Try free for 30 days

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Litmus cover art

Litmus

By: Kate Clanchy, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Stella Duffy, Maggie Gee, Sarah Hall, Ra Page - editor
Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Like the creation myths they supersede, the revelations of science are seared into our collective imagination through storytelling. From Archimedes' bath to Newton's apple, vivid accounts of scientific discovery help us understand the principles behind each theory, and add to the larger narrative of how the universe works, and how we came to be here. This anthology draws out and distils science's love of narrative from a wide range of scientific disciplines, weaving theory into very human stories, and delving into the humanity of theorists and experimenters as they stood on the brink of momentous discoveries: from Joseph Swan's original light-bulb moment to the uncovering of mirror neurons lighting up empathy zones in the human brain; from Einstein's revelation on a Bern tram, to Pavlov's identification of personality types thanks to a freak flood in his St Petersburg lab. Each story has been written in close consultation with scientists and historians and is accompanied by a specially written afterword, expanding on the science for a general audience. Together, they bring vividly to life the stories behind the 'eureka!' moments that changed the way we live, forever.

Cover art copyright (c) Matt Roeser.

Also featuring stories by Annie Clarkson, Tania Hershman, Trevor Hoyle, Michael Jecks, Zoe Lambert, Sean O'Brien, Christine Poulson, Emma Jane Unsworth, Adam Marek, Sara Maitland, Alison MacLeod, and Jane Rogers. Plus afterwords by Prof Jim Al-Khalili, Prof Martyn Amos, Dr. Robert Appleby, John Clayson, Prof Matthew Cobb, Sarah Fox, Kathryn Harris, James Higgerson, Dr. Nick R. Love, Dr. Tim O'Brien, Prof Denis Noble, Prof Giacomo Rizzolatti, Dr. Zoe Schnepp, Dr. James Sumner, Dr. Angharad Watson and Dr. John Wearden.

©2011 The Copyright remains with the authors. (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Critic Reviews

"The pairings work brilliantly, giving stereoscopic vision...ingenious...unfailingly interesting." (Book of the Week, The Independent)
"An inspiring tribute to inquiring minds." (The Guardian)

What listeners say about Litmus

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly good

I like to listen to boring books to help me drop off to sleep. This one was downloaded with that intention in mind. However, it was so interesting I binged it over a few days and will probably listen to it again. The explanations following each short story helped add to the experience. I am just disappointed that I will not live to see the next Venus eclipse of the sun after not appreciating the two that occurred in my lifetime.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.