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More Amazing Science Q&As from the Author of Curious Folks Ask
Why do lizards do pushups?
Does hot water really freeze faster than cold water?
Why does the moon look bigger at the horizon?
Why do some people float and others sink?
What’s better, paper or plastic?
Why can’t anything go faster than light?
How did oil get there?
How does carbon dating work, and why do scientists trust it?
How much does the earth weigh?
Why can’t you make square soap bubbles?
“For those of us with science questions that range from the profound to the fanciful, Sherry Seethaler is here with the answers. She not only educates with this wonderful collection, she entertains.”
—John Cannon, Quest editor, San Diego Union-Tribune
“If you want to learn about the ‘Mpemba effect’ (why hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold), if you have a burning desire to know about the biosphere we live in, if you have ever wondered about why those pesky black holes don’t swallow the universe and what’s beyond the ‘edge’ of the universe, Sherry Seethaler has a knowledgeable, well-written, and research-based answer for you. Call her the Sherlock Holmes of science. With Dr. Seethaler, the hunt’s afoot for the mysteries of the world!”
—Christopher Y. Wu, PhD, Associate Director of the National Science Foundation-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Mid-Pacific Information and Communications Technology Center (MPICT.org) and Principal/Founder, metacyber
W hat have you always wondered about? For more than seven years, renowned science writer Dr. Sherry Seethaler has answered questions like yours–both in her weekly column in the San Diego Union-Tribune and in her best-selling book Curious Folks Ask.
Now, she’s back, with 188 more of her best science Q&As, in another book you just can’t put down. Seethaler is one of this generation’s best science explainers, and it shows: Every answer is accurate, fun to read, and distilled to a single page–or less!
Want to know why diamonds sparkle? How spiders build huge webs without ever getting stuck? How birds flock? What causes tornadoes? Why hard-boiled egg yolks turn green? How much electricity your new TV uses? Why dogs vary so much in size and cats don’t? Why it’s safe for scientists to make miniature black holes? It’s all here–and plenty more!
Creepy crawlies and amazing animals
How big’s a bug’s brain? Do elephants hate mice? How does a kangaroo clean her pouch?
Freeway noise, bad hair days, and other funky phenomena
Is jewelry radioactive? Is rainwater really pure?
Weather, climate, and the environment
What’s the real deal with recycling, drought, hurricanes, and CO2?
Our planet, our universe
New oceans, dark matter, mini black holes, and beyond
Preface xv
Chapter 1 Creepy crawlies 1
Chapter 2 Amazing animals 23
Chapter 3 Vitally vegetal 53
Chapter 4 Funky phenomena 75
Chapter 5 Environmental effects 97
Chapter 6 Home planet 129
Chapter 7 The heavens 155
Chapter 8 Far out 179
Index 205
uncletoon
Posted January 4, 2012
This book showcases many questions that come with great answers. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found myself sneaking off to read sections of the book with every chance I could find.
Strengths: The book kept my interest and posed questions I never thought of asking. The answers are easy to understand and concise.
Weaknesses: The book is grouped into several categories. These can become a little much at times. I enjoyed all of the questions and answers, but grew bored by the end of each section. More mixing would have alleviated this. Some of the answers, while very straight forward, are a little dry.
Overall: I would highly recommend this book as a time killer. Each individual question and answer takes about a minute to read, so it's great when time is short.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 3, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot of things I didn't know, and some of the subjects were fun. I liked how diversified the subject matter was. I believe the topics were well researched. I did double check a few of them and they were absolutely correct.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jay_lofstead
Posted December 2, 2011
An easy-to-read book covering many topics in science. It is nice to see good content like this that really helps people both understand and be inspired by the world around them is available.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.saradippity
Posted July 18, 2011
This really is a great book for curious people. It also has good facts for people who live in a thrifty or environmentally friendly manner. It's about 180 pages long, so a quick read. It is, incidentally, now free. I assume the previous reviewer simply ran across an error on the website's coding which has now been corrected.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.haleysname
Posted December 28, 2011
I appreciate this book even if a lot of the questions asked, I skipped over. For the most part, it seems the answers are written simplified enough that they can be easily understood, but not so simple that you don't have to think a bit while reading.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 9, 2011
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Posted January 31, 2012
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Posted July 28, 2011
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Posted September 27, 2011
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Posted March 6, 2012
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Posted August 17, 2011
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Posted May 12, 2013
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Posted December 26, 2011
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Overview
More Amazing Science Q&As from the Author of Curious Folks Ask
Why do lizards do pushups?
Does hot water really freeze faster ...