At its best, science is an act of love for the world around us. It’s a desire to explore, to discover, to find out what wonders lie beneath our everyday experience of life. That inquisitiveness is a beautiful thing—and it runs through every read we’ve added to this list.
Our curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Adam Grant pick two exciting books per season to share with Next Big Idea Club members. The rankings below, however, are based on the most popular “Book Bite” audio summaries in the Next Big Idea App. In other words, they are 2023’s best science books, according to our thousands of app users. So if you’re ready to dive into historic and brand new scientific breakthroughs, check out the 50 remarkable titles below.
50. Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration
By Rebecca Heisman
The captivating, little-known true story of a group of scientists and the methods and technology they developed to uncover the secrets of avian migration. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Rebecca Heisman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
49. Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe
By Shohini Ghose
An exciting new title in the vein of Hidden Figures, which tells the inspiring stories of long-overlooked women physicists and astronomers who discovered the fundamental rules of the universe and reshaped the rules of society. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Shohini Ghose, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
48. Ghost Particle: In Search of the Elusive and Mysterious Neutrino
By Alan Chodos and James Riordan
The dramatic history of the neutrino, from the initial suggestion that the particle was merely a desperate solution to a puzzle that threatened to undermine the field of particle physics to its modern role in illuminating the universe via neutrino telescopes. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author James Riordan, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
47. Data Baby: My Life in a Psychological Experiment
By Susannah Breslin
Lab Girl meets Brain on Fire in this provocative and poignant memoir delving into a woman’s formative experiences as a veritable “lab rat” in a lifelong psychological study, and her pursuit to reclaim autonomy and her identity as a adult. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Susannah Breslin, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
46. For Blood and Money: Billionaires, Biotech, and the Quest for a Blockbuster Drug
By Nathan Vardi
For Blood and Money tells the little-known story of how an upstart biotechnology company created a one-in-a-million cancer drug, and how members of the core team―denied their share of the profits―went and did it again. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nathan Vardi, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
45. High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape
By Marc Masters
This entertaining book charts the journey of the cassette from its invention in the early 1960s to its Walkman-led domination in the 1980s to decline at the birth of compact discs to resurgence among independent music makers. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Marc Masters, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
44. Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall
By Zeke Faux
As he observed the cryptocurrency frenzy, an investigative reporter had a nagging question: Was it all just a confidence game of epic proportions? What started as curiosity—with a dash of FOMO—would morph into a two-year, globe-spanning quest to understand the wizards behind the world’s new financial machinery. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Zeke Faux, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
43. Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator
By Keith Houston
The hidden history of the pocket calculator―a device that ushered in modern mathematics, helped build the atomic bomb, and went with us to the moon―and the mathematicians, designers, and inventors who brought it to life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Keith Houston, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
42. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet
By Ben Goldfarb
Written with passion and curiosity, Crossings is a sweeping, spirited, and timely investigation into how humans have altered the natural world―and how we can create a better future for all living beings. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ben Goldfarb, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
41. The Age of Prediction: Algorithms, AI, and the Shifting Shadows of Risk
By Igor Tulchinsky and Christopher E. Mason
Beginning with dramatic advances in quantitative investing and precision medicine, this book explores how predictive technology is quietly reshaping our world in fundamental ways, from crime fighting and warfare to monitoring individual health and elections. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Igor Tulchinsky, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
40. A Brief History of Intelligence
By Max Bennett
An artificial intelligence entrepreneur chronicles the five “breakthroughs” in the evolution of human intelligence and reveals what brains of the past can tell us about the AI of tomorrow. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Max Bennett, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
39. On the Brink of Utopia: Reinventing Innovation to Solve the World’s Largest Problems
By Thomas Ramge and Rafael Laguna de la Vera
A hopeful and visionary book that reimagines the roles of innovators, citizens, governments, and financial markets to foster innovation leaps that maximize the well-being of the greatest number of people. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Thomas Ramge and Rafael Laguna de la Vera, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
38. Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe
By Philip Plait
On this lively, immersive adventure through the cosmos, a renowned astronomer draws on both the latest scientific research and his prodigious imagination to transport you to ten of the most spectacular sights outer space has to offer. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Philip Plait, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
37. The Science of Spin: How Rotational Forces Affect Everything from Your Body to Jet Engines to the Weather
By Roland Ennos
A clear and captivating work of popular science that explains rotational force—a basic driver of the universe affecting everything from the cosmos to our own bodies—from the masterful author of The Age of Wood. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Roland Ennos, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
36. Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began
By Leah Hazard
A groundbreaking, triumphant investigation of the uterus—from birth to death, in sickness and in health, throughout history and into our possible future—from a midwife and acclaimed writer. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Leah Hazard, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
35. Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark
By Sarafina El-Badry Nance
An Egyptian-American astrophysicist shares how she boldly carved out a place in the field of astrophysics, grounding herself in a lifelong love of the stars to face life’s inevitable challenges and embrace the unknown. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Sarafina El-Badry Nance, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
34. The Dawn of a Mindful Universe: A Manifesto for Humanity’s Future
By Marcelo Gleiser
An award-winning astronomer and physicist’s spellbinding and urgent call for a new Enlightenment and the recognition of the preciousness of life using reason and curiosity—the foundations of science—to study, nurture, and ultimately preserve humanity as we face the existential crisis of climate change. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Marcelo Gleiser, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
33. The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality
By Andy Clark
For as long as we’ve studied human cognition, we’ve believed that our senses give us direct access to the world. What we see is what’s really there—or so the thinking goes. But what if rather than perceiving reality passively, your mind actively predicts it? Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Andy Clark, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
32. Fascination of Science: 60 Encounters with Pioneering Researchers of Our Time
By Herlinde Koelbl
What makes a brilliant scientist? Who are the people behind the greatest discoveries of our time? Connecting art and science, a renowned photographer seeks the answers in this indelible collection of portraits of and interviews with 60 pioneering scientists of the 21st century. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Herlinde Koelbl, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
31. The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos
By Jaime Green
A spellbinding exploration of alien life and the cosmos, examining how the possibility of life on other planets shapes our understanding of humanity. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jaime Green, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
30. Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks
By Scott J. Shapiro
Combining the philosophical adventure of Gödel, Escher, Bach with dramatic true-crime narrative, the result is a lively and original account of the future of hacking, espionage, and war, and of how to live in an era of cybercrime. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Scott J. Shapiro, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
29. Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses
By David Scheel
A behavioral ecologist’s riveting account of his decades-long obsession with octopuses: his discoveries, adventures, and new scientific understanding of their behaviors. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Scheel, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
28. Evolutionary Intelligence: How Technology Will Make Us Smarter
By W. Russell Neuman
Despite our fear of AI, an NYU professor offers a surprisingly positive vision in which computational intelligence compensates for the well-recognized limits of human judgment, improves decision making, and actually increases our agency. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author W. Russell Neuman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
27. From One Cell: A Journey into Life’s Origins and the Future of Medicine
By Ben Stanger
An acclaimed physician and researcher offers a breathtaking glimpse into what scientists are discovering about how life and the body take shape, and how these revelations stand to revolutionize medicine and the future of human health. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ben Stanger, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
26. The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World’s Oceans
By Laura Trethewey
The dramatic and action-packed story of the last mysterious place on earth—the world’s seafloor—and the deep-sea divers, ocean mappers, marine biologists, entrepreneurs, and adventurers involved in the historic push to chart it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Laura Trethewey, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
25. Web3: Charting the Internet’s Next Economic Frontier
By Alex Tapscott
An essential introduction and guide to navigating the next Internet revolution—everything from the metaverse and NFTs to DAOs, decentralized finance, and self-sovereign identity—from the co-author of the international bestseller Blockchain Revolution. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Alex Tapscott, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
24. The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto
By Jonathan Taplin
A brilliant takedown and exposé of the great con job of the 21st century—the metaverse, crypto, space travel, transhumanism—being sold by four billionaires (Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreesen, Elon Musk), leading to the degeneration and bankruptcy of our society. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jonathan Taplin, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
23. Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity
By Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
The bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail and the bestselling co-author of 13 Bankers deliver a bold reinterpretation of economics and history that will fundamentally change how you see the world. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Simon Johnson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
22. A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be
By Deena Emera
From breasts and orgasms to periods, pregnancies, and menopause―A Brief History of the Female Body is a fascinating science book explaining the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Deena Emera, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
21. Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities
By David B. Auerbach
A technologist explores how the autonomous digital forces jolting our lives—as uncontrollable as the weather and plate tectonics—are transforming life, society, culture, and politics. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Auerbach, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
20. Breaking Through Depression: A Guide to the Next Generation of Promising Research and Revolutionary New Treatments
By Philip William Gold
One of the world’s leading depression researchers explains why there are such individual differences in how we make connections with others, deal with adversity, or recover from trauma. He also reveals the latest breakthroughs that can heal people struggling with depression. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Philip William Gold, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
19. Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence
By Paco Calvo, with Natalie Lawrence
A leading figure in the philosophy of plant signaling and behavior, offers an entirely new perspective on plants’ worlds, showing for the first time how we can use tools developed to study animal cognition in a quest to understand plant intelligence. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Paco Calvo, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
18. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: The Astonishing New Science of the Senses
By Maureen Seaberg
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made takes readers through their own bodies, delving into the molecular and even the quantum, and tells the story of our magnificent sensorium and what it means for the next wave of human potential. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Maureen Seaberg, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
17. The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet
By Jeff Goodell
An award-winning journalist releases his most provocative book yet, explaining how extreme heat will dramatically change the world as we know it. Urgent yet optimistic, it explores how to combat one of the most significant global threats of our time. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jeff Goodell, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
16. The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World
By Suzie Sheehy
From the physicists who soared in hot air balloons on the trail of new particles, to the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German lab; and from the race to split open the atomic nucleus to the quest to find the third generation of matter, a renowned physicist shows how these experiments informed innumerable aspects of how we live today. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Suzie Sheehy, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
15. Containing Big Tech: How to Protect Our Civil Rights, Economy, and Democracy
By Tom Kemp
This richly detailed book exposes the consequences of Big Tech’s digital surveillance, exploitative use of AI, and monopolistic and anticompetitive practices. It offers actionable solutions to these problems and a clear path forward for individuals and policymakers to advocate for change. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Tom Kemp, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
14. The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics
By Heinrich Päs
Blending physics, philosophy, and the history of ideas, The One is an epic, mind-expanding journey through millennia of human thought and into the nature of reality itself. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Heinrich Päs, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
13. Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to Be Seen
By Gregory J. Gbur
A science writer and optical physicist traces the science of invisibility from its sci-fi origins in the 19th-century writings of authors such as H. G. Wells and Fitz James O’Brien to modern stealth technology, invisibility cloaks, and metamaterials. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Gregory J. Gbur, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
12. Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
By Brian Evergreen
Perfect for executives, directors, managers, and other business leaders, Autonomous Transformation will also earn a place for anyone who finds themselves doing their best to navigate an increasingly complex and nuanced digital and economic landscape. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Brian Evergreen, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
11. The Datapreneurs: The Promise of AI and the Creators Building Our Future
By Bob Muglia, with Steve Hamm
A long-time Microsoft executive explains how humanity must create a new social contract for the artificial general intelligence (AGI)—autonomous machines intelligent as people—that he expects to arrive in less than a decade. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Bob Muglia, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
10. The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma
By Mustafa Suleyman, with Michael Bhaskar
An urgent warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance—from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Michael Bhaskar, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
9. Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness
By Nicholas Humphrey
Weaving together intellectual adventure and cutting-edge science, a theoretical psychologist describes his quest to uncover the secrets of consciousness: from his discovery of blindsight in monkeys and his pioneering work on social intelligence to breakthroughs in the philosophy of mind. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicholas Humphrey, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
8. On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory
By Thomas Hertog
On the Origin of Time offers a striking new vision of the universe’s birth that will profoundly transform the way we think about our place in the order of the cosmos—and may ultimately prove to be Hawking’s greatest legacy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Thomas Hertog, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
7. Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential
By Rina Bliss
A genetics expert and professor challenges our understanding of intelligence, explaining what it truly means to be “smart,” why conventional assessments are misleading, and what everyone can do to optimize their potential. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Rina Bliss, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
6. Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being
By Neil Theise
An electrifying introduction to complexity theory, the science of how complex systems behave, which explores the interconnectedness of all things and could change the way you see yourself—and the universe. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Neil Theise, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
5. Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us
By Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which shows how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts—and how this knowledge can both improve our health and help us build stronger communities. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
4. The Language of the Face: Stories of Its Uniquely Expressive Features
By Frank Gonzalez-Crussi
A broad and riveting cultural history of physiognomy, exploring how the desire to divine deeper meaning from our looks has compelled humans for millennia. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Frank Gonzalez-Crussi, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
3. Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity
By Nicklas Brendborg
A molecular biologist pens a love letter to the immense power of nature, revealing how plants and animals have already unlocked the secrets to immortality—and the lessons they hold for us all. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicklas Brendborg, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
2. The Master Builder: How the New Science of the Cell Is Rewriting the Story of Life
By Alfonso Martinez Arias
A renowned biologist reveals that we are composed of a thrillingly intricate, constantly moving symphony of cells. Both their long lineage—stretching back to the very first cell—and their intricate interactions within our bodies today make us who we are. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Alfonso Martinez Arias, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
1. Why We Forget and How to Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory
By Andrew E. Budson and Elizabeth A. Kensinger
This book empowers you with the knowledge you need to remember better, whether you are a college student looking to ace your next exam, a business professional preparing a presentation, or a healthcare worker needing to memorize the 600+ muscles in the human body. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Andrew E. Budson and Elzabeth A. Kensinger, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
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