Search
Log in
  • Home

  • Categories

  • Audiobooks

  • E-books

  • For kids

  • Top lists

  • Help

  • Download app

  • Use campaign code

  • Redeem gift card

  • Try free now
  • Log in
  • Language

    🇳🇱 Nederland

    • NL
    • EN

    🇧🇪 Belgique

    • FR
    • EN

    🇩🇰 Danmark

    • DK
    • EN

    🇩🇪 Deutschland

    • DE
    • EN

    🇪🇸 España

    • ES
    • EN

    🇫🇷 France

    • FR
    • EN

    🇳🇴 Norge

    • NO
    • EN

    🇦🇹 Österreich

    • AT
    • EN

    🇨🇭 Schweiz

    • DE
    • EN

    🇫🇮 Suomi

    • FI
    • EN

    🇸🇪 Sverige

    • SE
    • EN
  1. Books
  2. Spirituality
  3. Spirituality

Read and listen for free for 30 days!

Cancel anytime

Try free now
0.0(0)

Science of the Magical : From the Holy Grail to Love Potions to Superpowers

“Filled with cool cocktail-party tidbits, Matt Kaplan considers how things that were once the stuff of legends could one day become reality” (The Atlantic) in this fun scientific inquiry into the mystical places and magical objects of ancient and contemporary lore—from the fountain of youth, to love potions, to Super Mario’s mushrooms.

Can migrations of birds foretell our future? Do phases of the moon hold sway over our lives? Are there sacred springs that cure the ill? What is the best way to brew a love potion? How do we create mutant humans who regenerate like Wolverine?

“In Science of the Magical, Matt Kaplan takes us on a journey spiced with the wonders of myth, history and art, leavened with impeccable research, endlessly fascinating. And the result is both a compelling read and a deeply thoughtful exploration of the world around us and the ways we seek to understand it” (Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner’s Handbook). Like Ken Jennings and Mary Roach, Kaplan serves as a friendly armchair guide to the world of the supernatural. From the strengthening powers of Viking mead to the super soldiers in movies such as Captain America, Kaplan explores cultures and time periods to point out that there is often much more to these enduring magical narratives than mere fantasy. Informative and entertaining, Science of the Magical is “a sprightly survey” (The Wall Street Journal) and “a joy to read…highly recommended” (Library Journal, starred review).


Author:

  • Matt Kaplan

Format:

  • E-book

Duration:

  • 238 pages

Language:

English

Categories:

  • Spirituality
  • Spirituality
  • Society and Social Sciences
  • Society

More by Matt Kaplan

Skip the list
  1. Science of the Magical

    Matt Kaplan

    audiobook
  2. The Science of Monsters: The Origins of the Creatures We Love to Fear

    Matt Kaplan

    book

Others have also read

Skip the list
  1. The Pollinators

    Jaap Molenaar

    audiobook
  2. Por la causa de las mujeres

    Maria Montessori

    book
  3. The Lost History of Liberalism

    Helena Rosenblatt

    audiobook
  4. El buentrato : Como proyecto de vida

    Fina Sanz

    book
  5. Develop your General Culture in 500 Quotes

    Winston Churchill, Confucius, Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare, Sun Tzu

    audiobook
  6. People Skills : How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts

    Robert Bolton

    audiobookbook
  7. The Wallace D. Wattles Trilogy : The Science of Getting Rich, The Science of Being Great & The Science of Being Well

    Wallace D. Wattles

    audiobook
  8. The Yoga Of Love Baba Ram Dass & Neem Karoli Baba

    Sripad Jagannatha Dasa

    audiobook
  9. This Land Is Their Land

    Barbara Ehrenreich

    audiobook
  10. Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba

    Sripad Jagannatha Dasa

    audiobook
  11. Had I Known : Collected Essays

    Barbara Ehrenreich

    audiobook
  12. How Can I Help?

    Ram Dass, Paul Gorman

    audiobook

  • 3 books

    Matt Kaplan

    Matt Kaplan is a science correspondent with The Economist. He has also contributed to National Geographic, New Scientist, Nature, and The New York Times. He is the author of the book The Science of Monsters. In 2014, Kaplan was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship which he used to study the sciences at MIT and folklore at Harvard.

    Read more

Help and contact


About us

  • Our story
  • Career
  • Press
  • Accessibility
  • Partner with us
  • Investor relations
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Explore

  • Categories
  • Audiobooks
  • E-books
  • Magazines
  • For kids
  • Top lists

Popular categories

  • Crime
  • Biographies and reportage
  • Fiction
  • Feel-good and romance
  • Personal development
  • Children's books
  • True stories
  • Sleep and relaxation

Nextory

Copyright © 2025 Nextory AB

Privacy Policy · Terms ·
Excellent4.3 out of 5