Best Lisa N Edwards Podcasts (2025)

1
On Bullshit in AI 20:40

6d ago20:40

20:40

Today we’re continuing our series on Harry Frankfurt’s seminal work, On Bullshit. I have the privilege to speak with Arvind Narayanan co-author of the book AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference (Princeton University Press, 2024). Arvind is the perfect guest to explore the subject of bullshi…

1
Anil Ananthaswamy, "Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Maths Behind Modern AI" (Dutton, 2024) 1:09:21

7d ago1:09:21

1:09:21

Machine learning systems are making life-altering decisions for us: approving mortgage loans, determining whether a tumor is cancerous, or deciding if someone gets bail. They now influence developments and discoveries in chemistry, biology, and physics—the study of genomes, extrasolar planets, even the intricacies of quantum systems. And all this b…

1
Book Talk 67 : The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science 1:10:01

8d ago1:10:01

1:10:01

What is reliable knowledge? Listen to philosopher Michael Strevens, author of The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science, to understand how science discovers the truth. At the current moment, when expertise is under attack and the idea of truth is contested from all sides, Strevens explains the remarkable success of science’s “…

1
Kurt D. Fausch, "A Reverence for Rivers: Imagining an Ethic for Running Waters" (OSU Press, 2025) 35:28

9d ago35:28

35:28

In A Reverence for Rivers: Imagining an Ethic for Running Waters (OSU Press, 2025), Kurt Fausch draws on his experience as a stream ecologist, his interest in Indigenous cultures, and a thoughtful consideration of environmental ethics to explore human values surrounding freshwater ecosystems. Focusing on seven rivers across the globe—from the Salmo…

1
Rene Almeling, Lisa Campo-Engelstein, Brian T. Nguyen eds., "Seminal: On Sperm, Health, and Politics" (NYU Press, 2025) 42:01

15d ago42:01

42:01

In Seminal: On Sperm, Health, and Politics, Rene Almeling, Lisa Campo-Engelstein, and Brian T. Nguyen come together across disciplines to offer a kaleidoscopic view of the relationship between sperm, health, and the intersecting politics of gender, race, and reproduction. Always insightful and often provocative, the essays in this unprecedented col…

1
Robert N. Spengler, "Nature's Greatest Success: How Plants Evolved to Exploit Humanity" (Univ of California Press, 2025) 37:59

15d ago37:59

37:59

The 15,000-year story of how grass seduced humanity into being its unwitting labor force--and the science behind it. Domesticated crops were not human creations, and agriculture was not simply invented. As Robert N. Spengler shows, domestication was the result of an evolutionary process in which people played a role only unwittingly and as actors i…

1
Paul Sen, "Einstein's Fridge: How the Difference Between Hot and Cold Explains the Universe" (Scribner, 2021) 1:18:50

20d ago1:18:50

1:18:50

Einstein's Fridge: How the Difference Between Hot and Cold Explains the Universe (Scribner, 2021) tells the incredible epic story of the scientists who, over two centuries, harnessed the power of heat and ice and formulated a theory essential to comprehending our universe. “Although thermodynamics has been studied for hundreds of years…few nonscien…

1
Savannah Mandel on an Argument for the End of Human Space Exploration 1:04:35

23d ago1:04:35

1:04:35

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with space anthropologist, writer, and Virginia Tech doctoral candidate, Savannah Mandel, about her book, Ground Control: An Argument for the End of Human Space Exploration (Chicago Review Press, 2025). The book uses history, ethnography, participant observation in policy-making, and other forms of evidence …

1
Kevin J. Tracey, "The Great Nerve: The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness Its Healing Reflexes" (Penguin, 2025) 32:55

25d ago32:55

32:55

The vagus nerve is fundamental to our health and vitality, coordinating critical functions from the precise heartbeat we need to exercise or rest to the balance of appetite and digestion. Made up of 200,000 fibers, the vagus nerve sends thousands of electrical signals every second between your brain and your most important organs. Yet despite its e…

1
Edward Tenner, "Why the Hindenburg Had a Smoking Lounge: Essays in Unintended Consequences" (APS Press, 2025) 1:01:20

26d ago1:01:20

1:01:20

How did the addition of lifeboats after the Titanic shipwreck contribute to another tragedy in Chicago harbor three years later? How efficient are wild animals as investors, and how do dog breeds become national symbols? Why have scientific breakthroughs so often originated in the study of shadows? How did the file card prepare scholarship and comm…

1
Pooja Agarwal, Cynthia Nebel, Veronica Yan, "Smart Teaching Stronger Learning: Practical Tips From 10 Cognitive Scientists" (Unleash Learning Press, 2025) 1:14:22

1M ago1:14:22

1:14:22

How can I help my students not only learn my course material but also retain and transfer that information? This is a question that has plagued and intrigued teachers for centuries. In Smart Teaching Stronger Learning: Practical Tips for 10 Cognitive Scientists, the authors provide their readers with evidence-based practices for immediate classroom…

1
Margaret Cook Andersen, "Fertile Expectations: The Politics of Involuntary Childlessness in Twentieth-Century France" (Manchester UP, 2025) 45:35

1M ago45:35

45:35

An engaging history of motherhood, demography, and infertility in twentieth-century France, Fertile expectations: The politics of involuntary childlessness in twentieth-century France (Manchester University Press, 2025) by Dr. Margaret Andersen explores fraught political and cultural meanings attached to the notion of an "ideal" family size. When s…

1
Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper, "Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins" (University of Chicago Press, 2025) 1:01:29

1M ago1:01:29

1:01:29

A thrilling exploration of competing cosmological origin stories, comparing new scientific ideas that upend our very notions of space, time, and reality. By most popular accounts, the universe started with a bang some 13.8 billion years ago. But what happened before the Big Bang? And how do we know it happened at all? Here prominent cosmologist Nia…

1
Elliot Lichtman, "The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms through Puzzles and Strategy Games" (MIT Press, 2025) 48:46

1M ago48:46

48:46

In The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms through Puzzles and Strategy Games (MIT Press, 2025), Elliot Lichtman will teach you some of computer science’s most powerful concepts in a refreshingly accessible way: exploring them through word games, board games, and strategy games you already know. Learn recursion by playing tic…

1
Liam Graham, "Molecular Storms: The Physics of Stars, Cells and the Origin of Life" (Springer Nature, 2023) 57:01

1M ago57:01

57:01

Why is the universe the way it is? Wherever we look, we find ordered structures: from stars to planets to living cells. Molecular Storms: The Physics of Stars, Cells and the Origin of Life (Springer Nature, 2023) shows that the same driving force is behind structure everywhere: the incessant random motion of the components of matter. Physicists cal…

1
Mary A. Armstrong and Susan L. Averett, "Disparate Measures: The Intersectional Economics of Women in STEM Work" (MIT Press, 2024) 46:47

2M ago46:47

46:47

An exploration of workplace participation and earnings patterns for diverse women in US STEM professions that upends the myth that STEM work benefits women economically. Seen as part economic driver, part social remedy, STEM work is commonly understood to benefit both the US economy and people—particularly women—from underrepresented groups. But wh…

1
Maggie M. Fink and Shahir S. Rizk, "The Color of North: The Molecular Language of Proteins and the Future of Life" (Belknap Press, 2025) 33:58

2M ago33:58

33:58

An awe-inspiring journey into the world of proteins--how they shape life, and their remarkable potential to heal our bodies and our planet. Each fall, a robin begins the long trek north from Gibraltar to her summer home in Central Europe. Nestled deep in her optic nerve, a tiny protein turns a lone electron into a compass, allowing her to see north…

1
Alfonso Martinez Arias, "The Master Builder: How the New Science of the Cell Is Rewriting the Story of Life" (Basic Books, 2023) 1:01:56

2M ago1:01:56

1:01:56

What defines who we are? For decades, the answer has seemed obvious: our genes, the “blueprint of life.” In The Master Builder: How the New Science of the Cell Is Rewriting the Story of Life, biologist Alfonso Martinez Arias argues we’ve been missing the bigger picture. It’s not our genes that define who we are, but our cells. While genes are impor…

1
Jack Ashby, "Nature's Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums" (Penguin, 2025) 59:12

2M ago59:12

59:12

In Nature's Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums (Penguin, 2025), zoologist Jack Ashby shares hidden stories behind the world’s iconic natural history museums, from enormous mounted whale skeletons to cabinets of impossibly tiny insects. Look closely and all is not as it seems: these museums are not as natural, Ashby sho…

1
Jaap de Roode, "Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves" (Princeton UP, 2025) 45:10

2M ago45:10

45:10

Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature's pharmacy to heal themselves. Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves (Princeton University Press, 2025) reveals what researchers are now learning about the medical wonders of the animal world. In this visionary book, Jaap de Rood…

1
WHAT YOU ARE NOT CHANGING, YOU ARE CHOOSING 29:40

2M ago29:40

29:40

Send us a text 🎙️ UNCHARTED EPISODE 13 WHAT YOU ARE NOT CHANGING, YOU ARE CHOOSING This one’s personal. This episode started as a conversation with myself and my psychotherapist. A sentence that wouldn’t leave me alone: What you are not changing, you are choosing. I didn’t plan for this podcast to go here when I started it. It was meant to be about…

1
Mitchell Thomashow, "To Know the World: A New Vision for Environmental Learning" (MIT Press, 2020) 39:07

2M ago39:07

39:07

Why we must rethink our residency on the planet to understand the connected challenges of tribalism, inequity, climate justice, and democracy. How can we respond to the current planetary ecological emergency? In To Know the World: A New Vision for Environmental Learning (MIT Press, 2020), Mitchell Thomashow proposes that we revitalize, revisit, and…

1
Matthew Shindell, "Lunar: A History of the Moon in Myths, Maps and Matter" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:09:09

3M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

The first book to combine exquisite cartographical charts of the Moon with a thorough exploration of the Moon’s role in popular culture, science, and myth. President John F. Kennedy’s rousing “We will go to the Moon” speech in 1961 before the US Congress catalyzed the celebrated Apollo program, spurring the US Geological Survey’s scientists to map …

1
THE PERFORMANCE OF PAIN 29:54

3M ago29:54

29:54

Send us a text THE PERFORMANCE OF PAIN: Visual Vulnerability or Victim Mindset? This one cuts deep. What if the loudest cry isn’t from the person hurting most, but from the one holding the room hostage? In this powerful and provocative episode of Uncharted, I, Lisa N Edwards, explore a truth many of us have felt but couldn’t quite name: not all vul…

1
Nicole C. Nelson, "Model Behavior: Animal Experiments, Complexity, and the Genetics of Psychiatric Disorders" (U Chicago Press, 2018) 28:44

3M ago28:44

28:44

Mice are used as model organisms across a wide range of fields in science today--but it is far from obvious how studying a mouse in a maze can help us understand human problems like alcoholism or anxiety. How do scientists convince funders, fellow scientists, the general public, and even themselves that animal experiments are a good way of producin…

1
IT’S HELL YES OR IT’S NO 27:26

3M ago27:26

27:26

Send us a text UNCHARTED – EPISODE 11 IT’S HELL YES OR IT’S NO The Power of Decisiveness in Love, Work, and Everything In Between Welcome back to UNCHARTED, the podcast that rips the map from your hands and dares you to draw your own. I'm your host, Lisa N Edwards writer, crypto trader, filmmaker, and a woman who's rebuilt empires from intuition, g…

1
THE VALUE EPISODE 33:52

3M ago33:52

33:52

Send us a text 🎙️ UNCHARTED – EPISODE 10 “Value, Ego & Covert Contracts: The Unspoken Deals That Define Us” What if the biggest business lesson you ever learn doesn’t come from a boardroom, but from a breakup? This episode is not just about value in the financial sense—it’s about the emotional currency we trade in relationships, especially when lov…

1
THE PIGEON TRAP 35:16

3M ago35:16

35:16

Send us a text 🎙️ UNCHARTED Episode 9 – The Pigeon Trap Trading Psychology and Emotional Traps in Trading and Relationships In this powerful episode of Uncharted, Lisa N. Edwards pulls back the curtain on one of the deepest traps we face in both trading and love: the Variable Reward System — also known as The Pigeon Trap. Drawing from the groundbre…

1
Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves 55:51

3M ago55:51

55:51

Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature’s pharmacy to heal themselves. In Doctors by Nature (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Jaap de Roode argues that we have underestimated the healing potential of nature for too long and shows how the study of self-medicating animals could impact the practice of human me…

1
TIME IS A LIE 44:44

3M ago44:44

44:44

Send us a text Welcome to Uncharted—where we rip the map from your hands and question everything you thought you knew about money, psychology, and time. In this raw and revealing episode, Lisa N. Edwards peels back the illusion of time itself. From navigating billion-dollar business decisions and crypto chaos to healing childhood trauma and reclaim…

1
Scientists Cooperate while Humanists Ruminate (EF, JP) 41:46

4M ago41:46

41:46

Back in 2021, John and Elizabeth sat down with Brandeis string theorist Albion Lawrence to discuss cooperation versus solitary study across disciplines. They sink their teeth into the question, “Why do scientists seem to do collaboration and teamwork better than other kinds of scholars and academics?” The conversation ranges from the merits of coll…

1
THE TRUTH ABOUT BOUNDARIES NOBODY TELLS YOU 26:55

4M ago26:55

26:55

Send us a text Episode 7 – The Truth About Boundaries Nobody Tells You In this raw and deeply personal episode of UNCHARTED, Lisa peels back the layers on something most of us think we understand—boundaries. But not the Instagram-quote, face-mask, “just block him” kind. We’re talking about the soul-cracking, nervous-system-shaking kind of boundarie…

1
Ian Boyd, "Science and Politics" (Polity, 2024) 1:11:14

4M ago1:11:14

1:11:14

The recent coronavirus pandemic proved that the time-old notion seems now truer than ever: that science and politics represent a clash of cultures. But why should scientists simply “stick to the facts” and leave politics to the politicians when the world seems to be falling down around us? Drawing on his experience as both a research scientist and …

1
CUT THE TRADE 12:46

4M ago12:46

12:46

Send us a text 🎙️ Episode Title: CUT THE TRADE Description: In trading, you set a stop loss to protect your capital. In life? Most people ignore it — and bleed emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. In this raw and unfiltered episode of UNCHARTED, Lisa N Edwards breaks down what it really means to “cut the trade.” From the discipline of walking aw…

1
Rebecca Heisman, "Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration" (Harper, 2025) 41:59

4M ago41:59

41:59

In Flight Paths (HarperCollins, 2023), Rebecca Heisman illuminates the stories and methods of the scientists who unlocked the secrets of bird migration. How and why birds navigate the skies has continually fascinated the human imagination, but only recently have we been able to fully understand these amazing journeys. Flight Paths is the never-befo…

1
Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy, "Memory Lane: The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember" (Princeton UP, 2025) 43:50

4M ago43:50

43:50

Today I’m speaking with Ciara Greene, co-author with Gillian Murphy of the new book, Memory Lane: The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember (Princeton UP, 2025). Ciara is associate professor in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin, where she leads the Attention and Memory Laboratory. The scientific study of human memory has become e…

1
THE ILLUSION OF CONTROL 27:59

4M ago27:59

27:59

Send us a text 🎙️ Episode 5: The Illusion of Control “You don’t need to control everything—just know what to do when life goes off-script.” What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why the idea of control is a comforting lie we tell ourselves – and how it shows up in your everyday decisions. The difference between control and influence, and how understan…

1
THE TRUTH ABOUT MEN & COMMITMENT 23:02

4M ago23:02

23:02

Send us a text Why is a man more willing to commit to a 30-year mortgage than a one-year relationship? In this episode of Uncharted, we dig into the uncomfortable truth about commitment, vulnerability, and emotional risk. We explore what Brené Brown has to say about why love scares us more than debt, break down the Scarface Paradox (money, power, w…

1
Grace Lindsay, "Models of the Mind: How Physics, Engineering and Mathematics Have Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain" (Bloomsbury, 2021) 51:54

5M ago51:54

51:54

Models of the Mind: How Physics, Engineering and Mathematics Have Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain (Bloomsbury, 2021) provides a multifaceted and approachable introduction to theoretical neuroscience. It discusses some major topics of the field, including both the milestones from their history and the currently open questions. It's accessible …

1
John Trowsdale, "What the Body Knows: A Guide to the New Science of Our Immune System" (Yale UP, 2024) 39:17

5M ago39:17

39:17

What is our immune system, and how does it work? A vast array of cells, proteins and chemicals spring into action whenever our bodies are damaged, but immunity is not something you can see, touch, or feel. It can fight off malicious bacteria and viruses, locate cancerous growths, and even rewire our brains--but sometimes our own tissues can get cau…

1
THE PRICE OF TRUTH 36:35

5M ago36:35

36:35

Send us a text 🎙️ UNCHARTED – EPISODE 3: THE PRICE OF TRUTH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TELLING THE TRUTH COULD DESTROY EVERYTHING? History has shown us that those who challenge the accepted narrative often pay the ultimate price. But in a world of misinformation, manipulation, and mass surveillance, how do we separate fact from fiction? In this episode of U…

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Leigh Ann Henion, "Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark" (Algonquin, 2024) 45:05

5M ago45:05

45:05

“Almost every storyline we’re familiar with suggests that we should banish [darkness] as quickly as possible—because darkness is often presented as a void of doom rather than a force of nature that nourishes lives, including our own.” According to Dark Sky International, 99% of people in the US live under the influence of skyglow. With each artific…

1
Eliot Schrefer, "Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality" (Clarion Books, 2022) 1:12:37

5M ago1:12:37

1:12:37

In this episode, I talk to Eliot Schrefer about his book Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality (Katherine Tegen Books, 2022). A quiet revolution has been underway in recent years, with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals. Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration…

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THE PRISON OF SELF, ARE YOU REALLY FREE? 48:18

5M ago48:18

48:18

Send us a text Are you actually free? Or are you unknowingly trapped in a system that controls your money, time, and identity—without you even realizing it? In this episode of UNCHARTED, we rip apart the invisible prison of financial enslavement, social conditioning, and digital control to expose: What You’ll Learn: 🔹 "This Is Water" – The Hidden F…

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Marcia Bjornerud, "Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks" (Flatiron Books, 2024) 36:45

5M ago36:45

36:45

Today I talked to Marcia Bjornerud about Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks (Flatiron Books, 2024). Rocks are the record of our creative planet reinventing itself for four billion years. Nothing is ever lost, just transformed. Marcia Bjornerud’s life as a geologist has coincided with an extraordinary period of discovery. From …

1
WHAT IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE? 27:33

5M ago27:33

27:33

Send us a text What if losing everything was the best thing that ever happened to you? In this episode of UNCHARTED, we dive into the raw reality of hitting rock bottom—whether it's financial ruin, a business collapse, a breakup, or a life-changing crisis. But here’s the truth: every successful person has faced a moment where they had nothing to lo…

1
Shoumita Dasgupta, "Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA" (U California Press, 2025) 59:39

6M ago59:39

59:39

Dr. Dasgupta is a geneticist and internationally recognized anti-racism educator. In this book, she provides a powerful, science-based rebuttal to common fallacies about human difference. Well-meaning physicians, parents, and even scientists today often spread misinformation about what biology can and can’t tell us about our bodies, minds, and iden…

1
William A. Selby, "The California Sky Watcher: Understanding Weather Patterns and What Comes Next" (Heyday Books, 2024) 50:57

6M ago50:57

50:57

Often stereotyped as the land of unflaggingly perfect weather, California has a world-renowned reputation for sunny blue skies and infinitely even-keeled temperatures. But the real story of the Golden State's weather is vastly more complex. From the scorching heat of Death Valley to the coastal redwoods' dripping in dew, California is home to a diz…

1
Bruce Lieberman and Niles Eldredge, "Macroevolutionaries: Reflections on Natural History, Paleontology, and Stephen Jay Gould" (Columbia UP, 2024) 40:54

7M ago40:54

40:54

One of the twentieth century's great paleontologists and science writers, Stephen Jay Gould was, for Bruce S. Lieberman and Niles Eldredge, also a close colleague and friend. In Macroevolutionaries: Reflections on Natural History, Paleontology, and Stephen Jay Gould (Columbia UP, 2024), they take up the tradition of Gould's acclaimed essays on natu…

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Patchen Barss, "The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius" (Basic Books, 2024) 35:16

7M ago35:16

35:16

When he was six years old, Roger Penrose discovered a sundial in a clearing near his house. Through that machine made of light, shadow, and time, Roger glimpsed a “world behind the world” of transcendently beautiful geometry. It spurred him on a journey to become one of the world’s most influential mathematicians, philosophers, and physicists. Penr…

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Lisa N Edwards Podcasts

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