There's a 1 in 10 chance you're not breathing correctly. James Nestor wants to help.

Science journalist James Nestor joins us this week to discuss Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (Riverhead, May 26), a functional and historical exploration of human breathing.

According to this bracing investigation, our breathing actually became worse as the species evolved and adapted to new technologies. Nestor (Deep, 2014) wanted to know why that was, and what, if anything, we could do about it.

From Paris to São Paulo and beyond, he met with breathing experts and enthusiasts, from pulmonologists, therapists, and forensic anthropologists, to “pulmonauts,” whose breathing hacks proved the human body capable of unbelievable feats of healing and strength. He tried their treatments and techniques to see if the average person stood to improve their breathing and health.

In this episode, Nestor and host Megan Labrise discuss what went wrong with our respiratory system over the last few thousand years, what it means to breathe correctly, news stories about pulse oximeters and sleep tape, and the art (and science) of journalism.

Then young readers’ editors Vicky Smith and Laura Simeon and nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau share their reading recommendations for the week.

Editors’ picks:

Yorick and Bones by Jeremy Tankard and Hermione Tankard (HarperAlley)

Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini (Delacorte)

This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey From Refugee to Congresswoman by Ilhan Omar (Dey Street)

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.