We are a curious lot, always wanting to know the whys and wherefores and how comes. And the more obscure the question, the more fascinating it seems. Here are three new books, built around a question and answer format, that satisfy that quest for information.
HOW DOES ASPIRIN FIND A HEADACHE; by David Feldman, HarperCollins; $20; 266 pages.
David Feldman has made a career out of pondering what he calls Imponderables - little, everyday mysteries you've always wanted to know but didn't know who to ask.
This is his seventh book, and it follows the same successful formula of the others, taking questions from readers and researching the answers. This volume tackles such brain teasers as: When do kids turn into goats? What does Barney Rubble do for a living? Why don't disc jockeys identify the title and singers of songs anymore? Why can't you find a New York steak in New York? Why are the Muppets left-handed?
Each book also lists several "fustables" - questions seemingly without a good answer (Why do doctors have bad penmanship? How and why were the letters B-I-N-G-O selected for the name of the game?), although he again solicits reader input.
His answers are fact-based, but it's all light and entertaining; great for starting a conversation. And how does aspirin find a headache? It has something to do with prostaglandins, which apparently have a role in producing pain. Aspirin can stop prostaglandin production, so away goes the pain.
WHY THINGS ARE, VOLUME II: The Big Picture; by Joel Achenbach; Ballentine Books; $10; 357 pages, paperback.
If you are a fan of Joel Achenbach's weekly column (which runs in the Deseret News Spectra section), you know of his witty, slightly irreverent approach to science.
"You'll be stunned, amazed and even smarter," he promises, as you read the answers to such timeless questions as: Why it is impossible to see an atom, even with a really powerful microscope? Why are there two high tides during a day? Why does time speed up as we get older? Why do horrible songs like "The Candy Man' and "Kung Fu Fighting" get stuck in your head, until finally you want to throw yourself off a bridge (over troubled water)?
For all their entertainment value, Achenbach's answers are informative and substantive. And they make great party talk. (Not only will you be smarter, you can amaze your friends.)
The book is essentially a collection of weekly columns, grouped according to subject (bad habits, the arts, mind and brain, gadgets, etc.). There are also several "Special Reports," longer pieces that explore such intriguing topics as "Babies and Biology," "The Battle Over Who We Are," "Progress or Regress" and "Hurricane Andrew."
FROM BIG BANG TO PLANET X: The 50 Most-Asked Questions About the Universe . . . And Their Answers; by Terence Dickinson; Camden House; $12.95; 152 pages, paperback.
What is a Black Hole? What came before the Big Bang? How many galaxies are in the universe?
During hundreds of visits to schools, planetariums, science centers and such, Terence Dickinson has been asked just about every astronomy question there is. Dickinson, who pens a weekly column for the Toronto Star and has written a score of books on astronomy, answers 50 of those questions in his latest volume.
Grouped according to subject - the universe, the stars, the planets, stargazing - the questions and answers are concise, readable and understandable. Both black-and-white and color illustrations add interest. There is a slight Canadian bias in that all measurements are given in metrics (but there aren't enough that it's a big problem). A bibliography is included for those who find their curiosity heightened by what's here.
It's a big, wide universe out there, but Dickinson brings it down to manageable size. You'll never look at the sky in quite the same way again.