50 Shades of Grey Matter

by Karl Kruszelnicki

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately forgotten the reason you're there? A solid thought convinced your legs to move, but by the time you reach your destination, you realise the thought has abandoned you en route. No, it's not dementia. It's the doorway.

Impress your friends (and potential dates) by being able to answer such questions as:

- Why the sky is blue?
- Why is it dark at night?
- Why does lunacy erupt under a full moon?
- What's the truth about Spinach and Popeye?

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Romance

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Known popularly as Dr Karl.

Karl has degrees in Physics and Maths, Biomedical Engineering, Medicine and Surgery and has worked as a physicist, tutor, film-maker, car mechanic, labourer, and as a medical doctor at the Kids' Hospital in Sydney.

In 1995 he took up the position of the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at Sydney University, spreading the good word about science and its benefits.

His enthusiasm for science is totally infectious and no one is better able to convey the excitement and wonder of it all than Dr Karl Kruszelnicki is.

Dr Karl's Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) site:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/

http://www.abc.net.au/profiles/conten...

Reviews

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Karl (as he is affectionately known in Australia, as one of our living treasures) is one of those blokes who know everything, are passionate about their subject and can actually teach it to the lay person. I’ve picked up a couple of his books at the library and am always amazed on just how exciting he makes science seem. (Which it is. But I’m a geek amongst geek. I couldn’t even get my colleagues interested in some of the topics Dr Karl discusses. I bet if he had spoken to them, they would all be Googling it and buying him a beer. But I digress).

50 Shades of Grey Matter shouldn’t be disregarded as yet another blatant cash-in on the more notorious Fifty Shades (although Dr Karl does sex it up, tongue in cheek in his acknowledgements). This contains some hard-core research (i.e. highly respected journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine) on a number of interesting topics from children, marshmallows and delayed gratification to how to effectively treat hiccups. Popeye and his spinach eating also rate a chapter. The topics range from biology (both human and animal), medicine, physics, chemistry, computing and astronomy – but they’re written in such a fresh and interesting way that it’s hard not to be excited by your new found knowledge. The text is supported by some drawings – not of the scientific type, more just in case you want to skip to the page with Popeye.

This book was a perfect one to sit down with post-Christmas and dip and out of. You can read one chapter at a time (they’re only about five to seven pages) or read continuously, then sprout all your new knowledge at the dinner table. Both adults and teenagers would enjoy this book, particularly if they enjoying reading about the hows and whys of the world.

(Just in case you’re wondering – there is absolutely no mention of Christian Grey in this book. There could be mention of binding materials though. It’s interesting to see that some people are mistaking this book for one of the risqué ‘grey’ books!)

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of interesting facts nicely explained.

I was wondering how these books would do in the world of Wikipedia and science blogs but this book complements them well.

The only disappointing part is there are not 50 chapters in it.

[Anne Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting as anticipated but a lot of white space and a bit too simplistic for anyone from a science background. Still, a good read and I have a signed copy, having had the opportunity to meet the author recently.

[TheMadHatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

I read a few Dr Karl books when they first came out and thought they were easy reads which covered a wide range of quirky science topics, yet a little superficial and a little underwhelming if you have a science background. So when I saw this one in the second hand book shop I was keen to see how the books had evolved over the past quarter of a century....and the spoiler answer is unfortunately not much.

While this was an easy, fun and well written read - it was still very superficial (but hey if it brings science to the masses at a time when the masses really need to understand science then I am all for that) and there was too big a focus for me on social science research (and dodgy - anyone say Marshmallow - social science research at that when there are much better studies).

There are also two things I can't get my head around - why he would open with the Marshmallow (Huh?) and secondly where are my 50 chapters??? Ok. I get the title is a play on 50 shades, but you don't take the title and then give the reader 41 chapters. NO! I want my missing 9 chapters Dr Karl! :-)

[Matthew Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really thoughtful Christmas present from my parents, and remembering that fact brought me a little extra smidgen of delight each time I picked it up --- so I may have awarded an extra and undeserved star for that reason alone.

I really like Dr. Karl, and feel deep joy and national-pride that Australians have elevated this critical-thinking, sciencey, no-nonsense and super-smart guy to the status of “celebrity”. It almost balances out the atrocity that is Kyle Sandilands. Almost.

Anyway --- the book. Yeah it’s good.

There are 41 chapters (anywhere between 5 to 15 pages each) covering an interesting sciencey topic. I had this book on my coffee-table and could easily dip in and out over a few weeks, reading a chapter at a time. In the world of “Science Literature” this book definitely skews more toward the magazine end of the spectrum. Imagine New Scientist meets New Idea.

PLUS

One tiny little gripe --- it could’ve had some better proof-reading. There were a couple of errors (e.g. missing words, extra words) that should’ve been detected before printing.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another collection of Dr Karl's sciency musings. I think I read this too soon after another one so it just feels exactly the same.

Don't get me wrong - I love delving into the unknowns of science and other areas I haven't known much about until now, however it might be good to see something different from the same style he has used for a number of books now. Or at least I wish the entries were a bit longer - they serve well for on-the-hop reading, but it would be interesting to read Dr Karl in a longer form.

[LibraryKath · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, a book chock full of fascinating science trivia from Dr Karl. My only disappointment is that he has bought into so much of the obesity panic rhetoric without questioning who benefits from the "science" while later on in the book questions who benefits from other big business/big pharma "science".

[Jake Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would of given 2.5 stars If I could...started out as an enthralling fact book but started to produced ones very useful or what I found less interesting...a relatively quick read thou each chapter ending with a scholars best attempt at a joke...pretty pathetic lol

[Peter Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very excellent book filled with interesting facts that keep you flipping through the pages. Some of the facts are comfortable whilst others leave you laughing. A must read for those that want to know stuff about well stuff (an example "Why is the sky blue?").

[Crystal (8serene8) Messner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be a decent and funny book but mostly it was bland, boring and immature.

[Chelsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! His combination of interesting information and comedy made it hard to put down. Dr Karl is very very intelligent man, that we all have a lot to learn from. His other books are great too!

[Sally Mattner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, a wide variety of interesting topics, with just enough information on each (and ways to find out more if you want).

[Ian Laird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Karl Kruszelnicki is a long time populariser of science and related fields, beloved by his radio and television audiences.

This wide ranging selection of topics demystifies aspects of biology especially in relation the human body, looking at what alcohol and smoking actually do to us, the mechanics of carrying coffee to minimise spillage and whether or not spinach contains as much iron as Popeye would have us believe. Kruszelnicki reminds us that every digital photo carries a geo-location and that bugs can fly to high altitudes. The value of the each entry depends on your interests so some are more riveting than others. And the illustrations and lots of the text are in red which I found off-putting.

There were two things I found compelling though. One, microwaves use the same frequencies as Wi-Fi and powerful microwave can overwhelm it. Second, and astonishingly, is American research which showed that judges conducting parole hearings were far more likely to grant the request at the beginning of the day, after a morning break and again after lunch: to the extent that the applications granted early in each session ran at 65% or thereabouts, but by the end of each period dropped to around 10%. Moreover the lawyers, applicants and even the judges were not aware that this was happening. Amazing.

Entertaining light read.

[Jake Crozier · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Interesting information interestingly presented.

[Fadoua RDS]

This book is the first of its kind that I'm reading. I have checked it as reading even though I didn't yet for good and I don't think I would do so any soon in the future.

[Sophie]

Throughout the novel, I found myself wanting to understand the past of Christian, the writer created a storyline that was very complex. it was unusual yet addictive,it held me through every single word. It was a unique romance, not the typical novels that you read from some writers. It was an enjoyable novel that took me on a very emotional ride. Successfully written.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, which was full of interesting tidbits about all sorts of things, from what colour the universe is to why a ribbon curls when you run scissors down it.

The only downside of the book, if there is one, is it's not 50 chapters, which I think would have been apt with the title. :O)

All the same if you enjoy learning all sorts of odd facts this book is for you.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far so good! I'm loving it

[Kamri]

havent read it yet cant wait :)

[Dacia Bentham · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was gr8, enjoyed it

[Bianca Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, not bad as all...enjoyed it!

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

My original review was for 'Fifty Shades of Grey', not this particular book. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. I've moved my review to the correct title.

[Sam Hatem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

[Sharmila]

readable

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok

[Lala Love u · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I had higher expectations for this one - it was just okay.