Technology Nonfiction

What does it take to be a STEM genius? Check out these exciting, highly listenable profiles of a dozen contemporary women who are on the cutting edge of scientific research.

At least as far back as the ancient myth of Icarus, humans longed to fly - but it wasn't until December 17, 1903, on the windy dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, that the dream finally came true. And it was all thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright, two former bicycle mechanics who built their first toy plane - a rubber-band powered rotary - when they were just children.

Hey guys! It's me, A.K. Blakely, back with the second edition to incredible animal facts! If you bought the last book, welcome back and thank you for your support. If you are new to the series, welcome aboard! We are so happy to have you join us in our journey of learning about the animal kingdom! In the first book, we looked at the animals that we as humans keep as pets. In this edition, we are going to step into the wild and look at reptiles!

In May 1869, the U.S. railroad network unified when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads came together in Promontory, Utah. The Transcontinental Railroad: The Gateway to the West discusses this important milestone in the expansion of the United States and its impact on the nation, both positive and negative. This book tells how the east-west railroad played an integral role in opening western markets to the residents of the eastern United States, but it also examines how the railroad led to the demise of many American Indian groups in the West.

In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope team unveiled the first ever image of a super massive black hole. This inspiring scientific breakthrough took years of hard work, innovative thinking, and a level of global cooperation never seen before. A multinational team of scientists, lead by Dr. Shep Doeleman and Dr. Heino Falkem, used eight of the largest telescopes from around the world to collect more than four million billion bytes of data, which was flown to teams of computer scientists and mathematicians.

With three hearts and blue blood, its gelatinous body unconstrained by jointed limbs or gravity, the octopus seems to be an alien, an inhabitant of another world. It’s baggy, boneless body sprouts eight arms covered with thousands of suckers—suckers that can taste as well as feel. The octopus also has the powers of a superhero: it can shape-shift, change color, squirt ink, pour itself through the tiniest of openings, or jet away through the sea faster than a swimmer can follow.

A trailblazing scientist made famous by her favorite primates, Jane Goodall will forever be linked with the chimpanzees that she's studied for over 50 years. A pioneer in scientific research, she revolutionized longstanding views about chimps, forest conservation, and women in scientific fields. This Up Close biography tells the story of how a demure young woman from London went to Africa and changed the world.

Numerous enterprises have leveraged literary works spanning across eras to steer their Artificial Intelligence down the path of comprehending human existence, with a more distinct focus on crafting top-tier human-like prose. In the realm of education, AI has ingeniously generated an array of refined intellectual compositions.

At least as far back as the ancient myth of Icarus, humans longed to fly - but it wasn't until December 17, 1903, on the windy dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, that the dream finally came true. And it was all thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright, two former bicycle mechanics who built their first toy plane - a rubber-band powered rotary - when they were just children.

In a time when people believed flying was impossible, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier proved that the sky wasn’t the limit. When most thought horseback was the only way to race, Bertha and Karl Benz fired up their engines. From the invention of the bicycle and the passenger steam locomotive to the first liquid-fuel propelled rocket and industrial robot, inventors across the world have redefined travel. Informative and celebratory, this collective biography tells the story of the experiments, failures, and successes of visionaries who changed the way the world moves.

Do you know why goats have rectangular eyes? Or why horses sleep standing up? Or if llamas are ticklish? After listening to this book you will!

Are you worried that your child's low self-esteem will prevent her from pursuing friendships and opportunities to shine? You’re not alone. Almost every parent hopes their kid grows up to be confident in who they are and content in their own skin.

Welcome to the United States of America! The USA is the third largest country in the world and also, one of the most beautiful. It is full of lakes and rivers, mountains and canyons, beaches and deserts. It has many different trees and flowers and all sorts of different crops grown for use as food. And, of course, America has birds and animals of all kinds. Last, but not least, the United States has about 300 million people from many different backgrounds and cultures.

How did the colonists of Jamestown and Maryland live and die? Forensic anthropology provides an incredible array of answers. Scientists can look into a grave and determine the skeleton's gender, age at time of death, nationality, and sometimes even economic standing within minutes. Laboratory studies can provide cause of death information.

In the history of life on this planet, 99.9 percent of all species have gone extinct. But a few have survived almost unchanged. Author Rebecca E. Hirsch introduces listeners to six living fossils, including the chambered nautilus, the horseshoe crab with its sticky blue blood, and venomous platypuses that sting, as well as a comprehensive explanation of evolution and extinction for listeners who may not be familiar with the terms yet.

In Elkhorn Slough, an inlet on the California coast, seagrass grows healthy and strong in the shallow water. This healthy seagrass baffled marine biologist Brent Hughes. The scientist expected this estuary to be overrun with algae, causing the seagrass to die. Why was the seagrass thriving? As Brent investigated, signs pointed to an unexpected player helping to keep the seagrass healthy: sea otters! What do these top predators have to do with an aquatic grass at the opposite end of the food chain?

Best-selling author Claire A. Nivola has won multiple awards for her captivating books introducing historical figures to young audiences. In this critically acclaimed profile of noted oceanographer Sylvia Earle, listeners follow Sylvia as her childhood adventures in the Gulf of Mexico help inspire her life’s work: discovering the secrets of “the blue heart of the planet”.

Hot air balloons are huge and colorful. They're lots of fun to watch. But how do they fly? And how do people control where the hot air balloon goes? Listen to this audiobook to find out!

Would you want to swoop through the air like a bird? Riding a hang glider is a fun way to fly. But a hang glider has no motor. How does the pilot take off? How does the hang glider stay in the air? Learn the answers in this audiobook!

Jets are sleek and powerful. They travel very fast. But how do these heavy planes fly? And how do pilots land them? Listen to this audiobook to find out!