BookLab

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.

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.

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

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.

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.