A Young Scientist's Guide to Faulty Freaks of Nature

by James Doyle

Overview

Includes 20 experiments for the sink, bathtub, and backyard!

Are you intrigued by the effects of smog or methane clouds, the “Harry Potter” dinosaur, the Australian blue bird that screeches chainsaw noises, ocean “snot,” or the pink tentacles in the Korean dish where they swallow wriggling tentacles? Then strap on your hat for adventure and learn how planet Earth has been modified by the crazy chemistry of birdbrained biology and foolhardy physics of humans. The Young Scientist’s Guide to Faulty Freaks of Nature is your guide to some of the strangest science ever seen, and in it you’ll discover that some of the things scientists told you were “wrong” were actually right! Fictional hobbits? They are real! You’ll even meet an all-new creature called a “spider-goat.” So if you have a thirst for the weird, the wonderful, and the downright wacky, then this is the science book for you.

James Doyle lives and works in Belfast, Ireland (most times!). You won’t find him on any social network sites and you won’t be able to track him. He is an expert in remaining “invisible” to the general public and the last eyewitness account of his whereabouts placed him at a remote outpost in the Himalayan mountains where he was setting out in search of the legendary Abominable Snowman.

Andrew Brozyna is a book designer and illustrator living in Boulder County, Colorado. He nearly fell off a cliff while hiking, and he crashed the only two times he went mountain biking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423624561
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	02/07/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

James Doyle was born in inner city Belfast at the height of the notorious 'Troubles,' a period which shaped and greatly impacted him and his entire family. From an early age he dodged the bullets and bombs of the city by immersing himself in books about far-flung, exotic places. He is a full-time teacher of Geography at Our Lady&St. Patrick's College in Belfast.

Read an Excerpt

YOUNG SCIENTIST ACTIVITY

How to make a Stalactite

Hobbits aren’t the only cool things you can find in a deep cave. Some of them are filled with magical shapes and objects created by the processes of nature. With this activity, you can build your very own stalactite. Stalactites form in limestone caves as water packed with minerals seeps through the ground over thousands of years to form amazing icicle-like shapes.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Two paperclips

One length of wool

Two empty jam jars

Epsom salt

One spoon

One saucer or small dish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take your two jars and fill them with really hot (but not boiling) water.

2. Now take your spoon and start adding the epsom salt to both jars. Keep doing this, stirring the jars until all epsom salts have dissolved.

3. Place a saucer or small dish in between both jars. Take the wool and cut a piece long enough to reach the bottom of each jar and bridge the gap between the jars.

4. Now tie the paperclips to each end of the wool to create a weight and lower the ends into their respective jars.

5. Simply leave for 3 or 4 days and see what happens.

Science Factoid

Capillary action, which is the upward movement of water, helps the water move out of each jar along the piece of wool. As the solution moves along the wool from both jars, eventually the two solutions meet and begin to form drips downward. The water in the solution starts to evaporate and leaves behind a solid-growing stalactite.

Table of Contents

Back Away From the Book!........................ 1

Fascinating and Fearful Discoveries.............................................................................. 3

Humans Have a Habit of Mistaking Hobbits.............. 4

Lyre the Liar......................................................................................... 8

The Harry Potter Dinosaur......................................................12

Fantastic Fears.................................................................................. 17

Silly Science-Speak.......................................................................20

Food That Will Make Your Face Fall off and Other Delightful Dishes.............................................22

Neanderthal: Not a Dumb Brute After All................. 28

Humans Invented Extreme Sports...................................30

Catastrophic Chemicals............................ 35

Messing with Evolution.............................................................36

Fatbergs: Coming to a City Near You!............................38

Not Smoke, Not Fog, This is Smog...................................42

Death by Methane Burps......................................................... 45

OMG! It’s an OMZ........................................................................49

Crazy Chemistry.............................................................................. 53

The Coral Quarrel.......................................................................... 58

Messed Up Chemical Names.................................................62

The Worst Scientist in the World Ever...........................66

Agricultural Fiascos......................................71

A Real Math Problem: Humans + Cows + Farts = Global Warming......... 72

Weird Animal Groupings..........................................................77

A Poop and a Pee Makes a Nice Coffee..........................80

Ligers, Tigons and Bears . . . Oh My!.............................. 85

Pollinating by Numbers............................................................ 88

Blasting our Biodiversity..........................................................92

Trees—Please Don’t Leaf!........................................................ 95

Let’s Blow Up the North Pole............................................. 100

Man versus Nature.............................................105

Deadly Diseases.............................................................................106

Now You Sea Me, Now You Don’t (How to Make a Sea Vanish)........................................... 110

Attack of the Blob!—Seriously Slimy Sea Snot.......114

Alien versus Predator.................................................................118

Towers of Silence . . . Silenced............................................122

Faking the Planet.........................................................................125

Dumbest Ideas Ever...................................................................130

The “Grim Reaper” Scale........................................................133

Resources............................................................................. 137

Websites to Check Out............................................................. 137

Books to Read.................................................................................139

Editorial Reviews

A Young Scientist’s Guide to Faulty Freaks of Nature ($14.99, Gibbs Smith Publishing, Ages 9 and up)) is not like most science books you’ve seen for kids. This particular book teaches children that scientists do make mistakes, that we can all learn from them, and that in fact some are actually very interesting indeed!

The book starts with a little bit of cheeky humor, which just made me want to dive in and read more. There are four chapters including Fascinating and Fearful Discoveries, Catastrophic Chemicals, Agricultural Fiascoes and Man Versus Nature. Each of these chapters has pages with different topics, many with titles so catchy that you cannot wait to read them. Try these on for size: Neanderthal, Not a Dumb Brute After All, The Worst Scientist in the Word Ever, A Poop and a Pee Makes Nice Coffee and Attack of the Blob – Seriously Slimy Sea Snot.

Okay, I know you’re dying to know about the Poop and a Pee topic, so I’ll give you a hint: It’s all about animal poop and their “uses,” and yes, it’s a bit gross and a lot funny. There’s even a poop bomb in that explanation.

Throughout the book are directions to 20 fun science projects kids can do at home like Make Your Own Sea Snot and Make Disappearing Messages. These activities are each followed by Science Factoids that essentially explain why the experiments works. There are also some simple, fun illustrations by Andrew Brozyna and so much fascinating scientific information.

What I love most about this book is the writing style of author James Doyle. He has a clever way of writing with great humor while also truly educating readers about scientific facts they will not likely learn in school. It’s wonderful that he touches upon the mistakes of past scientists, because mistakes are all a part of the learning process. It teaches young readers that it’s better to try and make an error than it is to do nothing. (Even Einstein made an error in one of his theories.) Another excellent aspect of this book is that basically every type of science is touched upon from chemistry and biology to physics and geology plus everything in between. Doyle is actually a geography teacher at a college in Belfast, Ireland and obviously is a very curious and knowledgeable nerd with a terrific sense of humor – and I mean that in the best possible way. I bet he’s an awesome teacher!

In the back of the book you’ll find websites and books for kids to check out to learn more. This will come in handy because after reading this fun science book, I’m sure your child will be even more curious about science and will want to read more. As I’ve said so many times before, we need more scientists in the world. Getting kids interested from a young age is the best way to ensure we’ll lure them in.

From the Publisher

A Young Scientist’s Guide to Faulty Freaks of Nature ($14.99, Gibbs Smith Publishing, Ages 9 and up)) is not like most science books you’ve seen for kids. This particular book teaches children that scientists do make mistakes, that we can all learn from them, and that in fact some are actually very interesting indeed!

The book starts with a little bit of cheeky humor, which just made me want to dive in and read more. There are four chapters including Fascinating and Fearful Discoveries, Catastrophic Chemicals, Agricultural Fiascoes and Man Versus Nature. Each of these chapters has pages with different topics, many with titles so catchy that you cannot wait to read them. Try these on for size: Neanderthal, Not a Dumb Brute After All, The Worst Scientist in the Word Ever, A Poop and a Pee Makes Nice Coffee and Attack of the Blob – Seriously Slimy Sea Snot.

Okay, I know you’re dying to know about the Poop and a Pee topic, so I’ll give you a hint: It’s all about animal poop and their “uses,” and yes, it’s a bit gross and a lot funny. There’s even a poop bomb in that explanation.

Throughout the book are directions to 20 fun science projects kids can do at home like Make Your Own Sea Snot and Make Disappearing Messages. These activities are each followed by Science Factoids that essentially explain why the experiments works. There are also some simple, fun illustrations by Andrew Brozyna and so much fascinating scientific information.

What I love most about this book is the writing style of author James Doyle. He has a clever way of writing with great humor while also truly educating readers about scientific facts they will not likely learn in school. It’s wonderful that he touches upon the mistakes of past scientists, because mistakes are all a part of the learning process. It teaches young readers that it’s better to try and make an error than it is to do nothing. (Even Einstein made an error in one of his theories.) Another excellent aspect of this book is that basically every type of science is touched upon from chemistry and biology to physics and geology plus everything in between. Doyle is actually a geography teacher at a college in Belfast, Ireland and obviously is a very curious and knowledgeable nerd with a terrific sense of humor – and I mean that in the best possible way. I bet he’s an awesome teacher!

In the back of the book you’ll find websites and books for kids to check out to learn more. This will come in handy because after reading this fun science book, I’m sure your child will be even more curious about science and will want to read more. As I’ve said so many times before, we need more scientists in the world. Getting kids interested from a young age is the best way to ensure we’ll lure them in.

goodreadswithronna.com - Debbie Glade