Linus Pauling, one of the most celebrated scientists of the twentieth century, once remarked that satisfying curiosity is one of the greatest sources of pleasure in life. Dr. Joe and What You Didn’t Know to act as both the source and satiation of such curiosity, providing pleasure through a series of 99 chemistry-related questions and answers designed to both inform and entertain. Ranging from the esoteric to the everyday, Dr. Joe Schwarcz tackles topics from Beethoven’s connection to plumbing to why rotten eggs smell like rotten eggs.
How did a sheep, a duck, and a rooster usher in the age of air travel? What jewelry metal is prohibited in some European countries? What does Miss Piggy have to do with the World Cup? And is there really any danger in eating green potatoes? Whimsical though these questions may be, their answers are revealed in an accessible scientific fashion.
In addition to a few chuckles and some scientific savvy, Dr. Joe and What You Didn’t Know provides the reader with sound practical advice. You’ll learn how to prevent brown sugar from lumping and why thin French fries may be healthier than fat ones. The secrets behind windshield washer fluid and “carbonless” carbon paper are revealed. And if you didn’t know how to remove a cockroach from your ear, Dr. Joe will give you some guidance. That advice alone might prove worth the price of the book.