Scientific American

Until recently, one idea has dominated research in treating Alzheimer's disease: the amyloid hypothesis. Those therapies have repeatedly fallen short, and in this audiobook we take a look at where that hypothesis stands today. We examine recent research into the spectrum of disease causes, including inflammation and immune dysfunction; cutting-edge treatments, including deep-brain stimulation and magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound; as well as lifestyle interventions that can help protect from disease.

Chronic stress makes people sick. The fight-or-flight response activates our bodies to face immediate threats, but that stress system must turn off to allow organs to recover. Constant anxiety keeps the system active, and in this audiobook we examine the effects of ongoing stress and trauma on both body and mind as well as ways to arm ourselves against adversity by managing stress and building resilience.

Consciousness is more than mere awareness. It's how we experience the world, how we turn input into experience. Once the province of philosophy, religion, or perhaps fantasy, neuroscientists have added a scientific voice to the discussion, using available medical technology to explore just what separates so-called "mind" from brain. In this audiobook, we look at what science has to say about one of humankind's most fundamental, existential mysteries.

In the US, more than half of households have a pet--usually more than one. They're usually considered members of the family, and some of us even call them our "furry children." The strength of the human-pet bond tells us as much or more about ourselves as it does about our pets, and in this audiobook, we look at why dogs and cats behave the way they do and what makes our bond with them so strong.

With global population numbers projected to increase by two billion by 2050, a veritable food crisis is on the horizon. In this audiobook we examine some of the complex factors involved in the coming "food crisis" and the innovative ideas and technologies designed to increase food production sustainably. We also examine current industry methods to increase production and the controversies surrounding them, including not only hot-button issues like genetically modified (or GM) and processed foods, but also food safety and the physical effects of the modern diet.

Burning. Shooting. Stabbing. Sometimes the cause is unknown. Sometimes it begins as the result of an injury. Whatever form it takes, chronic pain often resists treatment. In this audiobook, we examine the latest advances in understanding the pathology of chronic pain and the efforts to find better, nonopioid treatment options including electrical stimulation of nerves, venom from spiders and other creatures, and psychological interventions including virtual-reality therapy and acupuncture.

Take control and retrain your brain to achieve a happier, healthier state of mind. In this audiobook, we examine aspects of daily life that affect mood such as perception, social support, and time management and offer approaches shown to boost contentment, including reframing negative events, increasing resilience through self-compassion, and practicing mindfulness.

Charles Robert Darwin's 1859 landmark book On the Origin of Species introduced the theory of biological evolution to the masses and kicked off a controversy of ideas that persists to this day.Darwin knew he would face religious opposition to a theory of creation that differed from the story in Genesis, but he probably didn't imagine how long that opposition would last. More than 150 years after Origin, the fight over teaching evolution rages on.Creationists, or those who hold the belief that the universe and all life was made by divine creator, have tried to use a myriad of tactics either to ban the teaching of evolution entirely or to have creationism and intelligent design taught alongside one another in public schools. In Evolution vs. Creationism, we take a close look at the rise of Darwinism, the arguments and opposition by the creationist movement, whether faith and science can coexist, and what could happen if the US continues on an antiscience trajectory.With this book, we went from deep in our archives to current events to examine the revolutionary impact of Darwin's theory and the controversy that continues today.

Creativity was long thought to be a gift from the muses, a special quality of a select minority of people. Fortunately, more recent studies have debunked this belief and have shown promise for techniques to help us all boost our creative potential. Nature gives some people a genetic edge, but nurture has a large role in developing creative genius. In this audiobook, we look at this difficult-to-define quality from all angles: where creativity comes from, lessons we can learn from creative geniuses, and how to cultivate creativity. We hope that these techniques, and this audiobook as a whole, will help unleash your own creative self.

In the two decades since astronomers first discovered the existence of a planet outside of our solar system, "exoplanetology" has become the hottest specialty in astrophysics. Scientists young and old, inspired by the thought of finding either another habitable world or the Holy Grail of space exploration--life itself--flocked to be part of this burgeoning field. With so much brainpower on hand, it's no wonder that investigative techniques advanced more quickly than anyone would have thought. To date, more than one thousand exoplanets have been found, and in this audiobook, Exoplanets: Worlds without End, we delve into this quest that sometimes sounds more like science fiction than science. So far, we're still alone out here, but in a field where the discoveries are coming thick and fast, it's exciting to think that it could all change tomorrow.

After smartphones, smart TVs, smart windows, and other smart products on the horizon, smart cities were the next logical step in trying to create a better, brighter, more sustainable, and economically sound future. A relatively new term, "smart cities" conjures images of a cooperative, wired, prosperous utopia where citizens of all classes achieve a high quality of life. In this audiobook, we look at the qualities needed for future cities to survive and thrive.

For going on two decades, Scientific American's "Ask the Experts" column has been answering reader questions on all fields of science. We've taken your questions from the basic to the esoteric and reached out to top scientists, professors, and researchers to find out why the sky is blue or whether we really only use 10 percent of our brains.Now, we've combed through our archives and have compiled some of the most interesting questions (and answers) into a series of books. Organized by subject, each title provides short, easily digestible answers to questions on that particular branch of the sciences.The Human Body and Mind is the third book in this series, and it tackles questions about our own strange and mysterious biology. Our experts field queries on evolution, bodily quirks, and psychological feats. Have you ever wondered why humans lost their body hair? Curious about what causes a hangover? Or what makes that popping sound when we crack our knuckles? What about the oft-cited maxim that we only use 10 percent of our brains? Professors, scientists, and biologists provide answers that are at once accurate, understandable, and sometimes just plain funny.

People say that they trust scientists, yet evidence often takes a back seat to emotions. In fact, for issues that cause the loudest public furor--like vaccine safety--there is almost no debate in the scientific community. This audiobook examines the science behind today's most contentious debates--including gun control, GMOs, and evolution, as well as strategies for understanding and coping with denialism.

Boy or girl? Even before a person is born, that's the first thing everyone wants to know--underscoring just how much value human societies of all types place on gender.In His Brain, Her Brain, we take a closer look at the anatomical, chemical, and functional differences in the brains of men and women--as well as some surprising similarities. For instance, studies of infants find few differences in cognitive skills between boys and girls; but there is no denying that boys love trucks, whereas girls prefer dolls.While some gender differences are evident even on the first day of a baby's life, most of these discrepancies start out small but get amplified by our gender-obsessed culture. Tea parties and wrestling matches leave their stamp on growing brains, but the gap that separates boys and girls would be less noticeable if parents encouraged activities such as reading for boys and video games for girls.Few sex disparities are as hardwired as popular accounts make them out to be. A better understanding of the real--and imagined--differences between his brain and her brain can help us overcome cultural biases, improve communication, and strengthen relationships.

How exactly do children become the adults they were meant to be?In this audiobook, Understanding Child Development, we investigate this profoundly complicated process from infancy through early childhood (the teenage years will be covered in a separate audiobook). Included in this collection are several seminal studies on infant cognition where researchers found evidence that many of our abilities are "pre-programmed." For example, most human infants are able to judge depth as soon as they can crawl, suggesting that we are born with an ability to perceive falling-off places without having to go through the trial-and-error process. Section two looks at how we learn to communicate using both symbols and language, and examines the process that toddlers must go through to learn to discriminate between an object and a representation of that object, such as a photograph. With the ability to communicate comes social development, covered in section three. The fourth section focuses on developmental disorders, from ADHD to Down syndrome, autism, and less common diseases that are linked to faulty genomic imprinting.Finally, we end with a section on parenting, which includes a Q&A on the evolutionary lessons of motherhood, and why cooperative parenting and community-based child-rearing is not only better for kids, but essential to their healthy development.

How exactly do children become the adults they were meant to be?In this audiobook, Understanding Child Development, we investigate this profoundly complicated process from infancy through early childhood (the teenage years will be covered in a separate audiobook). Included in this collection are several seminal studies on infant cognition where researchers found evidence that many of our abilities are "pre-programmed." For example, most human infants are able to judge depth as soon as they can crawl, suggesting that we are born with an ability to perceive falling-off places without having to go through the trial-and-error process. Section two looks at how we learn to communicate using both symbols and language, and examines the process that toddlers must go through to learn to discriminate between an object and a representation of that object, such as a photograph. With the ability to communicate comes social development, covered in section three. The fourth section focuses on developmental disorders, from ADHD to Down syndrome, autism, and less common diseases that are linked to faulty genomic imprinting.Finally, we end with a section on parenting, which includes a Q&A on the evolutionary lessons of motherhood, and why cooperative parenting and community-based child-rearing is not only better for kids, but essential to their healthy development.

How exactly do children become the adults they were meant to be?In this audiobook, Understanding Child Development, we investigate this profoundly complicated process from infancy through early childhood (the teenage years will be covered in a separate audiobook). Included in this collection are several seminal studies on infant cognition where researchers found evidence that many of our abilities are "pre-programmed." For example, most human infants are able to judge depth as soon as they can crawl, suggesting that we are born with an ability to perceive falling-off places without having to go through the trial-and-error process. Section two looks at how we learn to communicate using both symbols and language, and examines the process that toddlers must go through to learn to discriminate between an object and a representation of that object, such as a photograph. With the ability to communicate comes social development, covered in section three. The fourth section focuses on developmental disorders, from ADHD to Down syndrome, autism, and less common diseases that are linked to faulty genomic imprinting.Finally, we end with a section on parenting, which includes a Q&A on the evolutionary lessons of motherhood, and why cooperative parenting and community-based child-rearing is not only better for kids, but essential to their healthy development.