Science Goes Viral: Captivating Accounts of Science in Everyday Life

by Joe Schwarcz

Overview

Bestselling popular science author Dr. Joe Schwarcz breaks down the science of essential oils, placenta creams, intermittent fasting, and of course the spread of COVID-19 misinformation in this new collection from the master of demarcating non-science from science

Science has gone viral! In more ways than one.

Since we first heard rumblings about a novel type of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, terms like pandemic, spike protein, viral particles, variants, mRNA vaccines, antibodies, hydroxychloroquine, social distancing, immune response, convalescent plasma, aerosol transmission, and of course, face coverings, have entered our everyday vocabulary. The scientific literature has exploded with studies exploring every facet of COVID-19, but unfortunately the “viral” spread of misinformation about the pandemic has also reached epic proportions.

Science Goes Viral provides a framework for coming to grips with the onslaught of COVID-19 information and misinformation in this ever-changing pandemic. Here, you’ll learn about the first antibodies ever identified, the connection between tonic water and coronavirus, and whether we can zap COVID with copper. And although our thoughts and daily activities have been hijacked by the pandemic, life does go on, as does the pursuit of science. Dr. Joe features his usual array of diverse topics, including biblical dyes, essential oils, Jean Harlow’s hair, Lincoln’s magician, and bioplastics, along with assorted examples of quackery.

Delving into the many fascinating facets of science can serve as a welcome distraction from the COVID curse. In fact, enchantment with science can also be contagious. Will you be infected?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770416505
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, dedicated to demystifying science and separating sense from nonsense. He is a popular lecturer, both to students and to the larger public. He hosts The Dr. Joe Show on Montreal radio and is the author of 17 bestselling titles. Dr. Joe lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Read an Excerpt

It was once characterized as “The Strangling Angel of Children.” Diphtheria is a bacterial infection transmitted via respiratory secretions spread through the air. The bacteria produce a toxin that causes a thick film to develop in the throat, making breathing difficult, and in the worst case, strangling the patient. The name of the disease derives from the Greek for “leather,” an apt description of the distinctive coating seen in the victim’s throat.

In 1878, Britain was shocked by the diphtheria deaths of Alice, Queen Victoria’s thirty-five-year-old daughter, and Alice’s youngest child. Apparently, the disease could be spread by the innocent kiss between a mother and child, the “kiss of death.” The tragic case invigorated research and within a few years, the bacterium responsible for diphtheria was isolated, and the toxin it produced identified as a specific protein. Although the concept of immunization had been introduced in 1796 by Edward Jenner’s prevention of smallpox through inoculation with cowpox extract, a similar regimen was not possible for diphtheria. Attempts at immunization with small doses of the bacterium ended up causing disease. Another approach was needed and was found by German researchers who injected the toxin into a horse. This did not harm the animal but provoked the production of white blood cells from which an “antitoxin” was isolated. That “antitoxin” turned out to be the first “antibody” ever identified. While it saved the lives of many diphtheria victims, it did not prevent the disease, nor did it stop it from spreading.

Then in 1923, Gaston Ramon made a landmark discovery at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Exposing diphtheria toxin to minute amounts of formaldehyde resulted in the loss of its toxicity but the ability to stimulate antibody production was retained. This opened the door to the possibility of formulating a vaccine with the altered diphtheria toxin, now renamed as a “toxoid.” Indeed, by the end of the 1920s, carefully controlled trials in some 36,000 Canadian children had shown that toxoid injections reduced diphtheria incidence by at least 90%. The first modern vaccine was born!

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Part I The Virus Strikes

Down the Toilet 3

Charlie Chaplin, Dr. Turtle, and the Spanish Flu 5

Pangs about the Pangolin 8

The Science of Epidemiology 10

Singing Happy Birthday Is No Longer Only for Birthdays 13

Oh My, Miasma 15

Boosting Immunity 18

From Variolation to Vaccination 20

A Vaccination Triumph 23

COVID Vaccines, Here We Come! 26

Here Is the Message about Messenger RNA 28

Musing about Mutation 33

Sharks and Vaccines 35

The Dry Ice Story Is Anything but Dry 38

The Bitter Saga of Quinine 41

Throwing Light on Ultraviolet Light 44

Hyperbaric Chambers and COVID 46

Corona Aerosols 49

The Fascinating History of Dexamethasone 51

Brazilian Pit Vipers, Blood Pressure, and COVID-19 54

Zapping COVID with Copper? 57

Nonsense Was Quick to Emerge as Virus Gripped the World 59

Seinfeld and the Coronavirus 63

Part II There Is Science Beyond COVID

Chemistry - The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Science 69

Good Science Is No Laughing Matter 71

A Musical Memory of Plexiglas 73

There Is More to the Placenta Than the Mother-Embryo Connection 76

Science Fiction, Science Fact 78

The Legend of Johnny Appleseed 81

Treading Gingerly on Ginger 83

Gorilla Glue Makes for a Bad Hair Day 86

Brushing Up on Hair Dyes 89

Jean Harlow's Hair 91

Oh, the Dread of Red M&Ms 94

Mysteries, Magic, and Thyroid Disease 97

Lice, Typhus, and Napoleon 99

Navalny and Novichok 102

Natural or Synthetic? 105

Time to Smell the Roses 107

Lego Chemistry 110

Cheers to the Discoverer of Wine Disease 112

Dirty Bombs and Prussian Blue 115

A Shocking Catastrophe in Beirut 117

The Story of Vodka 119

Graduating to Bioplastics 122

Spirits of Salt 124

Unearthing a Giant Hoax 127

Bisphenol A and My Socks 129

Turning Up the Heat on Thermal Paper Receipts 132

Shining a Light on the Importance of Darkness 134

A Biblical Dye 137

Intermittent Fasting 139

Recycling Polystyrene 142

Superabsorbent Polymers Really Suck It Up 145

Arsenic, the King of Poisons, Poison of Kings 147

Arsenic in Fact and Fiction 150

Wig Power 152

Plants and Hospitals 154

Chalk It Up 157

Omega-3 Questions 159

The Spy Who Went Out into the Cold 162

Elderberry Plusses and Minuses 164

Tarantulas and the Dancing Plague 167

Powering Your Cell Phone 169

Lincoln's Magician 172

Slowing Down the Clock 174

King Tut's Tomb 177

Up in Smoke 179

Kambo 182

Mustard Gas and Chemotherapy 184

Want a Date? 187

Fluoride and IQ 189

The Science and Pseudoscience of Essential Oils 192

Bug Juice 194

The Crazy Story of Locoweed 197

Toxicity of Nicotine Is Nothing to Sneeze At 199

Trehalose and C. Difficile 201

Seaweed and Its Surprising Subplots 204

The Power of Lycopodium 206

Burgers from Plants 209

Can Fluorinated Compounds Shrink Penises? 211

From Dry Cleaning to Saran Wrap 214

Chlorinated Chicken 216

Quack Quack 219

Alpha Spin Makes Your Head Spin 222

False Claims and Conspiracy Theories 224

Turning the Tables on the Table Turners 227

Finale: Always Wear Underwear 231

Index 234

Editorial Reviews

Dr. Joe is at his best in this trip through history, science, and communicable disease, and in plain language helps us understand the dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic.” — Hon. Kelvin K. Ogilvie, CM, Chemist and Canadian Senator (2009–2017)

“To all the people who feel that science is a dry and boring affair, this book will be an eye-opener. Joe Schwarcz has a great talent for turning science into amusing and entertaining, yet informative and easy-to-understand stories. It is, I think, impossible not to be fascinated by this terrific book.” — Edzard Ernst, Emeritus Professor of Complementary Medicine, University of Exeter

“Joe Schwarcz does it again with this fun, fast-paced, and evidence-informed exploration of the hot topics in science we’ve been bombarded with over the past few years! From the biology of vaccines (including the new mRNA variety) and immune boosting (spoiler: you can’t) to the history of epidemiology and toilet paper, Schwarcz gives us the fact-filled low-down. In a world filled with misinformation and twisted science, this is a must-read!” — Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, bestselling author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?

“It is full of interesting information solidly based in science. If you read it, you will learn. You will laugh. You will be smarter. You will do better in trivia contests.” — Science-Based Medicine

From the Publisher