New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

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This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

76 ratings

Publishes	Daily	Episodes	2832	Founded	14 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	ScienceSocial Sciences

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Latest Episodes

Steffan Blayney, "Health and Efficiency: Fatigue, the Science of Work, and the Making of the Working-Class Body" (Activist Studies of Science, 2022)

Our guest today is Steffan Blayney, the author of Health & Efficiency: Fatigue, the Science of Work, and the Making of the Working-Class Body. In Health & Efficiency, Blayney explores a new model of health that emerged in Britain between 1870 and 193... more

23 Mar 2026 • 44 min

Sidra Hamidi, "After Fission: Recognition and Contestation in the Atomic Age" (Cambridge UP, 2026)

Nuclear status is typically treated as a stable feature of a state's capacity to possess, use, or build nuclear weapons. Challenging this view, After Fission: Recognition and Contestation in the Atomic Age (Cambridge University Press, 2026) by Dr. Si... more

21 Mar 2026 • 56 min

Karima Moyer-Nocchi, "The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese: From Ancient Rome to Modern America" (Columbia UP, 2026)

Today, macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, a staple of weeknight dinners, family gatherings, and Soul Food restaurants. Humble though the dish may seem, its history is filled with surprising twists and turns. Renaissance cardinals and p... more

20 Mar 2026 • 1 hr 14 min

Charles G. Curtin, "Place-Based Solutions: The Power of Regenerative Thinking in the Face of Crisis" (JHU Press, 2026)

Place-Based Solutions (JHU Press, 2026) offers a bold and practical response, charting a path toward what Charles G. Curtin calls "prosilience"—the capacity not just to endure crises, but to leap forward through them. With over thirty years of collab... more

19 Mar 2026 • 46 min

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Recent Guests

Karima Moyer-Nocchi

Author of The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese, From Ancient Rome to Modern America

Columbia University Press

Episode: Karima Moyer-Nocchi, "The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese: From Ancient Rome to Modern America" (Columbia UP, 2026)

Charles G. Curtin

Author of Place-Based Solutions, The Power of Regenerative Thinking in the Face of Crisis

Johns Hopkins University Press

Episode: Charles G. Curtin, "Place-Based Solutions: The Power of Regenerative Thinking in the Face of Crisis" (JHU Press, 2026)

Lisa Nakamura

Author of The Inattention Economy, How Women of Color Built the Internet

University of Minnesota Press

Episode: Lisa Nakamura, "The Inattention Economy: How Women of Color Built the Internet" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)

Thirumal P

Senior professor, Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad

University of Hyderabad

Episode: P. Thirumal and K. A. Nuaiman eds., "Inhabiting Technologies/Modernities: Media and Cultural Practices in South Asia" (Orient BlackSwan, 2025)

Carmel Christy K. J

Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Episode: P. Thirumal and K. A. Nuaiman eds., "Inhabiting Technologies/Modernities: Media and Cultural Practices in South Asia" (Orient BlackSwan, 2025)

Sam Illingworth

Full professor at Edinburgh Napier University; research in critical AI literacy

Edinburgh Napier University

Episode: Sam Illingworth and Rachel Forsyth, "GenAI in Higher Education: Redefining Teaching and Learning" (Bloomsbury, 2026)

Rachel Forsyth

Senior Educational Developer at Lund University; research in classroom relationships and AI in education

Lund University

Episode: Sam Illingworth and Rachel Forsyth, "GenAI in Higher Education: Redefining Teaching and Learning" (Bloomsbury, 2026)

César Hidalgo

Physicist and Professor at the Toulouse School of Economics; Director of the Center for Collective Learning

Toulouse School of Economics

Episode: César A. Hidalgo, "The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge" (Allen Lane, 2026)

Courtney Humphries

Author of Climate Change and the Future of Boston

Anthem Press

Episode: Courtney Humphries, "Climate Change and the Future of Boston" (Anthem Press, 2026)

Host

Dr. Miranda Melcher

Host of The New Books Network; multiple appearances; represents scholarly and publishing-centered interviews.

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 76 ratings

Excellent, but please fix the audio
Excellent content, but the audio of the introductory part is disturbed by static noise. Thankfully the introduction is pretty short. The audio of the interview is much better. I think it would be wise to get a new microphone.
Apple Podcasts
3
Em1975
United States5 years ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are well-chosen and bring deep expertise; episodes feel like accessible academic surveys with practical takeaways.

Some audio quality issues can be a distraction, particularly at the start of episodes, but content quality remains high.

The show consistently delivers thoughtful, scholarship-forward conversations with clear explanations of complex ideas.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#123	United States/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#158	United Kingdom/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#190	Canada/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#65	Australia/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#81	Germany/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#108	Italy/Science/Social Sciences

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Marianna Dudley, "Electric Wind: An Energy History of Modern Britain by Marianna Dudley" (Manchester UP, 2025)

Q: What role did the Orkney Islands play in the early development of wind energy in Britain?

Orkney served as a controlled testing ground where the first major turbine connected to the public grid was installed, illustrating both the potential and limitations of early wind power and how geography mattered.

Marianna Dudley, "Electric Wind: An Energy History of Modern Britain by Marianna Dudley" (Manchester UP, 2025)

Q: Wind power is a crucial technology for decarbonisation, and there's a lot of debate around it. How did you approach this history to address those debates?

I broadened the scope beyond technology to include meteorology, geography, politics, and social movements, showing how wind energy emerged through interlinked histories rather than as a standalone invention.

Marianna Dudley, "Electric Wind: An Energy History of Modern Britain by Marianna Dudley" (Manchester UP, 2025)

Q: Before we delve into the chapters of the book, could you tell us something about yourself, your training, and how you came to write this book?

I describe my background as an environmental historian, my path through Bristol, and how a early interest in the environmental lens shaped my approach to wind energy as a historical topic rather than just a technical one.

Lisa Nakamura, "The Inattention Economy: How Women of Color Built the Internet" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)

Q: Please introduce yourself a little bit, and tell us why you decided to write this book.

I have been writing about racial and gender identity and the Internet since 1995, and I wrote this book to address who is remembered as an innovator, who is suppressed, and to argue that digital capitalism is extractive and often centers white masculinity while sidelining women of color's contributions.

Charles G. Curtin, "Place-Based Solutions: The Power of Regenerative Thinking in the Face of Crisis" (JHU Press, 2026)

Q: So can you briefly explain how this book fits into the three-book trajectory of your applied research and thinking?

Curtin outlines how his third book expands from earlier work on open spaces and resilience, moving beyond the idea of simply bouncing back to a framework that embraces adaptive, pro-resilience design for a world where patterns of disturbance are common and unpredictable.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Across recent episodes, the show centers on scholarly discussions of recently published work in science, technology, and society, with a strong emphasis on historical perspectives, data practices, and the social and political implications of technology. Conversations feature historians, linguists, information scholars, and interdisciplinary researchers who trace how technologies shape culture, economy, and everyday life—from early computing and data archives to modern policy debates surrounding AI, digital infrastructure, and environmental impact. A notable strength is the ability to translate complex research into accessible storytelling through archival anecdotes, cross-disciplinary comparisons, and thoughtful critiques of technological c... more

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1. New Books in Critical Theory
2. Tech Won't Save Us
3. Hard Fork
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5. Acid Horizon

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this podcast launched 14 years ago and published 2832 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Karima Moyer-Nocchi
2. Charles G. Curtin
3. Lisa Nakamura
4. Thirumal P
5. Carmel Christy K. J
6. Sam Illingworth
7. Rachel Forsyth
8. César Hidalgo

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