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UnDisciplined: Can science be fun, guys?

Book Cover: How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi
Chris Balakrishnan and Matt Wasowski
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Chris Balakrishnan and Matt Wasowski
Book Cover: How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi

For 21 years, the pub event series known as Nerd Nite has cross-crossed the globe, making science accessible and fun. Now, the events co-founders have turned their event into a book, “How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi,” which showcases 70 nerds from around the world talking about really nerdy stuff, from dating tips from the animal kingdom to the important lessons we can learn from birds about how to survive a zombie apocalypse.

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Matthew LaPlante has reported on ritual infanticide in Northern Africa, insurgent warfare in the Middle East, the legacy of genocide in Southeast Asia, and gang violence in Central America. But a few years back, something donned on him: Maybe the news doesn't have to be brutally depressing all the time. Today, he balances his continuing work on more heartbreaking subjects by writing books about the intersection of science, human health and society, including the New York Times best-selling <i>Lifespan</i> with geneticist David Sinclair and the Nautilus Award-winning <i>Longevity Plan</i> with cardiologist John Day. His first solo book, <i>Superlative</i>, looks at what scientists are learning by studying organisms that have evolved in record-setting ways, and his is currently at work on another book about embracing the inevitability of human-caused climate change with an optimistic outlook on the future.<br/>