This is Improbable Too
Synchronized Cows, Speedy Brain Extractors and More WTF Research
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- US$7.99
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- US$7.99
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The mind behind the infamous Ig Nobel Prizes presents an addictive collection of improbable research all about us – and you
Marc Abrahams collects the odd, the imaginative and the brilliantly improbable. Here he turns to research on the ins and outs of the very improbable evolutionary innovation that is the human body (brain included):
• What’s the best way to get a monkey to floss regularly?
• How much dandruff do Pakistani soldiers have?
• If you add an extra henchman to your bank-robbing gang, how much more money will you 'earn'?
• How many dimples will be found on the cheeks of 28,282 Greek children?
• Who is the Einstein of pork carcasses?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As this sequel from Abrahams (This Is Improbable: Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens, and Other WTF Research) nicely illustrates, some scientific endeavors are outrageously unnecessary and outrageously entertaining to read about. The book's unrelenting flood of hilarious headlines, however, grows excessive, particularly for a science enthusiast. Most of the silly studies are covered in one to three short pages. As a result, readers can't glean much in the way of deeper understanding from the silliness, merely the knowledge that it silly. That said, some studies are sure to pique the reader's interest. One scientific paper finds that some mothers can distinguish their own babies' poop from unknown infants', raising the question of whether this faculty might be another clue to the power of the mother/child bond. Most of the papers never rise above the level purely novelty: witness "Expletives of Lower Working-Class Women" or the study that examines potential causes of "beer bellies in Germans." Die-hard fans of the very witty Abrahams and his unconventional science reporting will find much to love here, but those who prefer a bit more science should look elsewhere.
