Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Real Answers on Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond (FT Press Science)

Why do lizards do pushups? What if the Earth’s magnetic field reverses? How do stars die? In her follow-up to Curious Folks Ask, Sherry Seethaler answers 188 new science questions from real people. Drawn from her San Diego Union-Tribune column, these Q&As reveal breakthroughs... demolish myths... present mysteries... rekindle your sense of wonder! Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 14 About the Author......Page 15 Preface......Page 16 Eight-legged epicure......Page 20 Fancy footwork......Page 21 Let sleeping spiders lie......Page 22 Mile-high club......Page 24 Colorful compass clocks......Page 26 Reinventing oneself......Page 27 Bug brain......Page 28 My (six) aching knees......Page 29 Foreign invasion......Page 31 Snorkeling in the rain......Page 33 Sunny honey......Page 34 Working stiff......Page 35 The bees and the birds......Page 37 Twinkle, twinkle, little bug......Page 38 Body tunes......Page 40 Reptile Romeos......Page 42 Desert dwellers......Page 43 Phobic pachyderm?......Page 45 Classy choreography......Page 46 It’s all a blur......Page 48 Air traffic control......Page 49 Escargot explorer......Page 51 All in the family......Page 52 Shut-eye for Moby......Page 53 Fish-icles......Page 54 Condor kissing cousins......Page 56 Long-term companions......Page 57 Tears of a hound......Page 58 Sorry, Snoopy......Page 59 Strange bedfellows......Page 61 Same or different?......Page 62 Ancient alphabet......Page 63 Bad behavior......Page 65 Leaping lemmings......Page 66 Sink like a stone......Page 67 Master of disguise......Page 69 Elementary, my dear Watson......Page 70 It’s easy being green......Page 72 Freeloading flora......Page 73 Kingdom of their own......Page 75 Seedless seeds......Page 76 Fried green tomatoes......Page 77 Sweet autumn color......Page 78 Water threads......Page 79 Brains over brawn......Page 80 Tricking trees......Page 82 Violets are blue......Page 84 Luck of the Irish......Page 85 Would you like genes with that?......Page 86 Hot coral......Page 87 Cold coral......Page 88 Festive fungi......Page 89 Wind in the willows......Page 90 Long-life fruit......Page 91 Just like Mama made......Page 94 A girl’s best friend......Page 95 Hot stones......Page 97 Metal eater......Page 98 Fade away......Page 99 Bubble geometry......Page 100 Don’t lick the railing in winter......Page 101 Icebox paradox......Page 103 Crystal triggers......Page 104 Hoar and rime......Page 105 Comfy abode......Page 106 Atomic dance......Page 107 Auto ambience......Page 108 Bad hair day......Page 109 Boing, boing, boing......Page 110 Ultimate speed......Page 111 Stranger than science fiction......Page 113 Universal ingredients......Page 114 Feeling empty......Page 115 Tempest tech......Page 116 Eye of the storm......Page 117 What’s in a name?......Page 118 Oz inspired......Page 120 Rain terrain......Page 121 Blowin’ in the wind......Page 122 Turn, turn, turn......Page 124 Be still, rubber ducky......Page 125 Parched......Page 126 Or deluged?......Page 127 Fast fashion......Page 129 Trash or treasure?......Page 130 BYO bag......Page 131 Trash tour......Page 133 Entertainment budget......Page 134 Light pollution......Page 135 The big chill......Page 136 The little chill......Page 137 Capricious cycles......Page 138 For good measure......Page 140 The case of the missing oxygen......Page 141 Under pressure......Page 142 Nature burps?......Page 143 Cause or effect?......Page 144 Back to the drawing board......Page 145 Continents set sail......Page 148 The abyss......Page 149 Raisin planet......Page 150 Volcanic variety show......Page 151 Serpentine smoldering......Page 153 From swamp to SUV......Page 154 No smoking crater?......Page 155 Superseded scale......Page 156 Doin’ the wave......Page 157 Shake, rattle, and roll......Page 158 Pugilistic plates......Page 159 Redrawing the map......Page 160 Slip slidin’ away......Page 161 Hot date......Page 162 Old as the hills......Page 163 Planetary heft......Page 164 Graceful gravity......Page 165 Throwing weight around......Page 166 Poolside Pythagoras......Page 167 Magnetic personality......Page 168 Flipping out......Page 170 A flat-out lie......Page 171 Here comes the sun......Page 174 Twilight zone......Page 175 It all adds up......Page 176 As the world turns......Page 177 To leap, or not to leap?......Page 178 Just counting the days......Page 179 ’Tis the season......Page 181 Smoke and mirrors......Page 182 Elusive pot of gold......Page 183 Over yonder......Page 184 Clouds’ illusions......Page 186 Dust at dusk......Page 187 Green flash with envy......Page 188 Moon moniker......Page 189 Pink Floyd’s fib......Page 190 When the moon hits your eye......Page 191 It’s just a phase......Page 192 Conspiracy claims......Page 193 Moon mine......Page 194 Lost Luna......Page 196 Deep impact......Page 198 Comet lifespan......Page 199 Messages from little green men?......Page 200 Voyage into eternity......Page 201 From a distance......Page 202 In the red......Page 203 Revealing rays......Page 204 Zooming along......Page 205 Star light, quasar bright......Page 206 Middle universe......Page 207 Warp drive......Page 208 Game of cosmic twister......Page 209 The stork brought it......Page 210 Galileo’s legacy......Page 212 Light light......Page 214 Want stars with that?......Page 215 Cute little—ahhhhh!......Page 216 Wimp? Says who?......Page 217 Solar system synchrony......Page 218 Death by fire......Page 220 The end—not!......Page 222 B......Page 224 C......Page 225 D......Page 227 E......Page 228 G......Page 229 H......Page 230 I......Page 231 M......Page 232 N......Page 233 P......Page 234 Q-R......Page 235 S......Page 236 T......Page 237 W......Page 238 X-Y-Z......Page 239

More Amazing Science Q&As from the Author of Curious Folks Ask

Why do lizards do pushups?

Does hot water really freeze faster than cold water?

Why does the moon look bigger at the horizon?

Why do some people float and others sink?

What’s better, paper or plastic?

Why can’t anything go faster than light?

How did oil get there?

How does carbon dating work, and why do scientists trust it?

How much does the earth weigh?

Why can’t you make square soap bubbles?

“For those of us with science questions that range from the profound to the fanciful, Sherry Seethaler is here with the answers. She not only educates with this wonderful collection, she entertains.”

—John Cannon, Quest editor, San Diego Union-Tribune

“If you want to learn about the ‘Mpemba effect’ (why hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold), if you have a burning desire to know about the biosphere we live in, if you have ever wondered about why those pesky black holes don’t swallow the universe and what’s beyond the ‘edge’ of the universe, Sherry Seethaler has a knowledgeable, well-written, and research-based answer for you. Call her the Sherlock Holmes of science. With Dr. Seethaler, the hunt’s afoot for the mysteries of the world!”

—Christopher Y. Wu, PhD, Associate Director of the National Science Foundation-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Mid-Pacific Information and Communications Technology Center (MPICT.org) and Principal/Founder, metacyber

W hat have you always wondered about? For more than seven years, renowned science writer Dr. Sherry Seethaler has answered questions like yours–both in her weekly column in the San Diego Union-Tribune and in her best-selling book Curious Folks Ask.

Now, she’s back, with 188 more of her best science Q&As, in another book you just can’t put down. Seethaler is one of this generation’s best science explainers, and it shows: Every answer is accurate, fun to read, and distilled to a single page–or less!

Want to know why diamonds sparkle? How spiders build huge webs without ever getting stuck? How birds flock? What causes tornadoes? Why hard-boiled egg yolks turn green? How much electricity your new TV uses? Why dogs vary so much in size and cats don’t? Why it’s safe for scientists to make miniature black holes? It’s all here–and plenty more!

Creepy crawlies and amazing animals

How big’s a bug’s brain? Do elephants hate mice? How does a kangaroo clean her pouch?

Freeway noise, bad hair days, and other funky phenomena

Is jewelry radioactive? Is rainwater really pure?

Weather, climate, and the environment

What’s the real deal with recycling, drought, hurricanes, and CO2?

Our planet, our universe

New oceans, dark matter, mini black holes, and beyond

Why do lizards do pushups? What will happen if the Earth's magnetic field reverses? How does water get from the roots to the tops of trees? Why and how do stars die? Is there really such a thing as the green flash? In Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Answers about Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond, gifted science explainer Sherry Seethaler presents 188 of the most fascinating new questions real people have asked about science–together with answers that are clear, accurate, honest, and a pleasure to read. Like her previous book, Curious Folks Ask, the Q&As in this book are collected from Seethaler's popular weekly column in the San Diego Union-Tribune. From the Earth's strangest lifeforms to the deepest reaches of the universe. Seethaler introduces exciting areas of research, cuts through myths, offers real insight into what science has learned–and reveals the continuing mysteries scientists are still working to understand. Written in Seethaler's trademark style, Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Answers about Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond presents sophisticated science in a lighthearted, amusing way. Seethaler's answers will help rekindle the wonder of science in readers of all ages and backgrounds–and help them intelligently interpret the latest news about science and medicine for years to come. What have you always wondered about? For more than seven years, renowned science writer Dr Sherry Steethaler has answered questions in her weekly column and in her best-selling book.