The Language Puzzle
Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved
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The Language Puzzle
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Narrated by:
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Kerry Hutchinson
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By:
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Steven Mithen
About this listen
A top scholar reveals the most complete picture to date of how early human speech led to the languages we use today
The invention of language began with the apelike calls of our earliest ancestors. Today, the world is home to thousands of complex languages. Yet exactly how, when, and why this evolution occurred has been one of the most enduring—and contentiously debated—questions in science.
In The Language Puzzle, renowned archaeologist Steven Mithen puts forward a groundbreaking new account of the origins of language. Scientists have gained new insights into the first humans of 2.8 million years ago, and how numerous species flourished but only one, Homo sapiens, survives today. Drawing from this work and synthesizing research across archaeology, psychology, linguistics, genetics, and more, Mithen details a step-by-step explanation of how our human ancestors transitioned from apelike calls to words, and from words to language as we use it today. He explores how language shaped our cognition and vice versa; how metaphor advanced Homo sapiens’ ability to formulate abstract concepts, develop agriculture, and—ultimately—shape the world. The result is a master narrative that builds bridges between disciplines, stuns with its breadth and depth, and spans millennia of societal development.
Deeply researched and brilliantly told, The Language Puzzle marks a seminal understanding of the evolution of language.
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We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain. Brain Energy will transform the field of mental health, and the lives of countless people around the world.
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Arguing brain health theory to medical profession
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Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
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- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,189
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,055
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,051
Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
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3 out of 5 stars
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They just throw the facts too fast
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Welcome to the Universe
- An Astrophysical Tour
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- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,369
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,209
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,204
Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel.
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3 out of 5 stars
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All About What We Know About the Universe - ALL
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Chemistry and Our Universe
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- By: Ron B. Davis, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ron B. Davis
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 517
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 410
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 406
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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4 out of 5 stars
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Great Professor, Hard to Follow.
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Inspired
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,178
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,152
How do today's most successful tech companies - Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla - design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently from the vast majority of tech companies. In Inspired, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides listeners with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, terrible audio wanted to ask a refund
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Cosmic Queries
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 892
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 760
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 753
In this illuminating audiobook, Tyson and coauthor James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia - How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone? - and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Not worth it
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Reentry
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- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 174
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 164
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Story5 out of 5 stars 164
From launchpad explosions to a pernicious cricket infestation to the demanding management style of Musk himself, the rise of SpaceX was beset with challenges and far from inevitable. Find out how the startup beat the odds and flew high enough to outpace their rivals... and where they're going next.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Appreciated the engineering details
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The Butchering Art
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,371
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,029
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,021
In The Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of 19th-century surgery on the eve of profound transformation. She conjures up early operating theaters - no place for the squeamish - and surgeons, working before anesthesia, who were lauded for their speed and brute strength. They were baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. A young, melancholy Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister would solve the deadly riddle and change the course of history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Not one boring moment!
- By WRWF on 12-22-17
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Naked Statistics
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- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,455
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,922
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,907
From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know which movies you'll like? What is causing the rising incidence of autism? As best-selling author Charles Wheelan shows us in Naked Statistics, the right data and a few well-chosen statistical tools can help us answer these questions and more.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Starts well then becomes non-Audible
- By Michael on 09-07-13
By: Charles Wheelan
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