From Stars Above to Bugs Below
October 2026. The Uncovered digital series, presented by PBS Books in partnership with the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), continues this month with an episode devoted to Popular Science. This episode debuts Tuesday, October 13, at 8 pm EDT on the PBS Books website, YouTube, Facebook, and the PBS app.
Join cosmologist Niayesh Afshordi and science communicator Phil Halper, authors of Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins (University of Chicago Press), for a fascinating conversation about the mysteries surrounding the birth of our universe. The authors explore competing ideas about what may have happened before the Big Bang—from cyclic and bouncing universes to multiverses, black holes, string theory and holograms—and discuss how questioning established ideas can lead to new discoveries.
This episode also introduces viewers to books about citizen science, wildlife and evolution, climate and wildfire, agriculture and food, public health, scientific history, and the relationship between science and society. These books are published by Columbia University Press, Duke University Press, Harvard Education Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, Michigan State University Press, National Gallery of Art (with Princeton University Press), University of California Press, University of Massachusetts Press, University of Pittsburgh Press, University Press of Kentucky, and Vanderbilt University Press.
Together, the books featured in this episode uncover the many ways that science helps us understand our world and beyond.
The series will continue with a new monthly episode—along with a free downloadable booklist, discussion guide, and other resources—through summer 2027. Here’s the full line-up:
- September 2026 – Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month
- October 2026 – Popular Science
- November 2026 – Native American Heritage Month
- December 2026 – Librarians’ Favorite University Press Picks
- January 2027 – Literature in Translation
- February 2027 – Black History Month
- March 2027 – Women’s History Month
- April 2027 – National Poetry Month
- May 2027 – Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- June 2027 – Pride Month (LGBTQ+)
- July 2027 – Regional Reads
- August 2027 – Foodways
Read more about this AUPresses-PBS Books partnership in the series announcement.