BookLab

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.