What would kill you if you fell into a black hole? Once people finally get to Mars, how will they get back? What makes the holes in Swiss cheese? Are there any carnivorous plants that are harmful to humans? Are there really caterpillars that scream to protect themselves? How do birds have sexual intercourse? Why don't woodpeckers damage their brains? What is the function of ear wax? Why don't you sneeze when you're asleep? Do germs have germs? What is considered evidence for extra-terrestial intelligence?
Every week, C. Claiborne Ray answers questions like these from the readers of the New York Times Science section who, as this delightful second volume demonstrates, never seem to run out of things to ask about. Here, Ray gives us 225 of the most interesting answers she has gleaned from scientists in every discipline, satisfying our desire to understand some of the strangest, most curious mysteries of the natural world. Victoria Roberts's charmingly wacky drawings add to the fun.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Chapter 1 Reaching for the Stars
Chapter 2 Down to Earth
Chapter 3 The Weather, Rain or Shine
Chapter 4 Food, Glorious Food
Chapter 5 Flora! Flora! Flora!
Chapter 6 All Bugs Great and Small
Chapter 7 It’s a Zoo Out There
Chapter 8 Secrets of Cats and Dogs
Chapter 9 Animal Aviators
Chapter 10 How Humans Get That Way
Chapter 11 Our Bodies, Our Aches and Pains
Chapter 12 Things You’ve Always Wanted to Know
Chapter 13 Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
Chapter 14 Battleground: The Body
Chapter 15 Ways Modern and Ancient
