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Science. Nonfiction. HTML: Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze? is the latest compilation of readers' answers to the questions in the 'Last Word' column of New Scientist , the world's best-selling science weekly. Following the phenomenal success of Does Anything eat Wasps? - the Christmas 2005 surprise bestseller - this new collection includes recent answers never before published in book form, and also old favourites from the column's early days. Yet again, many seemingly simple questions turn out to have complex answers. And some that seem difficult have a very simple explanation. New Scientist's 'Last Word' is regularly voted the magazine's most popular section as it celebrates all questions - the trivial, idiosyncratic, baffling and strange. This new selection of the best is popular science at its most entertaining and enlightening.… (more)
User reviews
Amusing and well worth dipping into.
Interesting scientific questions answered.
My favourite and a good illustration of what the book does is a question in a letter to New Scientist some years ago about hot water freezing quicker than cold water. This is now understood (isn) and it the way the world
i like trivia a lot, and i certainly picked up a lot of trivia from this book. but somehow, i seem to have not enjoyed it as much as i should have. maybe this book form (as opposed to the questions appearing originally in NewScientist magazine's Last Word column)
however, i applaud the idea behind the column. letting readers suggest answers to the questions have encouraged a lot of physical and thought experimentation among the contributors. i think that was a very cool achievement!
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – No.
Setting? – Real World.
Written approximately? – 2006.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should
Short storyline: A mixture of odd science questions and answers.
Notes for the reader: There is sometimes a question about the reliability of some of the answers. Sometimes, they are conflicting. Then again, all science is theories, and what is today consider "true" in science may be proved "false" next year, or next decade. Read with caution.