Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex

Science and Pseudoscience in Everyday Life

By: Joe Schwarcz

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Paperback | 21 May 2024

At a Glance

Paperback
240 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.96 x 13.97 x 1.78

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$41.75

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In this new collection of bite-size pop science essays, bestselling author, chemistry professor, and radio broadcaster Dr. Joe Schwarcz shows that you can find science virtually anywhere you look. And the closer you look, the more fascinating it becomes. In this volume, we look through our magnifying glass at maraschino cherries, frizzy hair, duct tape, pickle juice, yellow school buses, aphrodisiacs, dental implants, and bull testes. If those don’t tickle your fancy, how about aconite murders, shot towers, book smells, Swarovski crystals, French wines, bees, or head transplants? You can also learn about the scientific escapades of James Bond, California’s confusing Proposition 65, the problems with oxygen on Mars, Valentine’s Meat Juice, the benefits of pasteurization, the pros and cons of red light therapy, the controversy swirling around perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), why English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic, and how probiotics may have seeded Hitler’s downfall.

Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex answers all your burning questions about the science of everyday life, like:

why “superfood” is a marketing term, not a scientific one;
why plastic wrap is sometimes the environmental choice;
why supplements to reduce inflammation may just reduce your bank account;
how maraschino cherries went from a luxury good to a cheap sundae topper;
what’s behind “old book smell”;
how margarine became a hot item for bootleggers;
why duct tape is useful, but not on ducts; and
how onstage accidents led to fireproof fabrics.

Industry Reviews

“This highly informative, authoritative title makes solid science accessible and entertaining, and it keeps alive the author's tradition of clearly differentiating pseudoscience and quackery from empirical science. Schwarcz’s fans will love this latest book, and he'll likely gain a new following as well.” — STARRED REVIEW Library Journal

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