Synopses & Reviews
Have you ever wondered about the science behind Alices strange adventures in Wonderland, Casanovas experiments with "Spanish Fly," and zombies in Haiti? In
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs, chemist and columnist Dr. Joe Schwarcz offers 67 entertaining essays exploring these and other delightful nooks and crannies of chemistry.
Investigate the nefarious chemistry of the KGB, the colors of urine, and the mysteries of baldness. Learn how shampoos really work, and discover which cleaning agents must never be combined. Get rid of that skunk smell in a jiffy, and get a whiff of whats behind the act of passing gas. Read about the ups and downs of underwear, the invention of gunpowder, Van Goghs brain, John Dillingers chemical exploits, and Dinshah Ghadialis bizarre attempts to cure disease with colored lights. Finally, discover the amazing links between radar, hula hoops, and playful pigs!
Written by popular media personality Dr. Joe Schwarcz, this 1999 Canadian best-seller is proof positive that a little intellectual dip into the vast ocean of chemistry can not only be useful but pleasurable as well.
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, one of North America's foremost educators, is well known for his informative and entertaining public lectures on topics ranging from the chemistry of love to the science of aging. He has received numerous awards for teaching chemistry and for interpreting science to the public. "Dr. Joe" appears regularly on the Discovery Channel, has a weekly radio phone-in show on Montreal's CJAD, and writes columns about the role of chemistry in everyday life for the Washington Post and the Montreal Gazette. Schwarcz is also the Director of McGill University's Office for Chemistry and Society.
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs really does "tell it like it is" in 67 short, entertaining, and informative pieces about the many functions of chemistry in our everyday experience.
Find out the latest about homeopathy and alternative medicine. Fill up on facts about soybeans, tomatoes, tea, ginseng, chicken soup, hot dogs, and the benefits of eating chalk. Explore the science behind Alice's strange adventures in Wonderland, Rumpole's deadly cheese soufflé, and Casanova's experiments with "Spanish Fly." Investigate the nefarious chemistry of the KGB, the colors of urine, and the mysteries of baldness. Learn how shampoos really work, and discover which cleaning agents must never be combined. Get rid of that skunk smell in a jiffy, and get a whiff of what's behind the act of passing gas. Take a painless, glimpse into the discovery of anesthetics. Read about the ups and downs of underwear, the invention of gunpowder, zombies in Haiti, Van Gogh's brain, John Dillinger's chemical exploits, little Mikey's exploding stomach, and Dinshah Ghadiali's bizarre attempts to cure disease with colored lights. Even Houdini makes a magical appearance in this wonderfully accessible, wholly fascinating, and chemically rich and diverse volume.
"Schawrcz tells it like it is. Whether he's plumbing the mysteries of chicken soup or tracing the development of polyethylene, Schwarcz takes a little history, adds a dash of chemistry, and produces a gem of an essay every time. I wish he'd been my chemistry professor when I was in school."Christine Gorman, Time magazine
"It is hard to believe that anybody could be drawn to such a dull and smelly subject as chemistryuntil, that is, one picks up Joe Schwarcz's book and is reminded that with every breath and feeling one is experiencing chemistry. Falling in love, we all know, is a matter of the right chemistry. Schwarcz gets his chemistry right, and hooks his readers."John C. Polanyi, Nobel Laureate
"Schwarcz has written a book that is enormously enjoyableit commands and holds your attention. It explains science and scientific phenomena in a simple and accurate way while stimulating logical thinking. It will lead to a scientifically literate reader who will not be so easily misled by those who wish to paint science and technology as being a danger to humankind."Michael Smith, Nobel Laureate
Review
"Joe Schwarcz has mastered the art of science education as an attention-holding and rewarding experience. In this book he provides a great read, a book you will not want to put down. You will learn a great deal about the world around us while being compelled to read on—its an educators dream!"
—Kelvin G. Ogilvie, President, Acadia University
"It is hard to believe that anybody could be drawn to such a dull and smelly subject as chemistry—until, that is, one picks up Joe Schwarczs book and is reminded that with every breath and feeling one is experiencing chemistry. Falling in love, we all know, is a matter of the right chemistry. Schwarcz gets his chemistry right, and hooks his readers."
—John C. Polanyi, Nobel Laureate
"Joe Schwarczs magic is in convincing us that there is verve and value in real chemistry."
—Roald Hoffman, Nobel Laureate
"Dr. Schwarcz has written a book that is enormously enjoyable—it commands and holds your attention. It explains science and scientific phenomena in a simple and accurate way while stimulating logical thinking. It will lead to a scientifically literate reader who will not be so easily misled by those who wish to paint science and technology as being a danger to humankind."
—Michael Smith, Nobel Laureate
Synopsis
Have you ever wondered about the science behind Alices strange adventures in Wonderland, Casanovas experiments with "Spanish Fly," and zombies in Haiti? In
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs, chemist and columnist Dr. Joe Schwarcz offers 67 entertaining essays exploring these and other delightful nooks and crannies of chemistry.
Synopsis
Have you ever wondered about the science behind Alice's strange adventures in Wonderland, Casanova's experiments with Spanish Fly, and zombies in Haiti? In Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs, chemist and columnist Dr. Joe Schwarcz offers 67 entertaining essays exploring these and other delightful nooks and crannies of chemistry.
Investigate the nefarious chemistry of the KGB, the colors of urine, and the mysteries of baldness. Learn how shampoos really work, and discover which cleaning agents must never be combined. Get rid of that skunk smell in a jiffy, and get a whiff of what's behind the act of passing gas. Read about the ups and downs of underwear, the invention of gunpowder, Van Gogh's brain, John Dillinger's chemical exploits, and Dinshah Ghadiali's bizarre attempts to cure disease with colored lights. Finally, discover the amazing links between radar, hula hoops, and playful pigs
Written by popular media personality Dr. Joe Schwarcz, this 1999 Canadian best-seller is proof positive that a little intellectual dip into the vast ocean of chemistry can not only be useful but pleasurable as well.
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, one of North America's foremost educators, is well known for his informative and entertaining public lectures on topics ranging from the chemistry of love to the science of aging. He has received numerous awards for teaching chemistry and for interpreting science to the public. Dr. Joe appears regularly on the Discovery Channel, has a weekly radio phone-in show on Montreal's CJAD, and writes columns about the role of chemistry in everyday life for the Washington Post and the Montreal Gazette. Schwarcz is also the Director of McGill University's Office for Chemistry and Society.
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs really does tell it like it is in 67 short, entertaining, and informative pieces about the many functions of chemistry in our everyday experience.
Find out the latest about homeopathy and alternative medicine. Fill up on facts about soybeans, tomatoes, tea, ginseng, chicken soup, hot dogs, and the benefits of eating chalk. Explore the science behind Alice's strange adventures in Wonderland, Rumpole's deadly cheese souffle, and Casanova's experiments with Spanish Fly. Investigate the nefarious chemistry of the KGB, the colors of urine, and the mysteries of baldness. Learn how shampoos really work, and discover which cleaning agents must never be combined. Get rid of that skunk smell in a jiffy, and get a whiff of what's behind the act of passing gas. Take a painless, glimpse into the discovery of anesthetics. Read about the ups and downs of underwear, the invention of gunpowder, zombies in Haiti, Van Gogh's brain, John Dillinger's chemical exploits, little Mikey's exploding stomach, and Dinshah Ghadiali's bizarre attempts to cure disease with colored lights. Even Houdini makes a magical appearance in this wonderfully accessible, wholly fascinating, and chemically rich and diverse volume.
Schawrcz tells it like it is. Whether he's plumbing the mysteries of chicken soup or tracing the development of polyethylene, Schwarcz takes a little history, adds a dash of chemistry, and produces a gem of an essay every time. I wish he'd been my chemistry professor when I was in school.--Christine Gorman, Time magazine
It is hard to believe that anybody could be drawn to such a dull and smelly subject as chemistry--until, that is, one picks up Joe Schwarcz's book and is reminded that with every breath and feeling one is experiencing chemistry. Falling in love, we all know, is a matter of the right chemistry. Schwarcz gets his chemistry right, and hooks his readers.--John C. Polanyi, Nobel Laureate
Schwarcz has written a book that is enormously enjoyable--it commands and holds your attention. It explains science and scientific phenomena in a simple and accurate way while stimulating logical thinking. It will lead to a scientifically literate reader who will not be so easily misled by those who wish to paint science and technology as being a danger to humankind.--Michael Smith, Nobel Laureate
Synopsis
Have you ever wondered about the science behind Alices strange adventures in Wonderland, Casanovas experiments with "Spanish Fly," and zombies in Haiti? In
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs, chemist and columnist Dr. Joe Schwarcz offers 67 entertaining essays exploring these and other delightful nooks and crannies of chemistry.
Investigate the nefarious chemistry of the KGB, the colors of urine, and the mysteries of baldness. Learn how shampoos really work, and discover which cleaning agents must never be combined. Get rid of that skunk smell in a jiffy, and get a whiff of whats behind the act of passing gas. Read about the ups and downs of underwear, the invention of gunpowder, Van Goghs brain, John Dillingers chemical exploits, and Dinshah Ghadialis bizarre attempts to cure disease with colored lights. Finally, discover the amazing links between radar, hula hoops, and playful pigs!
Written by popular media personality Dr. Joe Schwarcz, this 1999 Canadian best-seller is proof positive that a little intellectual dip into the vast ocean of chemistry can not only be useful but pleasurable as well.
About the Author
Dr. Joe Schwarcz is a professor of chemistry and the Director of the Office for Chemistry and Society at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He hosts a weekly phone-in radio show, is a regular on Canadian television, gives numerous public lectures, regularly contributes feature stories to the
Washington Post, and writes a weekly column for the
Montreal Gazette. He has received many honors, including the prestigious American Chemical Societys Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public. "Dr. Joe" lives in Montreal.