Elephants on Acid
And Other Bizarre Experiments
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Discover a world of outrageous experiments with the Sunday Times top ten bestseller, Elephants on Acid. Guided by Alex Boese's engaging storytelling, unearth answers to questions that have tickled your curious mind – from the unusual to the hilariously absurd.
'Excellent accounts of some of the most important and interesting experiments in biology and psychology' – Simon Singh, author of The Code Book
A riveting look at historical experiments that challenge conventional thinking:
If left to their own devices, would babies instinctively choose a well-balanced diet?
- Discover the secret of how to sleep on planes
- Which really tastes better in a blind tasting - Coke or Pepsi?
- Would your dog run to fetch help if you fell down a disused mineshaft?
- What would happen if you gave an elephant the largest ever single dose of LSD?
Elephants on Acid humorously delves into these and more, delivering a unique blend of popular psychology and historical science – a fascinating insight into the bizarre world of scientific experiments.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Author Boese (Hippo Eats Dwarf, The Museum of Hoaxes) returns with another look at scientific oddities, this time focusing on unlikely but actual experiments. Included are notorious examples such as the Stanford Prison Experiment and Stanley Milgram's infamous shock treatment obedience experiment, but it's the lesser-known studies that will generate the most interest. Disembodied heads, animal resurrection ("Zombie Kitten," "Franken-Monkey") and the direct stimulation of a subject's emotions (via electric brain prod) are some of the more grim activities Boese describes (though, thankfully, he steers clear of examples from Nazi Germany). Lighter subjects include attempts to prove the myth that the bar patrons become more attractive at closing time and the effects of staying awake for 11 days straight. These and other tales will obviously appeal to armchair scientists, but the short, witty, ceaselessly amusing entries should delight anyone with a healthy sense of morbid curiosity.
Customer Reviews
Simply brilliant
I picked this up in an airport wh'smiths, i had no idea it would be one of the most interesting books ive read in a long time, well worth a buy. :)