Science in Small Doses

(And then there was the grey, rainy day when the only thing interesting to do was write new blog posts.)

I pulled this book off the library shelf a few weeks ago. (It's overdue now, of course.) I left it for Addie to read, and only just now picked it up myself. It's turned out to be an amusing way to pass a rainy afternoon, in between blog posting.

Marvels of Science: 50 Fascinating 5-Minute Reads by Kendall Haven is a collection of stories explaining how many inventions and discoveries came about. The author takes poetic license with the characters, attributing dialogue, personality, and even the occasional "sparkling blue eyes" to spice up the stories. But he does a good job of explaining why the discoveries were important. The book includes many of the classic inventions and discoveries: radium, X-rays, telegraph, Vulcanized rubber, Silly Putty, and Post-It Notes.

It's a fun read, and also confirms what I found out when I read Physics of Superheroes: I don't think like a scientist. In the Marvels book, a "point to ponder" is, "Why does milk go sour if you leave it out?" The answer has something to do with microbes. My automatic answer was, "Because that's what it does." I'm not a scientist, but I like reading about them.

-- SJ