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Matt Kaplan

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Matt has been a science correspondent at The Economist for two decades. Fascinated by the less well respected members of the animal kingdom, he’s made a habit of writing about how these species make life better for humanity.

During the pandemic he repeatedly found himself baffled by scientists who had great ideas for fighting Covid but who feared attack if they discussed them. Curious if things have always been this way, he delved into history and discovered that, while the research realm was hardly operating as a well-oiled machine two hundred years ago, it was desperately in need of a tune up when Covid came along. The result? His latest book, I Told You So! Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled and Imprisoned… For Being Right, a tale tha
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Matt Kaplan I have an intuitive feeling when it is a good time to write. If that feeling is there, regardless of the time of day, I use it and get writing. Someti…moreI have an intuitive feeling when it is a good time to write. If that feeling is there, regardless of the time of day, I use it and get writing. Sometimes my mind is just not in the right place to write. If I try to force myself when I am not "in the mode" I find that the effort is just a giant waste of time and I get blocked. I cannot fix this. I just work around it by seizing the moment when I have the lucidity to write well. (less)
Matt Kaplan I was inspired to write Victor's Legacy whilst visiting my wife's uncle and auntie in Northern Finland. I was making a couple of cups of tea for the f…moreI was inspired to write Victor's Legacy whilst visiting my wife's uncle and auntie in Northern Finland. I was making a couple of cups of tea for the family and, as I spooned sugar into a cup, I noticed that the silver sugar spoon had a swastika on it. Our northern Finnish family is lovely and definitely not a bunch of extremists. Thus, this finding led me to query how on Earth a silver sugar spoon with a swastika ended up in their home. This path led me to the part that their family played in World War II when Finland allied with Hitler in the battle against Russia, the Winter War with Russia and during the Finnish rebellion against the tsar. The deeper I delved, the more intriguing the story got. I had been thinking about writing an historic science fiction novel for quite some time and these discoveries proved the perfect catalyst. (less)
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More books by Matt Kaplan…

Buzzing without getting buzzed

Image courtesy of Sharp Photography.

Like people, animals like having a drink every now and again. Of course, they aren't sipping a glass of brandy or Chablis, they are feeding on fermented fruit, but the effects are the same. While alcohol is rich in sugars, being drunk presents a serious risk to wild animals and they avoid drinking to excess. Then there is the oriental hornet, a bug that loves

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Published on January 15, 2025 03:48

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Matt Kaplan has read
David Attenborough's First Life by David Attenborough
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I Told You So! by Matt Kaplan
"This is a wonderful book about scientists and their revolutionary ideas and how they had to fight to get them accepted by mainstream science. It mainly focuses on the fight to defeat a particularly horrible illness that killed women after childbirth " Read more of this review »
I Told You So! by Matt Kaplan
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I Told You So! by Matt Kaplan provides a well researched and interesting discussion of scientists throughout history who were right and experienced considerable difficulties for standing by their ideas. The author points out systemic issues within so" Read more of this review »
I Told You So! by Matt Kaplan
"I loved this book. Kaplan tells a great, well-paced story. It excels at explaining how science works, problems in science, and how science should work. The tone is highly conversational and all the science is explained clearly. Kaplan intersperses hi" Read more of this review »
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I Told You So! by Matt Kaplan
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Quotes by Matt Kaplan  (?)
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“People have always looked to the horizon and feared that which they did not understand. Initially, this horizon was the edge of the forest. Then, when forests became better explored and their dangers were realized as not actually being that serious, human attention turned toward the darkness of the sea. Then the sea became better explored, and the new horizon became the vastness of space. And now, with space getting ever better explored, a new horizon appears. . . in the form of the horrors humanity is about to unleash on itself.”
Matt Kaplan

“the happiness that arises from being a noble soul brings improved immune system response and better protection against pathogens, while happiness associated with selfish pleasures brings less protection against pathogens and greater inflammation.III”
Matt Kaplan, Science of the Magical: From the Holy Grail to Love Potions to Superpowers

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