That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

Interesting anecdotes and engaging tales make science fun, meaningful, and accessible. Separating sense from nonsense and fact from myth, these essays cover everything from the ups of helium to the downs of drain cleaners and provide answers to numerous mysteries, such as why bug juice is used to colour ice cream and how spies used secret inks. Mercury in teeth, arsenic in water, lead in the environment, and aspartame in food are discussed. Mythbusters include the fact that Edison did not invent the light bulb and that walking on hot coals does not require paranormal powers. The secret life of bagels is revealed, and airbags, beer, and soap yield their mysteries. These and many more surprising, educational, and entertaining commentaries show the relevance of science to everyday life.

Table of contents
Cover	1
Copyright page	7
Contents	8
Introduction	12
HEALTHY SCIENCE: Microwaved Socks, and Other Tales from the Airwaves	16
Yes, Scientists Are Allowed to Change Their Minds	20
I'll Take the Yogurt, but Hold the Enema Machine	23
Professor Wonder and Nutraceuticals	27
For Some, a Diet Goes against the Grain	30
Saccharin: From Back Alley to Tabletop	34
Aspartame: Guilty or Innocent?	41
An Ode to the Oat	49
The Secret Life of Bagels	53
A Toast to Toast	57
Gassing Green Bananas	60
Summertime Buccaneers	63
Agitate for Ice Cream	67
Man Cannot Live on Corn Alone	70
Lessons from Popeye	73
Paprika's Peppery Past	77
Bring on the Crucifers	80
Beer Science Is Still Brewing	84
The Scoop on Booze	88
Hard Lessons about Soft Drinks	92
When DNA Come out to Play	100
Frankenfuror	104
The Sunshine Vitamin	112
That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles	115
Coenzyme Q10 Is Worth Remembering	119
Sticking in Your Memory	123
Take It with a Grain of Salt	128
Botulin: Deadly Poison and Fascinating Medicine	131
From the Jungle to the Operating Room	134
The Growing Growth Hormone Industry	138
Strong Poison	141
A Mouth Full of Mercury	145
Get the Lead Out	149
Our Daily Dioxin	155
Don't Sweat It	160
EVERYDAY SCIENCE: The Stainmaster	166
Strike One for Matches	171
Cookware Chemistry	174
Nervous about Nerve Gas	177
How Many People Does It Take to Invent a Lightbulb?	180
A Run on Stockings	184
A Rubber Match	187
Oobleck and Beyond	191
The Eyes Have It	194
From Torpedoes to Airbags	198
Soap Story	201
Detergents and Drowning Fleas	205
Untangling the Web of Spider Lore	208
A Bolt out of the Blue	211
LOOKING BACK: A Fair to Remember	216
Lydia Pinkham to the Rescue	219
Mauving On	223
Creator of Good and Evil	227
The Dark Side of Radium's Glow	230
The Faraday Effect	233
From Alchemist to Scientist	238
POPPYCOCK: Not Too Hot to Handle	242
True Deceptions	246
Medicine and Malarkey	250
Pi Water and Erect Electrons	254
Hogwash and Balderdash	256
Hucksters Selling Health	259
Index	266
A	266
B	267
C	267
F	268
E	268
D	268
G	269
H	269
L	270
K	270
J	270
I	270
M	271
N	271
O	271
Q	272
P	272
R	273
S	273
Y	274
X	274
W	274
V	274
U	274
T	274
Z	274