365 Surprising Scientific Facts, Breakthroughs, and Discoveries

by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne

Did you Chinese ducks store most of the world's supply of flu viruses; 100 million women are missing and presumed dead; there is a battery so tiny that 100 fit into a single human red blood cell; some bacteria thrive in boiling-hot water?
Smart, witty, and always crystal clear, science reporter Sharon Bertsch McGrayne tells you all about the biggest, fastest, oldest, smallest, newest, coldest, flattest, hottest...and undeniably most amazing plants, animals, places, things, and ideas in the known universe. Now she gives you a great way to fill the gaps in your knowledge of recent developments in medicine and health, engineering and technology, earth science, zoology, chemistry, computer science, physics, astronomy, and mathematics. Here are hundreds of extraordinary facts guaranteed to deliver astonishing, up-to-the-minute information.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Sharon Bertsch McGrayne is the author of highly-praised books about scientific discoveries and the scientists who make them. She is interested in exploring the cutting-edge connection between social issues and scientific progress – and in making the science clear and interesting to non-specialists.

Reviews

[Cathleen Ash]

Did you know Velcro was fashioned after a plant (the Cocklebur) and that it takes a 2-inch square piece of it to hold a 175-pound person on the wall? Did you know our planet is seamed like a baseball bat with a 37,000 mile volcanic trench under the ocean? Did you know there are over 13,000 kinds of knots? Find out this and more as you read, magazine style (short, sweet, to the point!) about the latest and greatest! It includes topics like: math, animals, astronomy, our planet. The layout is friendly, each section short, and the bizarre bits of knowledge fascinating! A very accessible book.