Science Fiction Technology

The Athenian court has found Socrates guilty and sentenced him to death. While he is waiting to be executed, his friend, Crito, comes to the prison to persuade him to escape and go into exile. Socrates responds by examining the essence of law and community, probing the various kinds of law and making distinctions that go far beyond the particular issue of whether or not Socrates should escape.

In this partially autobiographical work, best-selling author Lewis Thomas offers insights on subjects as wide-ranging as gender differences, how it feels to be a patient, human vs. computer intelligence, the future of cancer research, and the longevity of the planet—interspersing all with charming anecdotes about his family, his colleagues and himself.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, long-suppressed information has emerged on Heisenberg’s role in the Nazi atomic bomb project. In Beyond Uncertainty, Cassidy interprets this and other previously unknown material within the context of his vast research and tackles the vexing questions of a scientist’s personal responsibility and guilt when serving an abhorrent military regime.

In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.

World-famous zoologist Dian Fossey is remembered for her inspiring work studying the mountain gorillas of central Africa’s isolated Virunga Mountains. Her tireless devotion to understanding - and actively protecting - these shy and gentle primates introduced them to an admiring public and promoted values of conservation in the African nations they inhabit. In 1966, Dian Fossey left home for Africa to conduct field research on mountain gorillas. It was her second trip to Africa, but it wouldn’t be her last.

Could aliens from outer space really exist? And have they visited Earth? Listeners will be captivated by exciting tales of alien encounters while also learning the facts about each claim. Which stories could be true, and which fakes will be exposed?

Those who control dreams control reality. Madeline wants more time—for her career as a tech startup CEO, for herself, and for her family. Lucky for her, a new and controversial procedure offers to give her just that by reducing how much she needs to sleep. The data is promising, and she’s used to taking calculated risks. It seems like the right decision at the time, even if she hides it from her husband. While Madeline scaled the corporate ladder and spent half her nights on the road, Darwin traded in dreams of winning the Nobel Prize in neuroscience for the quiet fulfillment of staying...

Two guys break into an empty house. They find a machine that talks and responds to their questions. Can you summon a demon they ask it? A joke, right? Little do they know. It can. This is what happens when your voice assistant comes to life. Bonus Story: Webs A pyramid in the deep dry desert. What secrets lie within its walls? One explorer is about to find his greatest desire and his worst nightmare inside this ancient artifact. Bonus Story: Fear of the Scarecrow An angry man is hungry for revenge. Sometimes revenge comes with a price.

Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy Cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror. Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war.

Science fiction reflects on the paths that bring us to the present while shining a light on opportunities and dangers ahead. It's through the power of the imagination that humanity stretches into unknown worlds yet peers into the depths of the human experience. In these stories from OldEarth and Newearth worlds, every character's life speaks to a mysterious whole that we'd miss without them.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s Snowflake Bentley won a Caldecott Medal, a Parents’ Choice Award, and was picked as an ALA Notable Book for Children. Listeners of all ages will cherish this beautiful story about a real man whose discoveries changed the way the world saw snow.

"The Others" is a side story of the gripping sci-fi series, "The Alien Artifact." Andrew's grandson, who was named after him, was tasked with finding out what happened to the eight members of his crew who decided to return to their timeline in the future. In his quest to uncover what had happened to his grandfather’s crew, Andrew encountered unimaginable obstacles. Yet, he held on to hope, driven by an unwavering belief that this search was something he had to complete. After reading his grandfather's diary, he realized that the mission was not only vital for honoring his grandfather’s ...

With humanity on the brink of extinction, can one man make a difference? After a hard fought victory, Captain Faulkner's ship is in urgent need of repair. So he heads for Blackthorn, a solitary space station out on the edge of the known universe. A million people call Blackthorn home but when a vast and untamed threat rises up from the depths of space, the station's destruction seems all but assured. Faulkner has fought his fair share of desperate battles in the past but this is one fight he can't win. In order to save lives he's going to have to learn to make sacrifices. But he'll ...

Lena, la futura suma sacerdotisa y la última bruja con la mirada de la estrella, vive atormentada a causa de sus poderes para contactar a los muertos y por la culpa de no haber podido salvar a su hermana, quien quedó atrapada en el infierno. Las cosas empeoran cuando todo parece indicar que el portal al reino del caos se cerrará en las siguientes tres lunas y la oportunidad de traerla de vuelta se perderá para siempre.

En un intento por enmendar las cosas, Lena busca la ayuda de Caleb, un demonio con sus propios planes y secretos...

Award-winning author William Rosen tells the story of the men responsible for the Industrial Revolution and the machine that drove it: the steam engine.

From the start, his path was never predictable. Steve Jobs was given up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college after one semester, and at the age of 20, created Apple in his parents' garage with his friend Steve Wozniack. Then came the core and hallmark of his genius - his exacting insistence on perfection, his counterculture life approach, and his level of taste and style that pushed all boundaries.

The last 20 years have brought us the rise of the Internet, the development of artificial intelligence, the ubiquity of once unimaginably powerful computers, and the thorough transformation of our economy and society. Through it all, Ellen Ullman lived and worked inside that rising culture of technology, and in Life in Code she tells the continuing story of the changes it wrought with a unique, expert perspective.

Socrates questions Ion, an actor who just won a major prize, about his ability to interpret the epic poetry of Homer. How does an actor, a poet, or any other artist create? Is it by knowing? Is it by inspiration? As the dialogue proceeds, the nature of human creativity emerges as a mysterious process and an unsolved puzzle.

Aristotle's Poetics is best known for its definitions and analyses of tragedy and comedy, but it also applies to truth and beauty as they are manifested in the other arts. In our age, when the natural and social sciences have dominated the quest for truth, it is helpful to consider why Aristotle claimed poetry is more philosophical and more significant than history. Like so many other works by Aristotle, the Poetics has dominated the way we have thought about all forms of dramatic performance in Europe and America ever since.

What is the Earth Window? Who is Ck5? Where are the voices coming from? Driven by memories of her famous Astronaut father, Alex Fox, Dorian is on her way to the new Polaris Lunar Mining Base. It is only the beginning of her journey and nothing seems to happen as planned. The Defense Alliance needs her help and she needs answers. With only fragments of family stories, Dorian hopes that going to the stars will help her to discover the parents that she never really knew. In many ways Dorian is exceptional, but she is also filled with doubts about meeting the challenges of the future. During ...