’ve little experience with Sci-Fi or much science education. However, blessed with a curious mind, this book can be a portal to both.
What an imaginative and practical way to explain many high level scientific topics!
I now actually want to check out many of the movies and programs referenced and keep Googling some of the topics.
It could take several ‘listens’ just to recall some of the terms she used.
Entertaining and time well spent. A+++
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-06-20
Geek Like Me
This series is wonderful and inspiring. As a practical scientist (engineer) I know enough to go "Yeah, knew that" but I also thought "wow" when learning about the new advances and all of the thought experiments used to develop and grow the science. Erin teaches the state of current physics with all or our beloved science fiction technobable connected (and not connected) in the stars.
Erin's voice work is warm, friendly and inviting. While her presentation is fun, playful and inspiring.
Definitely on my list to relisten.
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- Brion
- 01-15-20
Just right for my taste
A good amount of current physics described at an appropriate level for most who are SciFi buffs. You still will not be able to find any way to make a Warp drive, but this provides some insight into how SciFi shows attempt to make things sound plausible.
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- Jeff M
- 03-18-20
Science explanation mixed with humor
How could I not like a great course where the author sprinkles in examples from my favorite shows like Babylon 5, Star Trek, and the Expanse? I wish that I listened this to great course lecture before embarking on Einstein His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson because I struggled with the science. Professor MacDonald's lecture imparted a better understanding of Einstein's basic theories.
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- Anonymous User
- 05-28-20
perfect narrator
I could listen to this book over and over she was great. I picture her quite beautiful but nerdy big bang nerdy though so cool lol
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- S. De La Torre
- 09-14-20
Great fun, both for science nerds and scifi geeks!
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I appreciated Dr Erin's enthusiasm for the topic. She explained complex topics will with perfect examples from tv shows we've all seen.
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- Kevin J. Bouffard
- 03-29-20
Don’ need to be a scientist
Pretty clear explanations for a non-scientist with no background in the topics. It merits repeated listening.
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