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'A good mix of questions and answers, entertainment and education, it will make an excellent 'thinkers' Christmas book.' --Publishing News.
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What happens if you fall into a black hole? Which properties give you the best chance of winning Monopoly? And why is it always so difficult to get ketchup to come out of a full bottle? Award winning science writer Robert Matthews provides answers to the most baffling, intriguing, and occasionally downright trivial questions submitted by members of the general public. From the mysterious fate of odd socks to the farthest reaches of the universe, this collection unravels the science behind the world around us. Entertaining, enlightening, and often inspired, this book is a must-read for all inquisitive minds.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly researched and opinionated answers,
By Jack Hobartson (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Why Don't Spiders Stick to Their Webs?: And Other Everyday Mysteries of Science (Paperback)
I have some serious misgivings about this book. Various claims are made in an authoritative way, however often the author seems to be relying on his own opinion.
For instance, his opinion about homeopathy is ridiculous. He is "with the public on this one". I'm not sure who he thinks the public are, but I for one do not believe that taking the equivalent of a drop of solution in the entire world's ocean will make any difference to my health. Read Ben Goldacre or Richard Dawkins for a serious discussion on homeopathy, not this man's totally uninformed opinion. His answer about the risks of eating irradiated food is also odd, claiming that consumers are perfectly happy to buy these foods when told of the relative risks and benefits. What!! Who is telling the customer what these risks and benefits are? Presumably the seller of irradiated food. Another thing I found irritating was the attempts at "humour" employed throughout the book. Maybe I just have a different sense of humour, but I just wanted the facts, not jokes which aren't funny. "Is there any evidence that vegetarians are healthier than omnivores?" is another question he decides to answer for us. It is clear that Mr Matthews doesn't like vegetarians much, as he grudgingly admits to the weight of evidence that vegetarians live longer lives, due to reduced incidence of heart disease and cancer. Ah yes, he says, but that's just because vegetarians lead healthier lives anyway, they don't smoke or get drunk as much. He also says that studies have been unable to show whether such lifestyle factors are more important than diet. Sorry Mr Matthews, but I suggest you buy a copy of The China Study, which proves beyond doubt that a plant-based whole food diet is far healthier than a meat / dairy based one. He ends his uninformed response by saying that despite all the evidence he prefers to follow Kingsley Amis's dictum: that there are no pleasures in life worth forgoing in order to spend two more years in a nursing home. However that is not the point - a healthier diet will keep you from years of ill-health, heart disease, cancer, and unpleasant operations no doubt too. It is not just two years in a nursing home you are getting! There are better informed answers elsewhere (hence 2 stars) but the poorly researched ones raise doubts about the entire book.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of the bunch,
By
This review is from: Why Don't Spiders Stick to Their Webs?: And Other Everyday Mysteries of Science (Paperback)
There have been a spate of books in recent years answering a range of niggling and entertaining questions about the world around us. The New Scientist series are pretty good and there are one or two other eminently forget-able volumes of poorer quality the titles of which I am unable to remember.
Robert Matthews' book is, as my title suggests, the best of the bunch by far. The questions are interesting and varied, the answers informative and just a little quirky. Best of all the book is tinged with a gentle and intelligent humour. It doesn't try to be pally or whacky but it does succeed in being friendly, funny, intelligent and eminently readable. I was particularly impressed with his answer to the question "does homeopathy work" which included an explanation of the theory of homeopathy, another of why scientists are generally sceptical and a reasoned and sensible plea for people to stop bickering and do some decent research to see if there's anything in it. Compared to the opinionated jabberings of people like Ben Goldacre and Richard Dawkins it was a breath of fresh air. At six quid it is a bargain. I enjoyed it immensely, my 12 year old daughter is reading it and enjoying it and my partner will, no doubt, enjoy it too if ever she can get a look in! For anyone with any interest in science, the world or just the puzzling nature of life this book will be a pleasure.
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