BY THE EDITORS OF PORTABLE PRESS
PORTABLE PRESS
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Strange Science
Copyright © 2017 Portable Press
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Publisher: Peter Norton
Publishing/Editorial Team: Vicki Jaeger, Tanya Fijalkowski,
Lauren Taniguchi, Aaron Guzman
Editorial Team: JoAnn Padgett, Melinda Allman,
J. Carroll, Dan Mansfield
Production Team: Jonathan Lopes, Rusty von Dyl
eBook ISBN: 978-1-68412-010-9
eBook edition: April 2017
“Intuition is the source of
scientific knowledge.”
—Aristotle
STRANGE
SCIENTISTS
J. Carroll
Lidija Tomas
Michael Sherman
Sophie Hogarth
Dan Mansfield
Vicki Jaeger
JoAnn Padgett
Jay Newman
Tanya Fijalkowski
Rusty von Dyl
Anna Nguyen
Contents
Introduction
The Cure for What Ails Ye
Robots: Now with a Taste For Flesh
The Science Behind Kids’ Products
Rise of the Futurists
True TV Science
Antarctic Jargon
Biohack U
How to Hypnotize a Chicken
Chicken Science
Used-Less Invention: Gravity-Powered Shoe Air Conditioner
“Science” Museums
Expendable Organs
Mystery Manuscript
Strange Medical Condition
The Hand of Glory
Nye’s Ballet Shoes
Famous Fetus
Realistic Robots
Strange Movie Science
Under the Influence
Strange Study: The Tetris Effect
When a Grizzly Loves a Polar
Skateboard Science
Scientific Streets
The Mummies Rise
Manimals!
An Unfamiliar Face
You Must Remember
Nano-Gold
Resigned in Protest
It’s Science!
He did it Himself
Chemicals are Cool!
The Stinky Cheese Study
The Tech Conference Hoax
The Iceman Cometh
“Scientific” Theory: Rain Follows the Plow
According to the Latest Research…
Accidental Discovery: Insulin
It Really is a Melting Pot
The Hawking Wormhole
Weird Energy: Body Heat
How to Cremate a Body
Darwin’s Mystery Moth
Unexplained Weight Gain
Movie Mad Scientists
Mutton and a Little Liver
Whisker Science, Part I
No Time Like the Present
Tesla’s Theory of Relativity
Bloodstream
Surfing Science
The Smartypants Family
Robots in the News
It’s not Rocket Science
A Humourous Story
Maggot Therapy
3-D Printing a New You
The Monster Study
The Perfect Firestorm
Trek*nology
The Great Shakespeare Hoax
It’s Sexy Time
Lighting Up the Dark
Mythunderstandings
Cyber Cowboys
Stone Man Syndrome
The Great GPS Treasure Hunt
“Scientific” Theory: Ice Moon
Hangover Science
Mead’s Creed
Quantum Mechanics 101
Heart to Heart
Virgin Birth
Dream Discovery: Insulin
Hollywood Physics
How Color Vision Works
Old History, New Theory
Robo Jellyfish
Life On Mars?
Solar Sailing to Mars
Frankenfoods
How a Microwave Works
The Rock Painting Hoax
Love Potion #9
The Dance of the Dung Beetle, Part 1
The Dance of the Dung Beetle, Part 2
The Moon Came From the Pacific
Snapshot of Science: Wacky Genius
More “Science” Museums
The Magic Man
How to Win a Nobel Prize
Hat Trick
What Race(s) Are You?
Weird Dyes
Journey into Space
A Visit to the Witch Doctor
Who Are the Biohackers?
Doing Science in the Dark
Oh, Baby!
Analytical Ada
Random Origin
Dream Discovery: Lead Shot
Weird Energy: Solar Wind
The Great Moon Hoax
How an X-Ray Machine Works
Green City: Copenhagen
It’s Reigning Dinosaurs
Real-Life Time Machine
The Mystery of the Stradivarius
Greenhouse Helmet
Manhattanhenge
Brush Talks
The Four Ethnic Groups
Trimethylaminuria
Inspired by Fiction
Space Woman
Spot of Mystery
The Science Behind Toys
Who’s Your Daddy?
Magic Chip
Spooky Action
Rosetta Stone
Soviet Poison Trials
Mr. Bell’s Assistant
Salt of the Earth
Manimals!
More Movie Mad Scientists
“Real” Aphrodisiacs
More “Real” Aphrodisiacs
What a Shocker
Snowboarding Science
Schrödinger Simplified
Whipworm Therapy
The Robots Take Over
Earth’s Caretakers
Albert B.,: The Lab Rat
Vanishing Lakes Mystery
Expendable Organs
Mythunderstandings
Pop (Culture) Science
Green City: Vancouver
Doctor Strange, Love
The Five Major Extinctions
Random Origin
How to Make a Mummy
Government Waste
More Dream Discoveries
Hockey Science
A Jiffy
Cloning John Lennon
Your Fantastic Feat…Er, Feet
Bad Movie Science
Einstein’s Blouse
“Unit 731” Experiments
Jules Verne, Futurist
Strange Medical Condition
Frozen in Time
More Science Behind Toys
DNAliens
Hangover “Remedies”
Safecracking Science
Canada’s Oddest Museum?
Green City: Reykjavik
A “Scientific” Documentary
Rubik’s Cube Robot
The Grifters
More Frankenfoods
Mixed-Up Heritage
It’s Primal
How Soap is Made
What’s Cooking?
Patently Weird Vehicle Patents
Psyched for Cycads
The Shock Therapy Experiment
Let There Be Light
It’s the Bloomin’ Algae
Strange Medical Condition
Dune Tunes
When a Black Hole Throws Up
Animals with Heart
More Trek*nology
“Scientific” Theory: California Island
A Viking Surprise
The Nuclear Boy Scout
Whisker Science, Part II
Where did our Moon Come From?
The Birth of E-Mail
Success in de Feet
Kinetic Sculpture Triathlon
It’s Science!
Another Virgin Birth
Weird Energy: Sewage
Accidental Discovery: Safety Glass
Showering on the ISS
Strange Study: Spiders Get Personal
Strange Medical Condition
Cause for ConCERN
More Movie Mad Scientists
Expendable Organs
Ancient Dating Technique
Psi-chology
A Curious Cure
Sneaky Corporations
Indecent Ducks
More Used-Less Inventions
Dangerous Aphrodisiacs
Can’t Say He’s Heartless
Science Facts that Sound Like Science Fiction
That Healthy Radioactive Glow
Random Origin: GPS
Sith Happens
Where the Ocean Meets the Sky
Microchip Man
Sulfonamide Tests
The Human Body and the Earth’s Crust
Ramming Speed
Types of Color Blindness
Mythunderstandings
Smithsonian by the Numbers
Green City: Curitiba
Strange Medical Condition
Jurassic Farts
The Flowers of the Black Sea
Twins Days
Accidental Discovery: Photography
That David’s No Goliath
Flora Facts
Generating a Regeneration Theory
7 Natural Wonders of the World
Technological Difficulties
Can You Dig It?
Milk and Microbes
Unsung Space Travelers
More “Science” Museums
Ancient Art
Skinner’s Box
Dirty Trix
When a Man Loves a Bird
How P2P Works
Strange Lawsuit
Anatomy of a Hiccup
“Scientific” Theory: How to Build a Scorpion
More Pop (Culture) Science
You Do What in Your Car?
Edison the Executioner
Balloon Bombs Awaaay!
Rubin’s Cubed
Leech Therapy
Purple to the People
Urine Good Hands
Genius School
Random Origin: Organ Transplants
Manimals!
More Hollywood Physics
The Science of Singing Sands
Brainput
Dr. Yesteryear
Bombing Mars
Romancing the Stone
The Rat-Head Experiment
How to Make Ice
Albert Einstein Says…
The Tipler Time Machine
Lounge Lizards
Who’s the Rarest of Them All?
Mad Dogs and a Deadly Disease
Musical Ailments
Tesla vs. Edison
Heart History
Strange Medical Condition
A Singer Who Butchered Science
Weird Energy: Algae
Accidental Discovery: Penicillin
The Cow Egg Man
“I Was at Home, Asleep!”
Ancient Soapmaking
You Aren’t “You”
Meteorologists’ Jargon
Instant Drunkenness-Reversing Pills
“Psychic Driving” Procedure
Snapshot of Science: Moon Man
Putting the “Bye” in Antibiotics
Mohs Hardness Scale
Used-Less Inventions: “High Five” Simulator
Too Many Mummies
Weird Science News
Web Weaver
Progeria
Project Blue Beam
Seeing: Clearly
The Meaning of LI-FI
Fecal Matters
It’s Elementary
The Matrix Has You
Odd Books
H. G. Wells, Futurist
The End
Index of Stories
Introduction
From archaeology to zoology, from alien DNA to X-ray guns, this epic edition from the editors at Portable Press delves into the weirdest of weird science. While combing through the strangest discoveries from days of yore through the modern age, we found that science can be used to do almost anything: solve history’s mysteries, cure diseases, get better at sports, increase the world’s food supply, and make people’s lives easier…or shorter (cue ominous music). Strange Science has all this and more—it will answer questions about the human body, correct common misconceptions, arm you with scientific lingo, reveal the truth behind bad science, and even teach you a little about quantum physics!
BONUS: If you’re not content to be an armchair scientist, you’ll also engage in quizzes and discover “realistic” do-it-yourself projects, including how to hypnotize a chicken or make a mummy. So put on your thinking cap, or your tinfoil hat to block out mind-control waves—depending on which branch of science you prefer—and get ready for an experimental journey!
THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS YE
We begin by traveling back to a time before modern medicine, when these “scientific” remedies were recommended.
To prevent consumption (tuberculosis):
“Let not your breast touch the table or desk on which you write, for leaning the breast hard against the edge of the table hath brought many young men into a consumption.”
—The Young Man’s Companion (1775)
For alcoholism:
“The prescription is simply an orange every morning a half hour before breakfast. Take that and you will neither want liquor nor medicine. The liquor will become repulsive.”
—Dr. Chase’s Recipes (1884)
To prevent influenza:
“Children should be instructed to run with the mouth shut for the first block or two after going outdoors in cold weather.”
—The Guide Board to Health, Peace and Competence (1870)
To treat asthma:
“A pipe of tobacco (or a cigar) has the power of relieving a fit of asthma, especially in those not accustomed to it.”
—Cassell’s Household Guide (1880)
To treat epilepsy:
“It has been said that a black silk handkerchief, thrown over the face while the fit is on, will bring the person ‘to’ instantly.”
—The Guide Board to Health,
Peace and Competence (1870)
To cure stuttering:
“Let him who stammers, stamp his foot on the ground at the same time that he utters each syllable and stammering is impossible.”
—Fun Better than Physic (1877)
“Nothing is better than ear-wax
to prevent the painful effec
ts resulting from a wound by a nail, skewer, etc. It should be put on as soon as possible. Those who are troubled with cracked lips have found this remedy successful when others have failed.”
—The American Frugal Housewife (1832)
ROBOTS: NOW
WITH A TASTE
FOR FLESH
Scientists at NEC System Technologies in Japan have invented a robot that can taste and identify dozens of wines, as well as some types of food. The green-and-white tabletop robot has a swiveling head, eyes, and a mouth that speaks in a child’s voice. To identify a wine, the unopened bottle is placed in front of the robot’s left arm. An infrared beam scans the wine—through the glass bottle—and determines its chemical composition. The robot then names the variety of wine, describes its taste, and recommends foods to pair it with. Scientists are still working out the kinks: At a press conference, a reporter and a cameraman put their hands in front of the robot’s infrared beam. According to the robot, the reporter tasted like ham, and the cameraman tasted like bacon.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND
KIDS’ PRODUCTS
SILLY STRING
It’s not really the “string” that makes Silly String work; it’s the ingredient that gets it out of the can that makes it all happen. The strands are created from an acrylic resin—plastic—and a surface-acting agent—foam. But it’s the propellant that’s crucial to the process: Not only does it push the string out of the can when sprayed, it also causes the reaction between the resin and the surface-acting agent to form the sticky strands.
ELMER’S GLUE-ALL
Although many glues were traditionally manufactured from the collagen in animal hooves, horns, and bones, Elmer’s never has been. The first glue factory that Gail Borden bought in 1929 used a milk by-product to make its glue, and Borden Inc. expanded into resin-based glues in the 1930s. Elmer’s Glue-All was introduced in 1947 and was made from a synthetic resin, which is still in their product today. So kids can play happily in the knowledge that no horses were harmed in the making of their Elmer’s.
RISE OF THE FUTURISTS
For most of human history, if you sought advice from a shaman, a soothsayer, or Nostradamus, you’d hear whatever the bones or the crystal ball “told” them. In the mid-1400s, the advent of the printing press (and with it the book industry) made the world’s accumulated knowledge available to the masses (at least to the ones who could read). That advance ushered in the Age of Enlightenment, followed by the Industrial Revolution. People began to look at the future from a more scientific point of view.
The first futurists weren’t necessarily scientists, but had a keen understanding of both history and human nature. That concept is called foresight. “It refers to a process of visioning alternative futures through a combination of hindsight, insight, and forecasting,” explains Tuomo Kuosa in his book The Evolution of Strategic Foresight. “(Hind)sight is about systematically understanding the past, (in)sight is about systematically understanding the true nature of the present, and (fore)sight is about systematically understanding the future.”