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12 Essential Scientific Concepts
- Narrated by: Indre Viskontas
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
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Publisher's summary
Science is such a vast arena of knowledge that people looking for a better grasp of its secrets often wonder where to begin. The answer: with the essentials. Now, finally satisfy your desire for scientific inquiry in a way that makes this enormous field accessible, understandable, and undeniably captivating.
Professor Viskontas boils down the scientific world into 12 key concepts every educated person should know. Devoting two lectures to each concept to give you more time to engage with it, her 24-lecture series is an engaging and enlightening introduction to everything from the behavior of subatomic particles to the latest theories about the Big Bang.
Throughout, you'll get accessible looks at key building blocks of scientific knowledge, including brain plasticity, fluid mechanics, electromagnetism, genetics, quantum theory, emergence, evolution, thermodynamics, the Big Bang, and the nature of matter. Each concept is presented in a clear, concise way that will inform and delight you, and that will give you the opportunity to probe the invisible life of living cells, visit the universe seconds after its birth, and much more.
Concepts that may have eluded you in school, that you may not be familiar with, or that you simply never appreciated for their intricate beauty are now brought to vivid life in a way that sticks. Welcome to the world of science - reduced to its powerful essence.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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The real stories behind the scenery of America’s national parks. For 12 years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.
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Depressing from Cover to Cover
- By Drew (@drewsant) on 04-13-15
By: Andrea Lankford
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Storytelling with Data
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Storytelling with Data teaches you the fundamentals of data visualization and how to communicate effectively with data. You'll discover the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story. The lessons in this illuminative text are grounded in theory but made accessible through numerous real-world examples - ready for immediate application to your next graph or presentation.
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Very insightful and actionable
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Chemistry and Our Universe
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Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works is your in-depth introduction to this vital field, taught through 60 engaging half-hour lectures that are suitable for any background or none at all. Covering a year’s worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this amazingly comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math. Your guide is Professor Ron B. Davis, Jr., a research chemist and award-winning teacher at Georgetown University.
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Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
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Thermodynamics: Four Laws That Move the Universe
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- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
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Nothing has had a more profound impact on the development of modern civilization than thermodynamics. Thermodynamic processes are at the heart of everything that involves heat, energy, and work, making an understanding of the subject indispensable for careers in engineering, physical science, biology, meteorology, and even nutrition and culinary arts. Get an in-depth tour of this vital and fascinating science in 24 enthralling lectures suitable for everyone from science novices to experts who wish to review elementary concepts and formulas.
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Excellent Course; Particularly as Review
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The Space Race
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A century ago very few people dreamed of space travel. Today it is the most daring and technologically sophisticated quest ever undertaken, being driven not just by government agencies such as NASA and ESA, but also by visionaries such as Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), Elon Musk (SpaceX) and Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin). To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing, this major drama-documentary series charts the definitive story of the past, present and future of humankind’s exploration of space. The Space Race is narrated by Kate Mulgrew and features a full cast.
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All Nonfiction Parts GREAT but Fiction Bad
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Mother of God
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For fans of The Lost City of Z, Walking the Amazon, and Turn Right at Machu Picchu comes naturalist and explorer Paul Rosolie’s extraordinary adventure in the uncharted tributaries of the Western Amazon - a tale of discovery that vividly captures the awe, beauty, and isolation of this endangered land and presents an impassioned call to save it.
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This whole book is B.S.
- By bob fields on 09-30-18
By: Paul Rosolie
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High School or Lower Level
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Somewhat Interesting but not Quite as Advertised
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One of my top 3 favorite courses!
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Stassun keeps referring to visual material
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An invisible world of astonishing complexity is all around you. A world so small you can’t see it with the naked eye. A world so crowded that its population staggers the mind. A world in which you participate every day - often without even knowing it. The inhabitants of this world are trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms, collectively known as microbes. Hundreds of thousands could fit on the period at the end of this sentence. And many play a powerful role in your life.
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Absolutely Captivating
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What listeners say about 12 Essential Scientific Concepts
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tanglebones
- 03-24-14
Excellent overview of major science concepts
Would you listen to 12 Essential Scientific Concepts again? Why?
Yes
Have you listened to any of Professor Indre Viskontas’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes - I'm a fan of her podcast, Inquiring Minds
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The last two lectures on emergence
Any additional comments?
Professor Indre Viskontas provides a deft overview of 12 major science concepts, ranging from the macro - the creation of the universe, principles of physics and black holes to the micro - the human neuron and quantum mechanics. She communicates her excitement for the subject matter throughout, while acknowledging the limitations of current science and potential for future advancement.
The final two lectures, on the new science of emergence, were particularly fascinating to me, as it was a completely new topic to me, unlike some of the others.
The only flaws in the recording were a few missed edit points in later lectures - one line repeated twice.
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47 people found this helpful
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- Damien Teney
- 09-12-15
Misleading title, centered on life sciences
What was most disappointing about The Great Courses’s story?
The title of the book sounds very broad and general but is misleading: most chapters are centered, or come back in some way to life sciences. The author has a background in neurosciences and this shows up throughout to book. For example, even the chapters on electricity or magnetism, while they do contain the physical explanations, eventually come back to the role of these phenomena in biological processes. The author even (ab)uses of analogies with biological systems, e.g. explaining the flow of electrons through a wire by comparing it to blood flowing through a vessel. If you have an "engineer" type of mind or not really into interested in life sciences, you can find better similar books.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
The author/narrator also sounds overly (constantly) excited, which I personally find more tiresome to listen to than a neutral tone.
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37 people found this helpful
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- Anton
- 07-19-14
Author's knowledge of physics may not be perfect
Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Indre Viskontas?
Yes, I'd try another book from The Great Courses (And I've tried "Your deceiptive mind..." - absolutely brilliant), not sure if I'd try another book from this author
Has 12 Essential Scientific Concepts turned you off from other books in this genre?
No
Would you listen to another book narrated by Professor Indre Viskontas?
No
Was 12 Essential Scientific Concepts worth the listening time?
So-so
Any additional comments?
I have a major in physics and I'm not sure if the author understands well the physical concepts and problems she is trying to explain. Different people may have different views, but I tend to disagree with several statements she made during the lecture. This makes me think she may not truly understand other scientific concepts too and so I'd not recommend this book and this author to my friends and family.
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33 people found this helpful
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- A reader of fact and fiction
- 07-04-14
Not what the title promises
The first 10 chapters seem to be more about physiology than anything else. This may be better suited to people with interests to workings of human body and cognitive systems, but this is not what the title promises.
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30 people found this helpful
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- katherine
- 06-14-16
A little too advanced, but worth the effort.
While I found the content presented a little too advanced in the short time it was covered (unless you've got a decent scientific foundation), I was able to take away enough information to advance my understanding of big concepts from biology to physics.
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19 people found this helpful
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- Hyrum
- 07-26-14
Mother Nature is not a driving force in Science
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Nope, lots of better science books out there.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Author kept referring to Mother Nature doing, thinking, or deciding things. While this may have been common in the 1800's I find it disconcerting in a modern science book.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Professor Indre Viskontas?
Nope, poor grasp of science puts the ghost in the machine instead of explaining how things actually work
Was 12 Essential Scientific Concepts worth the listening time?
not really.
Any additional comments?
Kept getting the impression that author was going to try to sell something. Script and delivery were closer to a late-night sales person than someone trying to teach science.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Andy Olsen
- 09-16-15
Fascinating
Professor Indre Viskontas did a better job explaining the hard aspects of scientific thought than any other I have listened to. Great job Professor.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Orland Park - Mark
- 09-09-14
Interesting. You almost need a pencil an paper.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, it’s fairly comprehensive and easily intellectually digestible. The ideas flow together fairly well.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Ayoob
- 10-20-17
The Biology Part is not as good as physics section
As someone without prior knowledge of biology, the biology part wasn't presented well. However, the second half which was about physics was quite fascinating. I was disappointed at first but it got better as the biology part finished.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Alan R. Dohner
- 06-12-14
Disappointing
What was most disappointing about The Great Courses’s story?
The topic was a "mile wide" covered to the depth of 1 mm. Anyone who has taken a "college prep" curriculum in high school would not find anything new in the 12 hours of listening. Many interesting concepts were introduced but no in sights were provided. The "Captain Obvious" character of the commercial comes to mind. The usage of scientific terminology was sloppy.
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6 people found this helpful