Is running always faster than walking? If you froze your hand in liquid nitrogen and hit it with a hammer, would it shatter? Could you survive in a falling elevator by jumping as it hit the ground? Why can't a fly get out of the toilet? This fascinating foray into the world of science tackles some perplexing problems that have baffled even the brainiest of scientists. It presents you with 101 imaginative scenarios--from everyday life to the human body, and from the natural world to outer space--and provides the scientific reasons or theories behind why they are possible. Including: -Why an ant can survive in a microwave -Why some people sneeze when they see bright light -Why it takes longer for a ball to come down than go up

Author Biography

JOEL LEVY is a writer and journalist specialising in history and science. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Newton's Notebook, Great Scientists, Mad Science (revealing the secret histories of madness, magic, and mysticism among great inventors and scientists), The Doomsday Book (a guide to scenarios for the end of civilisation), History's Lost Treasures, and the forthcoming History's Worst Battles. He has also written features and articles for the national press, and has appeared on national television and numerous local and national radio shows. A long-term student of the history of science and medicine, Joel has a BSc in Biological Sciences and an MA in Psychology.