Harvard Science Book Talks

Robert Thorson shoulder portrait and book cover

September 25, 2026 - @6:00pm 

Robert Thorson
"The Walden Experiments: The Science of Henry David Thoreau"

 

Harvard Science Book Talks are a collaboration between the Harvard University Division of Science, Harvard Library, and Harvard Book Store. The series features lectures by, and conversations with, authors of recently published books on science-related topics, written with a non-specialist audience in mind. Some of the authors we invite are academics or research scientists, while others are science writers and journalists. We are casting a wide net across areas of human endeavor that are grouped under the aegis of Science. We are interested in the history, philosophy, methodology, and cultures of the various science fields: their triumphs and failures, their controversies, biographies of the people involved, important discoveries, and great feats of human imagination and ingenuity. We are equally interested in in-depth explorations of various topics in a manner that makes science accessible to the curious non-specialist. Our goal is to inform, inspire, entertain, provide food for thought, and encourage audiences to engage in public discourse about science, the role that it can—and does—play in our society, and its potential for furthering human progress.

The in-person talks, held at Harvard Science Center, are followed by a small reception and book signing in Cabot Science Library.  On rare occasions, we may also hold special, ticketed, events in other venues. For more information and to be added to our notification list, please contact us at science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu.
 

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2026/27

  • Nov. 16, 2026: Terence Tao, "Six Math Essentials"
  • Nov 9, 2026: Francine Berman, in conversation with Alyssa Goodman, "Better Tech: Putting People First in Cyberspace"
  • Oct 21, 2026: Natasha Singer, "Coding Kids: Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools"
  • Oct 20, 2026: Dino Martins, "Hidden Creatures: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites"
  • Oct 7, 2026: Daniel Lieberman, "Fed Up: What Evolution Reveals About Food, Diet, Health, and Eating Well"
  • Sep 29, 2026: Sherry Turkle, "Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines" [information coming soon]
  • Sep 25, 2026: Robert Thorson, "The Walden Experiments: The Science of Henry David Thoreau" [information coming soon]

 

2025/26

 

2024/25

 

2023/24

2020/21

2019/20 

2018/19 

2017/18