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Horrible Science
Bulging Brains
Bulging Brains is full of the most squishing, gooey and stinky facts about the human brain! It looks like a huge grey bogey or something you'd step in by mistake - but your incredible brain holds all your knowledge, dreams and feelings. Redesigned in a bold, funky new look for the next generation of HORRIBLE SCIENCE fans.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 1999
37 people are currently reading
590 people want to read
About the author
Nick Arnold
268 books142 followersNick Arnold is the author of the award winning series, Horrible Science and Wild Lives. Arnold's first published works appeared as a result of a project he was working on at the University of North London, when he was trying to teach young children. A positive review was written about him, and he started to write the "Horrible Science" books. His books are illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 8, 2017
For my winter vacation, I decided to read a science non-fiction book(Horrible Science series) that was kept clean on my bookshelf. I felt there was a need to expand my knowledge of science and free myself of reading such esoteric books that I'll never understand. Anyways, this book became the first book that I've read this vacation, from the moment, when the book cover - nerdy and bizarre design - captivated my eyes.
The Horrible Science series is handy and easy. You can go back to the part where you want to re-read quickly since the section is visibly divided. Also, the illustrations on every page help to add on to our imagination, which makes the book easy without any hardship.
I hate spoilers, so I'll tell you the change in my view of brains and scientists. As I was reading, I was near to exploring the five senses of the brain. However, I quite the imagination - detailed illustrations - for my health and my future. Soon I questioned myself rather if my brain is an organ or a creature. Later on, I discovered myself ENJOYING READING DISGUSTINING FACTS and realized that scientist - especially who work with brains - is not a nerdy job but is a disgusting job. Those scientists are the ones who had proved the disgusting facts, but please I hope they don't spend their time again experimenting weird tricks on brains. I don't want to know why I've given up on math or memorizing SAT words.
After reading the book, remember to re-read the "Bet You Never Knew" section. If you are a teenager, you'll feel like you're reading a kids science magazine that your mom stressed you to read - barely touched - back when you were a kid. You'll notice that almost every section is already stored inside your brain when you open up the first page. Soon you'll feel unnecessary but JUST KEEP READING. It's only roughly one hundred and fifty pages. If you read these little sections - Bet You Never Knew - you will realize this amusing little book in front of you.
The Horrible Science series is handy and easy. You can go back to the part where you want to re-read quickly since the section is visibly divided. Also, the illustrations on every page help to add on to our imagination, which makes the book easy without any hardship.
I hate spoilers, so I'll tell you the change in my view of brains and scientists. As I was reading, I was near to exploring the five senses of the brain. However, I quite the imagination - detailed illustrations - for my health and my future. Soon I questioned myself rather if my brain is an organ or a creature. Later on, I discovered myself ENJOYING READING DISGUSTINING FACTS and realized that scientist - especially who work with brains - is not a nerdy job but is a disgusting job. Those scientists are the ones who had proved the disgusting facts, but please I hope they don't spend their time again experimenting weird tricks on brains. I don't want to know why I've given up on math or memorizing SAT words.
After reading the book, remember to re-read the "Bet You Never Knew" section. If you are a teenager, you'll feel like you're reading a kids science magazine that your mom stressed you to read - barely touched - back when you were a kid. You'll notice that almost every section is already stored inside your brain when you open up the first page. Soon you'll feel unnecessary but JUST KEEP READING. It's only roughly one hundred and fifty pages. If you read these little sections - Bet You Never Knew - you will realize this amusing little book in front of you.
April 22, 2020
Discover why ice-cream gives you a headache, how chopping your brain in half needn't be fatal, and whether girls or boys are the real masterminds in this book about grey matter. Fact files, quizzes, teacher tests and cartoons are included.
I go all gooey for anything about brains i just love them, they are natures super computers, they do a billion and 1 different jobs faster than you can pull your fingers off that hot grill your placed your hand on while reading this review, oooo that looks painful, did it hurt? I bet it did, and it's because of your brain that you know it hurts, it's because of your brain that you knew to move your hand away, as soon as you touched it. But it's not just pain, the way your looking at your blistered finger while still reading this, is because of your eyes, your brain allows you to process what's going on around you, the world is actually upside down, but it's the brain that corrects it and flips the picture, if you don't believe me go look it up, I'll wait..........awh your back, and?....... oh it seems i do know what im talking about. Now his the funny amazing thing, out of all of this review that will be the only thing that you remember from this review, why? Because your brain took that unique piece of information and stored it, whether you researched it or not, you will retain that information, and it will reapear as random trivia one day, and you wouldn't even believe that you even knew that, but you did. And that's because the human brain is so complex and fascinating that it's an enigma wrapped in a Dyson sphere, i truly love the brain, and so will you after this book, its slimy and wrinkly but it's lovely like an old person, you don't know whats making them tick and they know things, you didn't even know where real.
4/5 Stars Goodreads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
98/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I go all gooey for anything about brains i just love them, they are natures super computers, they do a billion and 1 different jobs faster than you can pull your fingers off that hot grill your placed your hand on while reading this review, oooo that looks painful, did it hurt? I bet it did, and it's because of your brain that you know it hurts, it's because of your brain that you knew to move your hand away, as soon as you touched it. But it's not just pain, the way your looking at your blistered finger while still reading this, is because of your eyes, your brain allows you to process what's going on around you, the world is actually upside down, but it's the brain that corrects it and flips the picture, if you don't believe me go look it up, I'll wait..........awh your back, and?....... oh it seems i do know what im talking about. Now his the funny amazing thing, out of all of this review that will be the only thing that you remember from this review, why? Because your brain took that unique piece of information and stored it, whether you researched it or not, you will retain that information, and it will reapear as random trivia one day, and you wouldn't even believe that you even knew that, but you did. And that's because the human brain is so complex and fascinating that it's an enigma wrapped in a Dyson sphere, i truly love the brain, and so will you after this book, its slimy and wrinkly but it's lovely like an old person, you don't know whats making them tick and they know things, you didn't even know where real.
4/5 Stars Goodreads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
98/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥🔥🔥
April 23, 2008
The Author For This Story Book is Nick Arnold.The part that i enjoy the most is when they were talking about how your brain work.I Feel that it will be disgusting to look through your brains and touch the veins or blood vessels.I Had learned how the brain works with our sences.I would briefly tell you the story now,You might simply act like cameras and pick up light patterns from the outside world .It's the brain that makes sense of this information.sounds complicated? Well, fortunely, the Neuro-phone people have logged the neuron calls involved so you can make sense of it all.
The End
The End
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September 2, 2025نوستالژی بچگی:)))))))
خیلی ازش یادم نیست ولی یادمه خیلییی خفن بودددد
یه تایمی میخواستم دانشمند شم بخاطر این😭😂
خیلی ازش یادم نیست ولی یادمه خیلییی خفن بودددد
یه تایمی میخواستم دانشمند شم بخاطر این😭😂
February 27, 2018
خیلی کتاب خوبیه :) کلی کیف کردم از مرور چیزایی که می دونستم و با لذت خوندمش!
December 28, 2021
باید بگم که علوم ترسناک یکی از قشنگ ترین کتابای علمی کودک و نوجوانه من همه مجموعه هاش توی بچگی خوندم و یجورایی باهاش بزرگ شدم
September 28, 2020
Ok so the person who’s seen my past posts will be thinking “omg another British book about science” well those people are just gonna have to deal with the fact that British humor and science mixes well but anyways let’s get to the review
I loved this book yes some parts were disgusting enough that I threw the book across the room, but it was still amazing...with this book I learned what chemicals were sent from the brain to the body, the amount of time it takes to actually process words, and all the super messed up things that happened in the name of science. I learned that the EEG machine (electroencephalograph machine) is an ultra-sensitive piece of equipment that can sense the smallest things, for instance an American doctor in the 1970s who “wired up A lime-flavored jelly (Jello) to an EEG machine” the jello picked up sound waves from conversations in the next room over (I don’t know why anybody would come up with the idea of doing that but hey, it was tested and something was proved...jello is an evil spy listening to you speak right now 😂)
In all seriousness though this book helped me understand a lot more about my brain That I was very confused about, I highly recommend it.
I loved this book yes some parts were disgusting enough that I threw the book across the room, but it was still amazing...with this book I learned what chemicals were sent from the brain to the body, the amount of time it takes to actually process words, and all the super messed up things that happened in the name of science. I learned that the EEG machine (electroencephalograph machine) is an ultra-sensitive piece of equipment that can sense the smallest things, for instance an American doctor in the 1970s who “wired up A lime-flavored jelly (Jello) to an EEG machine” the jello picked up sound waves from conversations in the next room over (I don’t know why anybody would come up with the idea of doing that but hey, it was tested and something was proved...jello is an evil spy listening to you speak right now 😂)
In all seriousness though this book helped me understand a lot more about my brain That I was very confused about, I highly recommend it.
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February 19, 2023Pull quotes/notes
[drawing of Earth with speech bubbles saying "hello" in multiple languages, plus a UFO with its own speech bubble saying "ZUGBOP"] (79)
"A headache can be caused by eating ice cream. If the ice cream touches the roof of your mouth it shocks the nerves that lead to your brain.
The best thing to do to touch the roof of your mouth with your nice warm tongue. This relaxes the nerves." (133)
"4) What does a CAT scan do?
A) It X-rays the brain.
B) It's a way of measuring your pet pussy's intelligence." (160) beg pardon
"False—this is complete gubbins; intelligence has nothing to do with brain size." (163) gubbins!
"blood, squirting 8, 10-11, 16, 18, 34, 37, 41-3, 60, 70, 118, 120-1, 131,
133-5
boffins 17-29" (165) a good index
"fingers 54-5
dropping off 60
waggling in your brain 12, 137" (166)
"pineal gland (makes chemicals) 35, 141
pituitary gland (makes more chemicals) 34" (168)
[drawing of Earth with speech bubbles saying "hello" in multiple languages, plus a UFO with its own speech bubble saying "ZUGBOP"] (79)
"A headache can be caused by eating ice cream. If the ice cream touches the roof of your mouth it shocks the nerves that lead to your brain.
The best thing to do to touch the roof of your mouth with your nice warm tongue. This relaxes the nerves." (133)
"4) What does a CAT scan do?
A) It X-rays the brain.
B) It's a way of measuring your pet pussy's intelligence." (160) beg pardon
"False—this is complete gubbins; intelligence has nothing to do with brain size." (163) gubbins!
"blood, squirting 8, 10-11, 16, 18, 34, 37, 41-3, 60, 70, 118, 120-1, 131,
133-5
boffins 17-29" (165) a good index
"fingers 54-5
dropping off 60
waggling in your brain 12, 137" (166)
"pineal gland (makes chemicals) 35, 141
pituitary gland (makes more chemicals) 34" (168)
November 26, 2023
We are thrilled to see you enjoying "Bulging Brains" by Nick Arnold. This book shows us how fascinating and complex our brains are. You've learned how our brain works to help us think, learn, and feel. Remember, just like you exercise your body, it's important to exercise your brain too by reading, solving puzzles, and being curious. Every new thing you learn makes your brain even stronger. Keep feeding your wonderful brain with new knowledge!
With love and pride,
Dad & Mom
With love and pride,
Dad & Mom
April 8, 2019
It's great to know more about your brain and how it works. Beside this book has funny langue and pictures to explain the difficult issue of science. However it still difficult field for me, I hope I will understand when reading it again next time.
August 6, 2019
The most memorable book I have read as a child. The fact that knowledge can be fun is something that guides me to this day! I went on to major in zoology and become a communication designer later, and it's not too much to say that this series inspired me to get where I am today!
January 1, 2023
A fun 'gateway' book for young adoloscents, packed to the hilt with witty snippets and some hilarious artwork. Of course, this book is meant to only be a trigger for younger folks to get started onto more serious books, but it does its role pretty effectively.
March 2, 2018
Great book, really interesting. Lots of witty remarks. The best from this series - out of the ones that i've read.
August 20, 2018
This book is really funny , the story is talk about Dr Funkenstain , she is a scientist of brain
March 8, 2019
183 - 2019
June 20, 2019
Another recommended human body book by Nick Arnold! Fun way to learn brain and neurology for kids! (actually, I learn a bit about basic neurology concepts from this book, hehe) ^^
May 19, 2020
Intriguing and funny, I read it over and over again.
June 2, 2020
It is extremely funny and has a lot of humans I have never heard!!
June 6, 2020
Not so good. Not to the level of Horrible Histories series.
Want to read
January 16, 2022best
February 7, 2023
Very very very very good but kinda disgusting at some parts
July 3, 2024
30.05.09
Excellent
Excellent
April 22, 2025
Read to my 9-year-old. He is a big fan of Horrible Science.
August 31, 2025
This was lit and had helped me a lot with a "Control and Coordination" chapter in my 10th grade biology.
February 17, 2024
8.8/10
Bulging Brains by Nick Arnold is rated 4 stars but is very close to a five. It is a horrible science book, a beloved series,if maybe in the shadow of horrible histories. A lot of science and books about science can be extremely boring but Bulging Brains remains interesting and fun to read throughout. The topic of Brains is one of the the most interesting that horrible science has to offer. A lot of the information is presented in a way that really gets you thinking about it and Nick Arnold also adds the perfect amount of humour alongside it. The book is not perfect, but very well written and definitely one of the best horrible science books.
Bulging Brains by Nick Arnold is rated 4 stars but is very close to a five. It is a horrible science book, a beloved series,if maybe in the shadow of horrible histories. A lot of science and books about science can be extremely boring but Bulging Brains remains interesting and fun to read throughout. The topic of Brains is one of the the most interesting that horrible science has to offer. A lot of the information is presented in a way that really gets you thinking about it and Nick Arnold also adds the perfect amount of humour alongside it. The book is not perfect, but very well written and definitely one of the best horrible science books.
November 7, 2015
My favorite part was the "Bet You Never Knew"part on page 72. I calculated that the possible routes for a thought was somewhere around 10^80000000000000. The number of atoms in the universe is only 10^80! That means, if you work hard enough, you can figure out what dark matter is and what's beyond the universe.
May 11, 2012
An interesting non-fiction book about brains, I'm not normally into the non-fiction genre but this book was alright. It had some very weird facts that I would never have dreamed about. pretty good book
May 31, 2013
entertaining, full of pictures, what a wonderful way to learn what the brain controls, what people used to think controlled the body and the parts of the brain. An interesting tidbit for me was to discover how big the brain would be if all the folds were straightened out.
April 4, 2008
This an interesting fact book on brains, nerves, and other complicated stuff. It shows what happens when we sleep, how fast do you respond to changes, and other interesting facts on brain...
August 16, 2008
this is an extremely kid-friendly way to learn about the human brain. it has hilarious captions and cartoons, and the information that is conveyed is very intruiging.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews