Scientific American's Ask the Experts

November 1, 2003
Here is a trove of easily digested nuggets of the most up-to-date scientific information, from physics to biology to human behavior, all provided by scientists well-versed in their fields. Ever wonder what a planet is and why Pluto might not actually be one? Daniel Green of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics offers the surprising theory that Pluto"may in fact be a giant comet," and that comets are"small, icy planets." On a more down-to-earth level, if you want to know why your stomach growls when you're hungry, Mark A.W. Andrews, a physiologist at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine explains the working of peristalsis, the muscle activity of the digestive system, whose sounds are muffled when food is present in the stomach and intestines. How long can one survive without water? What is the effect of volcanoes on climate? With these and scores of other questions and answers, this is an engaging and readable repository of information.

August 15, 2003
Here is a trove of easily digested nuggets of the most up-to-date scientific information, from physics to biology to human behavior, all provided by scientists well-versed in their fields. Ever wonder what a planet is and why Pluto might not actually be one? Daniel Green of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics offers the surprising theory that Pluto"may in fact be a giant comet," and that comets are"small, icy planets." On a more down-to-earth level, if you want to know why your stomach growls when you're hungry, Mark A.W. Andrews, a physiologist at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine explains the working of peristalsis, the muscle activity of the digestive system, whose sounds are muffled when food is present in the stomach and intestines. How long can one survive without water? What is the effect of volcanoes on climate? With these and scores of other questions and answers, this is an engaging and readable repository of information.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2003
Here, for fans of popular-science writing, is a book that answers questions big, little, and in between. How long do stars live? (It depends on how fast they use up their fuel.) Why do dogs' eyes show up blue, not red, in photographs? (There's a special reflective layer at the back of their eyes, but some dogs do exhibit "red eye.") Why don't hurricanes ever hit the West Coast? (Weather patterns and differences in water temperature.) The book uses the familiar question-and-answer format, with a table of contents allowing the reader to flip to a specific question. The questions are answered by a variety of experts: noted paleontologist Jack Horner fields a question about cloning dinosaurs (ain't gonna happen anytime soon); a professor of physics explains how the weight of a planet can be measured; a Nobel Prize-winning chemist describes how heaver-than-air chlorofluorocarbons get to the ozone layer. This is one of those books you put on your reference shelf, and pull out whenever the subject turns to matters of scientific interest. Great for trivia buffs, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)