Let's Drink to the Dead

Description

With this book of science trivia, readers join an esteemed team of experts for a rollicking ride from the far reaches of the universe to the natural world right in their own backyard. Celestial Bodies: Astronomy -- It Came From Outer Space: asteroids, meteors, and comets -- How crowded is the asteroid belt? -- What causes a meteor shower? -- Is it possible that a meteorite could strike a commercial airliner and cause it to explode? -- Why are impact craters always round? -- Heavenly Bodies: planets and moons -- What defines a true planet, and why might Pluto not qualify? -- Why do the moon and the sun look so much larger near the horizon? -- What is a blue moon?. Why are planets round? -- How do scientists measure the weight of a planet? -- How fast is the earth moving? -- Why and how do planets rotate? -- Star Light, Star Bright: stars -- What exactly is the North Star? -- How long do stars usually live? -- Why do stars twinkle? -- Far, Far Away ...: the universe -- How do we know our location within the Milky Way galaxy? -- Why is the night sky dark?. Does the fact that the universe is continually expanding mean that it lacks a physical edge? -- It's Alive! Biology -- The Grass Is Always Greener: plants -- What causes the leaves on trees to change color in the fall? -- How does the Venus flytrap digest flies? -- How do trees carry water from the soil around their roots to the leaves at the top? -- Creepy Crawlers: insects -- How is bug blood different from our own? -- What kind of illnesses do insects get?. How do flies and other insects walk up walls? -- Why is spider silk so strong? -- If a used needle can transmit HIV, why can't a mosquito? -- Under the Sea: ocean life -- How do squid and octopuses change color? -- Why do some fish normally live in freshwater and others in saltwater? How can some fish adapt to both? -- How can sea mammals drink saltwater? -- How do deep-diving sea creatures withstand huge pressure changes? -- How do whales and dolphins sleep without drowning?. That's a Horse of a Different Color: animal kingdom -- Do hippopotamuses actually have pink sweat? -- Why do cats purr? -- Why do dogs get blue, not red, eyes in flash photos? -- How do frogs survive winter? Why don't they freeze to death? -- Do unbred animals lack the individual distinctiveness of humans? -- Talkin' About Evolution: evolution -- Is there any evolutionary advantage to gigantism?. What is the point in preserving endangered species that have no practical use to humans? -- What do we know about the evolution of sleep? -- When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth: dinosaurs -- What are the odds of a dead dinosaur becoming fossilized? -- What kind of evidence could be found in the fossil record (or anywhere else) that would prove whether some dinosaurs were warm-blooded? -- How close are we to being able to clone a dinosaur?. Did any dinosaurs have poisonous saliva, as in Jurassic Park? -- If T. rex fell, how did it get up, given its tiny arms and low center of gravity? -- Being Human -- It's All in the Genes: human evolution -- Is the human race still evolving? Isn't culture a more powerful force? -- Can the human race be devolving? -- Why are we getting taller as a species? -- Why do men have nipples? -- Oh, Behave!: human behavior -- How did the smile become a friendly gesture in humans?. Why are more people right-handed? Do other primates show a similar tendency to favor one hand over the other? -- How long can humans stay awake? -- Do humans have some kind of homing instinct like certain birds do? -- Why do we yawn when we are tired? And why does it seem to be contagious? -- You Haven't Aged a Bit: growing older -- Why does hair turn gray? -- Do people lose their senses of smell and taste as they age? -- Anatomy 101: the human body. What is the function of the human appendix? -- What makes the sound when we crack our knuckles? -- Why does your stomach growl when you are hungry? -- How can you live without one of your kidneys? -- Why do fingers wrinkle in the bath? -- If the cells of our skin are replaced regularly, why do scars and tattoos persist indefinitely? -- Why does fat deposit on the hips and things of women and around the stomachs of men? -- The Dr. Is In: health and medicine -- Why do hangovers occur?. Why does reading in a moving car cause motion sickness? -- Why do we get the flu more often in the winter than in other seasons? -- What happens when you get a sunburn? -- There are many kinds of cancer, so why is there no heart cancer? -- Is there any proof that Alzheimer's disease is related to exposure to aluminum -- for instance, by using aluminum frying pans? -- How long can the average person survive without water? -- As a Matter of Fact: Chemistry. Elementary, My Dear Watson ...: the elements -- Why doesn't stainless steel rust? -- If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does it stick to pans? -- What determines whether a substance is transparent? -- If You Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen! everyday chemistry -- Why do my eyes tear when I peel an onion? -- Why do spicy (or "hot") foods cause the same physical reactions as heat? -- Why does bruised fruit turn brown?. How is caffeine removed to produce decaffeinated coffee? -- What is the difference between artificial and natural flavors? -- How can an artificial sweetener contain no calories? -- Do vitamins in pills differ from those in food? -- Where There's Smoke, There's a Fire: more chemistry -- How does a flame behave in zero gravity? -- How does fingerprint powder work? -- There's No Place Like Home: Earth Science -- Everybody Talks About It ...: weather. Why do clouds float when they have so much water in them? -- What causes thunder? -- Why are snowflakes symmetrical? -- Why are some rainbows bigger than others? -- What is the meaning of the phrase, "It is too cold to snow"? Doesn't it have to be cold for it to snow? -- Why do hurricanes hit the East Coast of the United States but never the West Coast? -- Up Above: the atmosphere -- If chlorofluorocarbons are heavier than air, how do they reach the ozone layer?. What determines the shape of a mushroom cloud after a nuclear explosion? -- The Upper Crust: earth's surface and below -- How do volcanoes affect world climate? -- Where do geysers get their water from? -- How do scientists measure the temperature of the earth's core? -- What causes the regular, wavelike shapes that form in the sand on beaches? -- What is quicksand? -- Let's Get Wet: oceans -- How did the oceans form?. Why does the ocean appear blue? Is it because it reflects the sky? -- Count on Me: Mathematics and Computers -- Much Ado About Nothing: zero -- What is the origin of zero? -- Give 'Em an Inch measurement -- On average, how many degrees apart is any one person in the world from another? -- Where does the measurement of the "meter" come from? -- How does a laser measure the speed of a car? -- Does Not Compute computers -- Why do computers crash?. How do Internet search engines work? -- How do rewritable CDs work? -- When did the term "computer virus" arise? -- Let's Get Physical: Physics -- Let There Be Light: light -- How do surfaces, such as pavement, become heated from the sun? -- What is the physical process by which a mirror reflects light rays? -- How does sunscreen protect the skin? -- Why are sunsets orange? -- I'm Very Particular particles. If we cannot see electrons and protons, or smaller particles such as quarks, how can we be sure they exist? -- Is glass really a liquid? -- Now Hear This sound -- How can the extremity of a whip travel faster than the speed of sound to produce the characteristic "crack"? -- What causes the noise emitted from high-voltage power lines? -- What are "booming sands" and what causes the sounds they make? -- What happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier?. In Theory: theoretical physics -- Is it theoretically possible to travel through time? -- Is dark matter theory or fact? -- Would you fall all the way through a theoretical hole in the earth? -- What is antimatter? -- Does the speed of light ever change? -- You Won't Believe Your Eyes the physics of seeing -- Why do beautiful bands of color appear in the tiny oil slicks that form on puddles?. Why is it that when you look at the spinning propeller of a plane or fan, at a certain speed, the blades seem to move backward? -- Why do jets leave a white trail in the sky? -- Shake It Up everyday physics -- Does hot water freeze faster than cold water? -- How does a microwave oven cook foods? -- Why does shaking a can of coffee cause the larger grains to move to the surface? -- Why does a shaken soda fizz more than an unshaken one?. Bottom of the 9th, Bases Loaded: the physics of baseball -- What makes a knuckleball appear to flutter? -- Why does a ball go farther when hit with an aluminum bat?.