Overview

What simple practice could reduce fatal medical errors? Do juries make sense if the goal of criminal justice is to discover the truth? What are the alternatives? What kind of health studies should be taken seriously and what kinds should not? In this compendium of short, entertaining essays, Austad answers these very practical questions and others. Do we really become more foolish with age? Is there a limit to how long humans can live? He answers big questions you may not have known you had. What makes up the 95 percent of our universe that we can't see? Why do we think ""natural"" means good for us? He also provides tips on everyday living: how to survive a shark attack, how painful is a fire ant sting, and why opossums make poor pets. These seventy-seven essays cover topics on the workings of science, the history of life, the mysteries of the universe, and the puzzles of everyday life with wit, insight, and humor. Your questions are answered, and more intriguing questions raised. This is a book that will keep you awake at night . . . lost in thought.

Full Product Details

9781666738230

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""I am over and over struck by Dr. Austad's ability to share his sense of wonder and yet couple it with a hard-minded skepticism, and creative and incisive thinking, about new hypotheses. The current volume peppers the reader with ideas that open the mind, raise questions, overturn cherished beliefs in the best way, and that is just plain fun. Anyone interested in science, aging, nutrition, and so many other scholarly topics, will find this wonderful repast."" --David B. Allison, obesity researcher and academic dean ""Austad's polymathy is on full display in this glittering passel of essays. I've known Steve for a bunch of decades and join my science colleagues in appreciating his brilliant work on evolution and geroscience. But so much more is on display here in new facts fossicked up by his deeply curious and receptive mind. Steve understands worlds far from the academic and spins us yarns of customs and folks that are just plain fun to ponder."" --Caleb E Finch, University of Southern California"

I am over and over struck by Dr. Austad's ability to share his sense of wonder and yet couple it with a hard-minded skepticism, and creative and incisive thinking, about new hypotheses. The current volume peppers the reader with ideas that open the mind, raise questions, overturn cherished beliefs in the best way, and that is just plain fun. Anyone interested in science, aging, nutrition, and so many other scholarly topics, will find this wonderful repast. --David B. Allison, obesity researcher and academic dean Austad's polymathy is on full display in this glittering passel of essays. I've known Steve for a bunch of decades and join my science colleagues in appreciating his brilliant work on evolution and geroscience. But so much more is on display here in new facts fossicked up by his deeply curious and receptive mind. Steve understands worlds far from the academic and spins us yarns of customs and folks that are just plain fun to ponder. --Caleb E Finch, University of Southern California

Author Information

Steven N. Austad is a Distinguished Professor and holds the Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A former taxi driver and lion trainer, he has published six previous books, over 200 scientific papers, and more than 150 essays for the lay public in print and electronic media. He is also a Fellow in Science Communication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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