Twenty-five essays written by high-powered scientists look at what the future holds for their discipline. Most authors start with the status quo to provide background for their look forward, with an evolutionary biologist predicting a cheap gene analysis that will predict our natural end. Having three good readers adept at esoteric scientific vocabulary and taking turns with the brief compositions allows listeners to realize when the author has changed. They also demonstrate how a skilled narrator can add a nice flavor to insipid facts. The sophistication of the articles may challenge nonscience majors but will thrill minds looking for audiobooks a cut above the usual bestseller.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 739301500
Publisher: Random House Audible
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The author describes her efforts to implement a meaningful sustainability initiative for Wales and the world at large. An educator and minister of the environment, sustainability, and housing in her tiny country, she's a wonderful narrator who sounds at once relaxed and passionate, likable and dignified. Her voice is a perfect vehicle for amplifying her humanitarian intentions as well as the breadth of her methodical thinking. But what makes this audio so inspiring are the personal asides she shares throughout concerning her willingness to be vulnerable and her calm resolve to do something for the world's future generations. Davidson's descriptions of the laborious process of cultural transformation would have been dry listening without her pleasing UK speaking voice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Lisa Flanagan has a wonderful vocal personality--lithe with a broad palette of pitch patterns and a range of believable emotional tones. Her friendly voice works well with this lighthearted overview of how dramatically the Internet has changed the world in the past 30 years. Though being digitally connected has improved life in many ways, the author says we've lost many of the interpersonal experiences that used to sustain us. We have less privacy, don't need all those reference books, and have largely forgotten how to have vocal conversations with other people. The audiobook is entertaining nostalgia for anyone who feels incompetent navigating the World Wide Web, and a soothing reminder that those of us who miss the simplicity of the pre-Internet era are not alone.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593418055
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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