What is ear wax for? Do bacteria have sex? How do they put stripes in toothpaste? Does your nose run in space? What are stars made of? This book answers those tantalising or perplexing questions for which you thought you'd never find an answer. A book for the naturally curious, as well as those seekers after scientific truths, it unravels both those things we take for granted, such as, when you boil an egg, why does the yolk stay in the middle, or why is the sky blue, as well as questions which probe deeply, such as, what does an atom look like, or what was there before the beginning of time? If you were to write in the dust on the moon, how big would the letters have to be so you could see them from earth without a telescope? Drawing on the expertise of a team of enthusiastic scientists around the world, authoritative, entertaining, and often a touch humorous, it will appeal to anyone who's ever been curious about life on earth.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Paul Heiney is a well-known writer, broadcaster and journalist. He writes features and reviews for The Times and is also the author of several books, among them Pulling Punches, Home Farm, two novels, and The Nuts and Bolts of Life.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Quite in the Same League as its Competitors but Still a Good Entertaining Book That Teaches You Stuff Too!,
By
This review is from: Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?: Perplexing Questions Answered (Paperback)
This book is well researched for the answers it gives the reader in detail such as What came first the chicken and the egg? I've have never seen this question answered more brilliantly than it is here and you are left with no doubt it had to have been the egg.
But the book does add the occasional one sentence urban myth where obviously the editors or whoever are trying to pad out a section but they haven't bothered to do the research. For example the title question can cows walk down stairs (although rephrased as can cows be led down stairs in the book) brilliantly answers that question (it's no they can't if you're interested but not intending to purchase this book) but adds as a last sentence (on p46) other similar examples, one being that emus can't walk backwards. This myth is a common belief in Australia, spread by an old bushman's wives tale. However anyone who has ever worked in a wildlife park knows emus certainly can walk backwards if they have no other options and need to. A simple phone call to any wildlife park that has emus, before printing that line would have resulted in them leaving it out and having a more accurate book. That aside the book does give a lot of great information on topics readers of all ages probably have wondered. The book presents these in conversation style as the reader asking questions to the narrator. Examples of some interesting questions asked in this book are - If a cow eats green grass why is its milk white? Is it true cats always land on their feet and why? Do fish vomit? Do fish sleep? Why does your nose run when you eat? How much of our lifetime do we spend with our eyes closed just by blinking? How long can a human stay awake? Do ants have blood and bones? Do penguins have knee caps? Why are women's voices higher than mens? Is eating snot bad for you? Is it possible to run across the backs of alligators like they do in the movies? The book is not as light or entertaining in style as some of the better competitors out there, plus the odd mistake or two does lessen my overall rating of the book. However I still think it is a worthwhile purchase as it does cover some topics not covered in the better books and such as the chicken and the egg question argues the answers very, very well! The best though in this genre are How Slow Can you Waterski? by Simon Rogers, (also released under the title Can You Drill a Hole Through Your Head and Survive?) Dr Karl Kruszelnicki's Great Mythconceptions: The Science Behind the Myths, Q & A with Dr. K, Pigeon Poo, the Universe & Car Paint: And Other Awesome Science Moments and the rest of his books. Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?: The Truth Behind Old Wives' Tales, Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini, Shocking Science, So Gross (Over 100 Gross-Worthy Facts) and Everything You Need to Know About the World by Simon Eliot.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
can cows walk down stairs,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?: Perplexing Questions Answered (Paperback)
Very informative ,educational & entertaining book to read. Would make a good gift for someone who needs something unusual.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A nice Shelf Filler,
By
This review is from: Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?: Perplexing Questions Answered (Paperback)
This book isn't going to change your life but it's an interesting and easy read. The kind of book you can pick up and read again and again. It's funny. I liked it. A good book to give to an questioning teenager. Can cows walk down stairs is a shelf filler, but it's interesting.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
