The Quirks and Quarks Question Book: 101 Answers to Listeners' Questions

Jane M. Wilson is a Toronto-based chartered financial analyst in the
investment business.

The CBC Radio One “Quirks and Quarks” science program is a Canadian
institution. Every Saturday, current host Bob McDonald, who introduces
this book, interviews experts from around the world on new developments
in all fields of science and medicine, from astronomy to zoology. At the
end of each hour, listeners’ questions on more prosaic but baffling
phenomena are fielded by Canadian experts. This book is a selection of
those “Questions of the Week.” Why is the night sky dark when there
are so many stars? Why don’t woodpeckers get concussed? What is a blue
moon and can one parachute onto it? These are examples of what “Quirks
and Quarks” fans desperately want to know.

McDonald finds authorities across the country to solve these mysteries,
and in the process introduces the public to Canadian scientists and
researchers. They are able to make the science understandable, but often
their program host encourages them to oversimplify, and this book shares
the same drawback. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful book for almost
anyone, and a particularly good choice for younger readers and for
parents who are expected to know the answer to everything.