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Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex

Science and Pseudoscience in Everyday Life

ebook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 8 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 8 weeks

In this new collection of bite-size pop science essays, bestselling author, chemistry professor, and radio broadcaster Dr. Joe Schwarcz shows that you can find science virtually anywhere you look. And the closer you look, the more fascinating it becomes. In this volume, we look through our magnifying glass at maraschino cherries, frizzy hair, duct tape, pickle juice, yellow school buses, aphrodisiacs, dental implants, and bull testes. If those don't tickle your fancy, how about aconite murders, shot towers, book smells, Swarovski crystals, French wines, bees, or head transplants? You can also learn about the scientific escapades of James Bond, California's confusing Proposition 65, the problems with oxygen on Mars, Valentine's Meat Juice, the benefits of pasteurization, the pros and cons of red light therapy, the controversy swirling around perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), why English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic, and how probiotics may have seeded Hitler's downfall.

Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex answers all your burning questions about the science of everyday life, like:

  • why "superfood" is a marketing term, not a scientific one;
  • why plastic wrap is sometimes the environmental choice;
  • why supplements to reduce inflammation may just reduce your bank account;
  • how maraschino cherries went from a luxury good to a cheap sundae topper;
  • what's behind "old book smell";
  • how margarine became a hot item for bootleggers;
  • why duct tape is useful, but not on ducts; and
  • how onstage accidents led to fireproof fabrics.
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      • Library Journal

        Starred review from March 1, 2024

        Chemist and prolific science writer Schwarcz (McGill Univ.; Quack Quack: The Threat of Pseudoscience), known globally for his lectures on hot-button science topics, once again targets general readers with this collection of bite-size essays addressing questions about the science of everyday life. The 75 concise, energetic chapters reveal Schwarcz's love of science and his uncanny ability to simplify complex scientific phenomena. He explains why the term "superfood" is merely a marketing gimmick; why plastic wrap is sometimes the better environmental choice; how inflammation-reducing supplements actually target one's bank balance; and why duct tape can't repair air ducts. Readers will also learn the 1950s origin of spandex and the pseudoscience behind using silkworm feces as medicine. VERDICT This highly informative, authoritative title makes solid science accessible and entertaining, and it keeps alive the author's tradition of clearly differentiating pseudoscience and quackery from empirical science. Schwarcz's fans will love this latest book, and he'll likely gain a new following as well. Nicely supplements The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan and Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer.--Dale Farris

        Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    Formats

    • Kindle Book
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    • EPUB ebook

    Languages

    • English

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