Science - General

A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING

by Bill Bryson

read by Richard Ratcliffe

running time 20hrs

In his attempt to understand everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilisation, Bill Bryson has looked at complex scientific theories and made them comprehensible to everyone. He has also revealed the world in a way most of us have never seen before.

ABOUT THE SIZE OF IT

by Warwick Cairns

read by Christian Rodska

running time 2hrs 54mins

A serious but seriously funny book about measuring things that tells us how our weights and measures came about and how they were formed by the one guiding principle of measurement no one ever mentions.

BAD SCIENCE

by Ben Goldacre

read by Rupert Farley

running time 13hrs 15mins

Everyone has their own 'bad science' moments, encompassing everything from the useless pie charts on the back of cereal boxes to the use of the word 'visibly' in cosmetics adverts. Ben Goldacre takes the reader on a hilarious, invigorating and informative journey through the world of bad science.

CAT SENSE: THE FELINE ENIGMA REVEALED

by John Bradshaw

read by Jim Swingler

running time 13hrs

Cats need not so much our sympathy, but our understanding, if they are to continue to enjoy our companionship. The recent surge in feline science means we are now better equipped to understand them than ever before. Cat Sense offers us, for the first time, a true picture of one of humanity's closest and most enigmatic companions.

DO NO HARM

by Henry Marsh

read by Jim Barclay

running time 9hrs 45mins

One of the country's top neurosurgeons gives a rare insight into the intense drama of the operating theatre, the chaos and confusion of a modern hospital, the exquisite complexity of the human brain, and the blunt instrument that is the surgeon's knife, by comparison.

ICEMAN

by Brenda Fowler

read by Jim Swingler

running time 13hrs 20mins

In 1991 scientists announced the discovery of a well-preserved Stone Age man in an alpine glacier. He had been literally deep-frozen for 5,000 years. This is the story of what happened next.

LONGITUDE

by Dava Sobel

read by Patricia Knight-Webb

running time 5hrs 15mins

In 1714 clockmaker John Harrison took up the challenge to solve the longitude problem, and thus began a 40 year obsession and epic scientific quest to build the perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer.

ON GIANT'S SHOULDERS

by Melvyn Bragg

read by Tony Lister

running time 9hrs 15mins

A study of twelve great scientists, from Archimedes to Crick & Watson, whose discoveries have changed the world.

THE GRAND DESIGN

by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow

read by Steve West

running time 4hrs 30mins

This book seeks to answer the age-old questions about the universe and the nature of reality with some of the latest theories on the subject. It explains model-dependent realism (the idea that there is no one version of reality) and the multiverse concept of reality in which there are many universes.

THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE

by Peter Whitfield

read by Peter Whitfield

running time 5hrs

Peter Whitfield offers a fascinating overview of the major leaps forward in science across the ages. From the mathematical and medical advances of the ancient world, to the Scientific Revolution in the Renaissance, and the groundbreaking developments of the 20th century, he gives a precise chronological account of progress, woven together into an exciting story of intellectual discovery.

THE PERIODIC TABLE

by Primo Levi

read by Neville Jason

running time 9hrs 30mins

Consisting of twenty-one short stories, each possessing the name of a chemical element, this collection tells of the author’s experiences as a Jewish-Italian chemist before, during and after Auschwitz. In luminous, clear, and unfailingly beautiful prose, it has been named the best science book ever by the Royal Institution of Great Britain and is considered to be Levi’s crowning achievement.

UNWEAVING THE RAINBOW: SCIENCE, DELUSION AND THE APPETITE FOR WONDER

by Richard Dawkins

read by John Hobday

running time 15hrs

Keats accused Newton of destroying the poetry of the rainbow by explaining the origin of its colours. Here, Richard Dawkins argues that Keats could not have been more mistaken, and shows how an understanding of science enhances our wonder of the world. He argues that mysteries do not lose their poetry because they are solved: the solution is often more beautiful than the puzzle, uncovering even deeper mysteries.

WATCHING THE ENGLISH

by Kate Fox

read by Jill Johnson

running time 18hrs

Kate Fox takes a revealing look at the quirks, habits and foibles of the English people. From the most famous traits through to the most bizarre reflex reactions, she discovers what these unwritten behaviour codes tell us about Englishness.