Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze: And 114 Other Questions - Softcover

New Scientist is a science magazine for everyone, young and old, amateur and professional. With a circulation approaching 160,000 and a worldwide readership of more than half a million, it is among the most popular of all popular science magazines.

The latest collection of "Last Words" columns from New Scientist magazine, in which experts in various fields responds to readers' questions, is entertaining and enlightening. Sorted into several categories--"Our Bodies," "Weird Weather," etc.--the questions deal mainly with everyday matters. Why do we sneeze when we emerge from the shade into the light? (Theories vary.) Why do our knuckles make that sound when we crack them? (Bubbles of nitrogen gas popping in the joints.) Why do we cry when we slice an onion? (Amino acids are released into the air, acting as an irritant.) We learn a lot of interesting stuff, and it's surprising how many common questions have no definitive answer: for example, hot water either does or does not freeze faster than cold water, depending on whom you listen to. Trivia nuts, especially fans of the earlier book Does Anything Eat Wasps? (2006),not to mention David Feldman's long-running Imponderables series, will eat this one up. David Pitt
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