Thomas Levenson
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Thomas Levenson

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My day job has me professing science writing at MIT, where I teach in the Institute's Graduate Program in Science Writing. I continue to do what I did before I joined the professoriat: write books (and the occasional article), and make documentary films about science, its history, and its interaction with the broader culture in which scientific lives and discoveries unfold. I've written six books. "Money for Nothing" explores the connection between the revolutionary advances in science of th 17th century with the birth of financial capitalism by retelling the story of the first great stock market boom, fraud and crash: the South Sea Bubble of 1720. "The Hunt For Vulcan" tells the story of the planet that wasn't there -- and yet was discovered over and over again. It is both a tale of scientific undiscovery and breakthrough, and an investigation into how advances in science really occur (as opposed to what they tell us in high school). My previous books include "Newton and the Counterfeiter" -- which is a great story from a little-known corner of Isaac Newton's life -- and "Einstein in Berlin," which is, I have reason to hope, on the verge of reissue. Besides writing, film making and generally being dour about the daily news, I lead an almost entirely conventional life in one of Boston's inner suburbs with a family that gives me great joy.
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A Pox on Fools

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The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

You can’t beat a good story. Luckily, humans are great at storytelling, and the best fiction podcasts are all the proof that the modern listener requires. Get the popcorn ready; it’s storytime.

Featured Article: The Best Fiction Podcasts for Listeners Who Love a Good Story

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  • Money for Nothing cover art
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    • Money for Nothing

    • The Scientists, Fraudsters, and Corrupt Politicians Who Reinvented Money, Panicked a Nation, and Made the World Rich
    • Written by: Thomas Levenson
    • Narrated by: Dan Bittner
    • Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
    • Release date: 2020-08-18
    • Language: English
    • 5 ratings

    $28.19 or free with 30-day trial

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  • The Hunt for Vulcan cover art
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    • The Hunt for Vulcan

    • …And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe
    • Written by: Thomas Levenson
    • Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
    • Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
    • Release date: 2015-11-03
    • Language: English
    • 4 ratings

    $17.13 or free with 30-day trial

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  • Newton and the Counterfeiter cover art
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    $20.58 or free with 30-day trial

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  • A Pox on Fools cover art
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    • A Pox on Fools

    • The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines
    • Written by: Thomas Levenson
    • Narrated by: Mike Cooper
    • Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
    • Release date: 2026-06-09
    • Language: English
    • Not rated yet

    $20.05 or free with 30-day trial

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  • So Very Small cover art
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    • So Very Small

    • How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs--and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease
    • Written by: Thomas Levenson
    • Narrated by: Mike Cooper
    • Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
    • Release date: 2025-04-29
    • Language: English
    • Not rated yet

    $28.65 or free with 30-day trial

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