The salmon cannon and the levitating frog And other serious discoveries of silly science

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Pursuing knowledge for its own sake often paves the way for unexpected practical applications, according to this boisterous study. York (Queens of the Jungle), a biology professor at Lenoir--Rhyne University, discusses how scientists studying algae native to Yellowstone's boiling springs discovered the organisms possess an enzyme whose ability to withstand high temperatures made the laboratory DNA replication process more efficient and enabled the Human Genome Project. Elsewhere, she describes how biologist Frank Fish sawed off the 10-foot fin of a beached humpback whale to examine the evolutionary advantages of its tubercules. His finding that the bumps increase lift while decreasing drag inspired the design of more effective wind turbines. Each subject is stranger than the last, including rats capable of sniffing out tuberculosis, a frog made to levitate in a magnetic chamber, and pneumatic tubes that transport salmon across dams. This delightfully bizarre research proves that science can be as fun as it is important, and York brings an appropriately jocular tone to the proceedings. ("Patty Brennan didn't set out to become one of the world's premiere experts in animal genitalia," York writes, discussing how the ornithologist discovered that female ducks have labyrinthine vaginas that stymie fertilization from unwanted partners.) This is pop science at its finest. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group. (June)

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Review by Library Journal Review

A paean to the importance of "silly science," York's (ecological studies, Lenoir-Rhyne Univ.; Queens of the Jungle) survey of discoveries that led to--or might lead to--increased human flourishing includes some usual suspects. The serendipitous discovery of penicillin is here, as is the development of Ozempic from the study of Gila monster venom. Less well known but still pragmatically important innovations include the salmon cannon of the title. Perhaps most importantly, there are the insights into humanity's material reality that haven't yet made anyone a millionaire. Underneath the dorkily charming, breezy tone and the enumerations of Nobel Prize-winning innovations, York has a serious point: curiosity for curiosity's sake ought to be encouraged, nurtured, and funded. Incidents of scientists' research being mocked by elected officials looking to score political points are all too resonant to the present moment. VERDICT An entertaining and heartfelt romp through some of the odder fields of scientific inquiry, and a counter to the sciences' sometimes stodgy reputation. Ideal for high school and college students curious about pursuing scientific study and for general audiences.--Genevieve Williams

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

How so-called silly science leads to advances for humankind. If artists are expected to experiment with paintbrushes, and musicians with instruments, scientists too must have "space for play and creativity," according to this fun, fast-paced romp through the weird and curious minds that dared to ask why. The author is an animal behaviorist whose keen understanding of creatures enlightens tales of how the path to a scientific breakthrough is often not linear. From rats that sniff out tuberculosis and land mines, to a small frog that appeared comfortable floating in midair and made a big splash for physics, to the scientists who studied how elephants pee, it all matters, somehow. "He didn't just study nitrous oxide: He inhaled it," the author writes of a chemistry maverick of the late 1700s who noticed the laugh-inducing and pain-dulling effect of the gas. Thoroughly researched yet highly readable, this book has more twists and turns than a duck's penis--and vagina, it turns out--as the author describes how knowledge of duck genitalia changed our understanding of evolution and sexual selection. Tales include one about a microbiologist who spotted an algae that thrived in the boiling waters of Yellowstone National Park, which eventually led to the creation of a ubiquitous PCR test used in the Covid-19 pandemic. The "salmon cannon" in the title refers to the vacuum device, akin to a bank-teller tube, that propels salmon over dams as they make their way upstream to spawn. In an era of cutting costs for basic research in favor of applied research, and amid long-standing questions of why taxpayers should fund research that seems outlandish, this whole book is a witty and deftly delivered answer to the question: What's the point? A delightful plunge into the curiosity-driven discoveries at the heart of science. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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