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Everything You Know About Science Is Wrong
A highly entertaining, myth-busting read for anyone with even a passing interest in science.
Hot on the heels of the fascinating compendium Everything You Know About London Is Wrong, this next book in the series, written by author Matt Brown in his trademark humourous style, debunks the scientific myths we all take for granted. Does nothing travel faster than the speed of light? Well, in certain circumstances, a winded tortoise can go faster. Are there actually seven colours in a rainbow? Think again. And our author merrily explains why our hair and nails don't keep growing after we die and why chemicals in our diet might not be the toxic threats we are led to believe.
Covering everything from pseudoscience to phenomena of physics, scandals of space and scientific misquotes, Everything You Know About Science is Wrong shatters a range of illusions we have accepted unquestioningly since childhood and demystifies this most puzzling of subjects.
Hot on the heels of the fascinating compendium Everything You Know About London Is Wrong, this next book in the series, written by author Matt Brown in his trademark humourous style, debunks the scientific myths we all take for granted. Does nothing travel faster than the speed of light? Well, in certain circumstances, a winded tortoise can go faster. Are there actually seven colours in a rainbow? Think again. And our author merrily explains why our hair and nails don't keep growing after we die and why chemicals in our diet might not be the toxic threats we are led to believe.
Covering everything from pseudoscience to phenomena of physics, scandals of space and scientific misquotes, Everything You Know About Science is Wrong shatters a range of illusions we have accepted unquestioningly since childhood and demystifies this most puzzling of subjects.
- GenresNonfictionScience
176 pages, Hardcover
Published February 9, 2017
5 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Matt Brown
13 books11 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Matt Brown holds degrees in Chemistry (BSc) and Biomolecular Science (MRes). He has served as a scientific editor and writer at both Reed Elsevier and Nature Publishing Group, and has contributed to several previous science books, including Defining Moments in Science and 1001 Inventions That Changed the World (both published by Cassell). He served as the Royal Institution’s quizmaster for several years, and has also put on science quizzes for the Royal Society, Manchester Science Museum, STEMPRA, and the Hunterian Museum. Matt is also the author of London Day and Night (Batsford) and the forthcoming Everything You Know About England is Wrong (also Batsford). He serves as Editor-at-Large of Londonist.com.
Matt Brown holds degrees in Chemistry (BSc) and Biomolecular Science (MRes). He has served as a scientific editor and writer at both Reed Elsevier and Nature Publishing Group, and has contributed to several previous science books, including Defining Moments in Science and 1001 Inventions That Changed the World (both published by Cassell). He served as the Royal Institution’s quizmaster for several years, and has also put on science quizzes for the Royal Society, Manchester Science Museum, STEMPRA, and the Hunterian Museum. Matt is also the author of London Day and Night (Batsford) and the forthcoming Everything You Know About England is Wrong (also Batsford). He serves as Editor-at-Large of Londonist.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 9, 2017
There's a bold claim in the title of Matt Brown's attractive little hardback - it firmly throws down a gauntlet. It doesn't tentatively say 'Quite a lot of things some people think they know about science are wrong.' (Admittedly that would make an awful title.) It says EVERYTHING and it says YOU. Now, I could accept 'Everything Your Aunty Knows About Science is Wrong' (though, of course, someone else's aunty could well be a scientist). But my initial reaction is for my hackles to rise - so let's see if Brown can smooth over this reaction inside.
The book is a short, easy read - I got through it on a mid-length train journey. It eases us in with some misapprehensions about what scientists and science are like, taking on the stereotypes and clichés, whether it's about appearance, gender or choice of workwear in the case of scientists or always being right in the case of science. (To be fair, in my experience some of the stereotypes, such as 'more likely to be socially inept than the average population' are true, which Brown doesn't mention.) This is something the profession has been hammering on at for years, but does need repeatedly reinforcing, particularly at the school level.
We then move on to a range of areas where Brown pulls apart some 'everyone knows that...' type statements on space travel, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences and human biology. Quite a few of them are now widely known, such as the inaccuracy of 'The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from the Moon', while others, at Brown's admission, are nit-picking. So, for instance, one is 'Astronauts float in zero gravity.' If we are going to nit-pick, this is a perfectly true statement. What he really means is 'Just because astronauts float does not mean they are in zero gravity' - because, for example, the strength of the Earth's gravitational pull in orbit is still very strong, and they float on the International Space Station because they are in free fall, but missing the Earth. (If you really want to be a nit-picker, even there, because of the equivalence principle, you could describe this as zero(ish) gravity.) Other topics are likely to take even the seasoned reader of popular science by surprise. But the familiarity of some topics doesn't really matter, because they're still engaging and worth reading about, especially with Brown's chatty, informative style.
As an example of one that did pleasantly surprise me, we have 'Without a heat shield, spacecraft re-entering Earth's atmosphere will burn up from friction.' I expected the nit-pick that it's perfectly possible to land slowly under rocket control if you have enough fuel - and it came. But the big reveal was that it's not friction but compression of the air that is the primary problem causing heat on re-entry, something that should, perhaps, have been obvious, but that hadn't occurred to me.
Even when the topics were fairly familiar, then - such as pulling apart the assertion that glass is a liquid - I never felt that reading the book was dull, and there were always novelties to keep me turning the pages. I didn't want to put the book down. After the main text we get an 'A to Z' of pseudoscience, taking on everything from acupuncture to 'zoology (crypto)' - Brown admits this is a bit of cheat, and arbitrary to get one entry per letter. However, although short, these little nuggets are well worth reading. The same goes for short sections of myths about scientists and how we pronounce science words incorrectly - don't skip them as appendices, they're all excellent. (There's even a short section of intentionally made up 'false facts', somehow appropriate for the age of alternative fact, though the humour there didn't really work for me.)
In terms of content, my only other quibble is that Brown doesn't always have the courage of his convictions in picking out science myths, repeating some himself - not pointing out, for example, the doubtfulness of the facts behind the suggestion that Ada Lovelace can be considered 'the world's first programmer.'
So we come back to the book's title. I'll be honest, I don't like it - it feels like clickbait, like one of those headlines you see on social media that says 'Ten things you never knew about [Celebrity of your Choice]! You'll be amazed what happens next!' It can't sensibly deliver on its promise. But that doesn't stop it from being an interesting book of quirky science factoids and things that often are or used to be misrepresented. It's also nicely enough finished to be a good gift book - I can imagine it on the shelves in Urban Outfitters, say - with the one proviso that I'm not sure I can bring myself to give someone a book where the cover tells them they're ignorant. Joking apart, it's an enjoyable book that deserves to do well.
The book is a short, easy read - I got through it on a mid-length train journey. It eases us in with some misapprehensions about what scientists and science are like, taking on the stereotypes and clichés, whether it's about appearance, gender or choice of workwear in the case of scientists or always being right in the case of science. (To be fair, in my experience some of the stereotypes, such as 'more likely to be socially inept than the average population' are true, which Brown doesn't mention.) This is something the profession has been hammering on at for years, but does need repeatedly reinforcing, particularly at the school level.
We then move on to a range of areas where Brown pulls apart some 'everyone knows that...' type statements on space travel, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences and human biology. Quite a few of them are now widely known, such as the inaccuracy of 'The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from the Moon', while others, at Brown's admission, are nit-picking. So, for instance, one is 'Astronauts float in zero gravity.' If we are going to nit-pick, this is a perfectly true statement. What he really means is 'Just because astronauts float does not mean they are in zero gravity' - because, for example, the strength of the Earth's gravitational pull in orbit is still very strong, and they float on the International Space Station because they are in free fall, but missing the Earth. (If you really want to be a nit-picker, even there, because of the equivalence principle, you could describe this as zero(ish) gravity.) Other topics are likely to take even the seasoned reader of popular science by surprise. But the familiarity of some topics doesn't really matter, because they're still engaging and worth reading about, especially with Brown's chatty, informative style.
As an example of one that did pleasantly surprise me, we have 'Without a heat shield, spacecraft re-entering Earth's atmosphere will burn up from friction.' I expected the nit-pick that it's perfectly possible to land slowly under rocket control if you have enough fuel - and it came. But the big reveal was that it's not friction but compression of the air that is the primary problem causing heat on re-entry, something that should, perhaps, have been obvious, but that hadn't occurred to me.
Even when the topics were fairly familiar, then - such as pulling apart the assertion that glass is a liquid - I never felt that reading the book was dull, and there were always novelties to keep me turning the pages. I didn't want to put the book down. After the main text we get an 'A to Z' of pseudoscience, taking on everything from acupuncture to 'zoology (crypto)' - Brown admits this is a bit of cheat, and arbitrary to get one entry per letter. However, although short, these little nuggets are well worth reading. The same goes for short sections of myths about scientists and how we pronounce science words incorrectly - don't skip them as appendices, they're all excellent. (There's even a short section of intentionally made up 'false facts', somehow appropriate for the age of alternative fact, though the humour there didn't really work for me.)
In terms of content, my only other quibble is that Brown doesn't always have the courage of his convictions in picking out science myths, repeating some himself - not pointing out, for example, the doubtfulness of the facts behind the suggestion that Ada Lovelace can be considered 'the world's first programmer.'
So we come back to the book's title. I'll be honest, I don't like it - it feels like clickbait, like one of those headlines you see on social media that says 'Ten things you never knew about [Celebrity of your Choice]! You'll be amazed what happens next!' It can't sensibly deliver on its promise. But that doesn't stop it from being an interesting book of quirky science factoids and things that often are or used to be misrepresented. It's also nicely enough finished to be a good gift book - I can imagine it on the shelves in Urban Outfitters, say - with the one proviso that I'm not sure I can bring myself to give someone a book where the cover tells them they're ignorant. Joking apart, it's an enjoyable book that deserves to do well.
March 29, 2023
DNF.
I thought this was a good book when I flicked through it.
But really, the ideas it brings to the table aren't very exciting or deep at all.
Took it back to the library and will probably forget about it soon.
All my reviews are available at: www.flyintobooks.com
I thought this was a good book when I flicked through it.
But really, the ideas it brings to the table aren't very exciting or deep at all.
Took it back to the library and will probably forget about it soon.
All my reviews are available at: www.flyintobooks.com
March 18, 2017
This book looks at a number of different “scientific theories / individuals / myths”.
A few bits of this book were interesting but overall it lacked depth and many of the points I had either heard or seen before and / or I felt were presented in a very simplistic way (assuming the book is aimed at school aged children). Also most people know / have heard of many more scientific things than presented in this book.
A few bits of this book were interesting but overall it lacked depth and many of the points I had either heard or seen before and / or I felt were presented in a very simplistic way (assuming the book is aimed at school aged children). Also most people know / have heard of many more scientific things than presented in this book.
June 21, 2018
More like "Everything You Learn in This Book is Unnecessary".
This book is pretty much proof of why scientists can be unwelcome guests at dinner parties. Each section of the book is a cringe-worthy answer to a curious stranger's question and a grind-down of technicalities. As I went through each chapter, I can't help but picture the cliche, glass-wearing class geek spouting out trivia facts at everyone and anyone. Coming from a science major personally, I found this book just perpetuates the awkward and nerdy image of all those who are interested in scientific disciplines. From stereotype perception of scientists to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy etc., Matt Brown chews away at misnomers and public misconceptions of scientific "facts". Oddly enough, for a man so critical of false information and credibility, he provides no citation whatsoever - ZERO. Maybe this is an oversight? Again, ironic, considering the motives of this book.
That being said, I applaud Brown's efforts in trying to be witty and watering down the technical jargon to the public. I also loved the design of this book: solid hardcover, funky fonts, clean-but-not-corny cartoon drawings of labs and scientists. There is also a highly useful section on pseudosciences that explain hoaxes and clever advertisements that attempt to use science as a way to get extra cash. An example of this is beauty products and detox. However, if purely reading for the interest of busting myths in diet and beauty industry, I suggest Timothy Caulfield's Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash. This book actually provides studies and citations to counter popular claims.
Meanwhile, have a go at Brown's book if you are seeking to entertain kids, so they can pass the trivia down. Otherwise, skip it and maybe you'll hate scientists less.
This book is pretty much proof of why scientists can be unwelcome guests at dinner parties. Each section of the book is a cringe-worthy answer to a curious stranger's question and a grind-down of technicalities. As I went through each chapter, I can't help but picture the cliche, glass-wearing class geek spouting out trivia facts at everyone and anyone. Coming from a science major personally, I found this book just perpetuates the awkward and nerdy image of all those who are interested in scientific disciplines. From stereotype perception of scientists to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy etc., Matt Brown chews away at misnomers and public misconceptions of scientific "facts". Oddly enough, for a man so critical of false information and credibility, he provides no citation whatsoever - ZERO. Maybe this is an oversight? Again, ironic, considering the motives of this book.
That being said, I applaud Brown's efforts in trying to be witty and watering down the technical jargon to the public. I also loved the design of this book: solid hardcover, funky fonts, clean-but-not-corny cartoon drawings of labs and scientists. There is also a highly useful section on pseudosciences that explain hoaxes and clever advertisements that attempt to use science as a way to get extra cash. An example of this is beauty products and detox. However, if purely reading for the interest of busting myths in diet and beauty industry, I suggest Timothy Caulfield's Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash. This book actually provides studies and citations to counter popular claims.
Meanwhile, have a go at Brown's book if you are seeking to entertain kids, so they can pass the trivia down. Otherwise, skip it and maybe you'll hate scientists less.
November 12, 2024
Meant for Dull 3rd Graders
Nearly all of The Factoids are tediously familiar, but this rating lost most of its Stars in its pseudoscience chapter, where I found at least half of The authors picks wildly indifferent to fringe science evidence ( ? ) !
Nearly all of The Factoids are tediously familiar, but this rating lost most of its Stars in its pseudoscience chapter, where I found at least half of The authors picks wildly indifferent to fringe science evidence ( ? ) !
August 6, 2017
This book is great fun.
December 8, 2021
Interesting read but most of the answers are obvious
January 2, 2023
I didn't learn a damn thing about plasma in school!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews