The Science of Why
Answers to Questions About the World Around Us
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Narrated by:
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Jay Ingram
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Written by:
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Jay Ingram
About this listen
Ever wonder why onions make you cry? Or why lizards do pushups? Or why leaves change color in the fall?
Don't worry, you're not alone. Acclaimed science writer and broadcaster Jay Ingram wonders the same things. After a long career of asking important questions (does time speed up as we age? How much Neanderthal is in me? Why do some animals throw their feces?), he's here to put our scientific quandaries to rest. In this insightful, witty book for curious listeners of all ages, Jay shares his favorite head scratchers and mind benders, settling pressing questions, such as....
- What is déjà vu?
- Why were Tyrannosaurus rex's arms so short?
- Why are you plagued by mosquitoes while your friends aren't?
- Does your cat actually like you?
- What is déjà vu?
...along with everything you ever wondered about human echolocation, Bigfoot, and farts (though not all at once).
Chock-full of fun science facts (and fictions), this book will delight and surprise your inner science geek.
Spoiler: She actually thinks you're a larger, dumber version of her mother.
©2016 Mr. Science Productions Inc. (P)2017 Audible, Inc.You may also enjoy...
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The Science of Why 2
- Answers to Questions About the Universe, the Unknown and Ourselves
- Written by: Jay Ingram
- Narrated by: Jay Ingram
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Best-selling author and commentator Jay Ingram is back to explain the magic and mysteries of the world around us. Jay takes listeners on a tour of the universe, exploring wonders big and small. From the farthest reaches of space to the most perplexing historical riddles to the marvels of who we are and what we're made of, Jay answers the important questions, such as: What's inside a black hole? Will machines ever learn to feel? And how much pee is in the average pool?
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A fun & interesting listen
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-09-18
Written by: Jay Ingram
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Liquid Rules
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- Written by: Mark Miodownik
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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We all know that without water we couldn't survive, and that sometimes a cup of coffee or a glass of wine feels just as vital. But do we really understand how much we rely on liquids, or the destructive power they hold? Set over the course of a flight from London to San Francisco, Liquid Rules offers listeners a fascinating tour of these formless substances, told through the language of molecules, droplets, heartbeats, and ocean waves.
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delightful
- By LeAnna Kolbuch on 2021-04-12
Written by: Mark Miodownik
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How To
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- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
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For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.
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Dumb
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Humble Pi
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- Narrated by: Matt Parker
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Missing something from the physical book
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Written by: Matt Parker
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Is Earth Exceptional?
- The Quest for Cosmic Life
- Written by: Mario Livio PhD, Jack Szostak PhD
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
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For a long time, scientists have wondered how life has emerged from inanimate chemistry, and whether Earth is the only place where it exists. Charles Darwin speculated about life on Earth beginning in a warm little pond. Some of his contemporaries believed that life existed on Mars. It once seemed inevitable that the truth would be known by now. It is not. For more than a century, the origins and extent of life have remained shrouded in mystery. But, as Mario Livio and Jack Szostak reveal in Is Earth Exceptional?, the veil is finally lifting.
Written by: Mario Livio PhD, and others
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How to Survive History
- How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes
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History is the most dangerous place on earth. From dinosaurs the size of locomotives to meteors big enough to sterilize the planet, from famines to pandemics, from tornadoes to the Chicxulub asteroid, the odds of human survival are slim but not zero—at least, not if you know where to go and what to do. In each chapter of How to Survive History, Cody Cassidy explores how to survive one of history’s greatest threats: getting eaten by dinosaurs, being destroyed by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, succumbing to the lava flows of Pompeii, being devoured by the Donner Party, and more.
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Thought provoking
- By MR on 2024-02-21
Written by: Cody Cassidy
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The Science of Why 2
- Answers to Questions About the Universe, the Unknown and Ourselves
- Written by: Jay Ingram
- Narrated by: Jay Ingram
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author and commentator Jay Ingram is back to explain the magic and mysteries of the world around us. Jay takes listeners on a tour of the universe, exploring wonders big and small. From the farthest reaches of space to the most perplexing historical riddles to the marvels of who we are and what we're made of, Jay answers the important questions, such as: What's inside a black hole? Will machines ever learn to feel? And how much pee is in the average pool?
-
-
A fun & interesting listen
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-09-18
Written by: Jay Ingram
-
Liquid Rules
- The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives
- Written by: Mark Miodownik
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all know that without water we couldn't survive, and that sometimes a cup of coffee or a glass of wine feels just as vital. But do we really understand how much we rely on liquids, or the destructive power they hold? Set over the course of a flight from London to San Francisco, Liquid Rules offers listeners a fascinating tour of these formless substances, told through the language of molecules, droplets, heartbeats, and ocean waves.
-
-
delightful
- By LeAnna Kolbuch on 2021-04-12
Written by: Mark Miodownik
-
How To
- Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems
- Written by: Randall Munroe
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.
-
-
Dumb
- By NK on 2023-03-07
Written by: Randall Munroe
-
Humble Pi
- When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World
- Written by: Matt Parker
- Narrated by: Matt Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the bizarre ways math trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.
-
-
Missing something from the physical book
- By A on 2020-02-01
Written by: Matt Parker
-
Is Earth Exceptional?
- The Quest for Cosmic Life
- Written by: Mario Livio PhD, Jack Szostak PhD
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a long time, scientists have wondered how life has emerged from inanimate chemistry, and whether Earth is the only place where it exists. Charles Darwin speculated about life on Earth beginning in a warm little pond. Some of his contemporaries believed that life existed on Mars. It once seemed inevitable that the truth would be known by now. It is not. For more than a century, the origins and extent of life have remained shrouded in mystery. But, as Mario Livio and Jack Szostak reveal in Is Earth Exceptional?, the veil is finally lifting.
Written by: Mario Livio PhD, and others
-
How to Survive History
- How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes
- Written by: Cody Cassidy
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
History is the most dangerous place on earth. From dinosaurs the size of locomotives to meteors big enough to sterilize the planet, from famines to pandemics, from tornadoes to the Chicxulub asteroid, the odds of human survival are slim but not zero—at least, not if you know where to go and what to do. In each chapter of How to Survive History, Cody Cassidy explores how to survive one of history’s greatest threats: getting eaten by dinosaurs, being destroyed by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, succumbing to the lava flows of Pompeii, being devoured by the Donner Party, and more.
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Thought provoking
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On September 11, 1999, humanity made a monumental discovery in the vastness of space. Scientists uncovered an asteroid of immense scientific importance—a colossal celestial entity. As massive as an aircraft carrier and towering as high as the iconic Empire State Building, this cosmic titan was later named Bennu. Remarkable for much more than its size, Bennu belonged to a rare breed of asteroids capable of revealing the essence of life itself. But just as Bennu became a beacon of promise, researchers identified a grave danger.
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Stuff You Should Know
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- Narrated by: Chuck Bryant, Josh Clark
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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From the duo behind the massively successful and award-winning podcast Stuff You Should Know comes an unexpected look at things you thought you knew. Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant started the podcast Stuff You Should Know back in 2008 because they were curious - curious about the world around them, curious about what they might have missed in their formal educations, and curious to dig deeper on stuff they thought they understood.
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Content is good but the performance is not.
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What would you do if a time machine hurled you thousands of years into the past...and then broke? How would you survive? With this book as your guide, you'll survive - and thrive - in any period in Earth's history. Best-selling author and time-travel enthusiast Ryan North tells you how to invent all the modern conveniences we take for granted - from first principles. This manual contains all the science, engineering, art, philosophy, facts, and figures required for even the most clueless time traveler to build a civilization from the ground up.
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A good way to make the day go by
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No matter how #blessed you are, sometimes life can feel downright overwhelming. Whether it's a breakup or divorce, the loss of a job, or even a global pandemic, you may need a little extra help managing the difficult emotions that can arise when things are not going so great. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a proven-effective and evidence-based treatment that can help you find balance and improve your ability to handle adversity without losing control and acting destructively.
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Insightful
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What If? 2
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The millions of people around the world who loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Planning to ride a fire pole from the Moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on an erupting geyser? Okay, if you insist.
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Boring with kid focused questions
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How to Take Over the World
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Bestselling author and award-winning comics writer Ryan North has the answers. In this introduction to the science of comic-book supervillainy, he details a number of outlandish villainous schemes that harness the potential of today’s most advanced technologies. Picking up where How to Invent Everything left off, his explanations are as fun and elucidating as they are completely absurd.
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funny and interesting pop science
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Heavenly Chaos
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Benedict Aaron Rodney had a terrible life for eighteen years. Then, something miraculous happened: the Heavens stepped in, granting him a Sphere. Spontaneous manifestation of a Sphere was very rare, but it happened on occasion. Benedict, while being beaten unconscious and having his bones broken, was suddenly the Holder of a Sphere of Regeneration.
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ok
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The Body
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- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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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."
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Required reading for the self-aware
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Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black monolith. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway.
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Complicated anti-heroes you hate to love!
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Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
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- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Modern humans have come a long way in the 70,000 years they’ve walked the earth. Art, science, culture, trade - on the evolutionary food chain, we’re true winners. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, and sometimes - just occasionally - we’ve managed to truly f--k things up.
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Irritating book
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Written by: Tom Phillips
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Who Ate the First Oyster?
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- Written by: Cody Cassidy
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Who wore the first pants? Who painted the first masterpiece? Who first rode the horse? Who invented soap? This madcap adventure across ancient history uses everything from modern genetics to archaeology to uncover the geniuses behind these and other world-changing innovations. With a sharp sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for the wonders of our ancient ancestors, Who Ate the First Oyster? profiles the perpetrators of the greatest firsts and catastrophes of prehistory.
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Fantastic!
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Written by: Cody Cassidy
What listeners say about The Science of Why
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shannon Graham
- 2024-07-12
Interesting, but sound quality not great
The book itself is interesting, and the reading of it by Jay Ingram is good, but the recording of it was not done well. It sounds hollow and distant. Also, there are times when phrases repeat. Still worth the listen.
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- Britni
- 2018-07-09
Will listen to the next book.
learned the answers to some questions I've always had...at times got boring. I liked the pace of the book. most chapters were interesting.
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- Trevor
- 2024-05-06
fascinating from start to finish
this was a fun and informative listen, with each chapter the perfect length for commuting.
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- Kathryn
- 2019-09-25
This book reminds me how awesome science is.
I am taking biology for my undergraduate degree and hope to do medicine after this. So I get hit with a lot of science every day and sometimes I wonder why I am doing this to myself when I could have done something easier. Listening to this book reminded me how fun and interesting science can be, and it made me really enjoy learning new science facts again. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has any interest in science or who just likes to learn interesting facts so they can impress their friends. Even people who don't think they like science may be surprised at how much they enjoy this book if they give it a try. So basically, this book is for everyone.
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- Richard Morrison
- 2019-08-21
Great to listen to Jay Ingram again
Our children and I enjoyed Daily Planet for all the years Jay Ingram was host -- between 1995 and 2011.
This was a wonderful, comforting listen, like having a dear old uncle who happens to be a science professor back for a visit.
The second volume is just as good.
As a fellow Canadian, it was nice to hear all the references to Canadian studies and universities as well.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-18
Fun and Interesting
I enjoyed the concept of this book. It explains concepts in easy and understandable language. #Audible1
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