Chemistry World Book Club

If you really want to develop an appreciation for those early pathologists who went so far as to taste-tested truly horrible samples from corpses to establish a system for detecting poisons, read a new book by US-based physiology and biophysics professor Neil Bradbury. We discuss Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers who used them: A Taste for Poison in our final episode of the Chemistry World Book Club podcast series. Combining chemistry and biology with true crime, this book is ripped from news headlines and is also based on historical records. Bradbury recounts for us his life-long fascination with science as well as murder mysteries, and how he long-dreamed of using his biochemistry training to write a book delving into process by which various poisons kill a person – what these compounds actually do inside the body. He also discusses narrowing down the book's scope to the 11 poisons and related murders that are featured. After almost seven years, Chemistry World is moving on from the Book Club podcast. We truly thank all of you who read along and listened, as well as those reviewers and authors who participated and made the podcast great. But we have an exciting new monthly podcast in the works, so please follow Chemistry World on Twitter or on Facebook to be the first to hear about it.

Indigenous communities are among the most affected by climate change, yet their work and knowledge has long been dismissed as unscientific. In her first book Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science, Maya Ch'orti' and Zapotec environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez recounts case studies, personal stories and family histories that focus on the knowledge of Indigenous Latin American women and land protectors. Hernandez's book envisions a future in which Indigenous people are given autonomy over their lands and are treated as prominent leaders in the fight for environmental justice and against climate change. We talk about the failures of western conservation approaches and speak to Hernandez about the many reasons science needs to start listening to Indigenous voices. Thank you to Jenn Ashton for performing a sensitivity check on this episode.

This episode examines the science behind auto racing by digging into Racing Green: How Motorsports Became Smarter, Safer, Cleaner and Faster, by science journalist and science historian Kit Chapman. In this his second book, following Superheavy in 2019, the former Chemistry World comment editor chronicles how motorsport science is advancing and becoming more environmentally friendly, and he describes that ways in which these developments on the track are changing the world for the better. Chapman uses exclusive interviews with folks at NASCAR's Research and Development Center, Formula 1 insiders, engineers, scientists and drivers to tell this story. For us, he also recounts some of the exotic travels he embarked on to thoroughly research this topic, the fascinating people he met along the way, and lessons he's learned from writing the book. He even talks about the serious curve balls thrown by the Covid-19 global pandemic, and how they showed up in his book, as well as on the racing track, in hospitals and beyond. 

Why is duct tape the answer to fixing everything? How do geckos cling to walls? And what, exactly, keeps our car tyres rolling down the road? In Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces, physicist and science writer Laurie Winkless paints a vivid picture of the vast array of surfaces we interact with every day – and explores the mysteries we're still unravelling about how those interactions work.  We talk to Winkless about earthquakes and geckos, and discuss why even the things we sometimes take for granted (like that little broom they use in curling) have a fascinating scientific story to tell.

In this episode, we discuss Her Hidden Genius. It's the new book by Marie Benedict, a lawyer and best-selling author who unearths the historical stories of women who have left important legacies. In this her third book about a female scientist, Benedict chronicles the life of Rosalind Franklin, an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who laboured for years to uncover the structure of DNA but whose research was secretly shared with two male scientists from a different institution – the famous Watson and Crick. They used her data to claim the discovery of DNA's structure and ultimately win a Nobel prize for it, after Franklin died from cancer at just 37 year old.

In this episode, we're delving deep into the science of one of the best-selling fiction writers of all times: Agatha Christie. We look for evidence of her pioneering forensic writing with Murder Isn't Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie, the second book by pathology technician and medical historian Carla Valentine. At a time when there was no internet and the word ‘forensics' didn't even exist yet, Christie managed to stay up to date with the latest scientific advances as well as real-life cases — all of which inspired her clever plots and twisting tales. Together with special guests Raychelle Burks and Kathryn Harkup (both huge Christie fans) we consider Christie's knack for science communication as well as her problematic selection of stereotyped characters.

This episode is for anybody interested in how human beings have altered the world around us since we came on the scene tens of thousands of years ago. University of California Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro weaves fascinating and fun personal anecdotes from her own life and research on ancient DNA to tell the story of the evolution of Earth and the life-forms it hosts. Shapiro also delves into the risks and opportunities presented by powerful new synthetic biology technologies. She is not afraid to voice her own opinions on topics that can be quite controversial – like gene editing, cloning and the consequences of climate change – and speaks candidly in this podcast.

In this episode, we'll tackle Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures by Adam Zmith. In his first book, Zmith blends historical research with wry observation to tell the story of how amyl nitrites wafted out of the lab and into gay bars, corner shops and bedrooms. Zmith leads readers through the 19th century discovery of nitrites as an angina medication and its 20th century reimagination as a drug for the queer community. But his focus on people and cultural forces means this book goes far beyond a simple history lesson. We discuss how societal pressures and biases can influence research, and talk to Zmith about the secret pact between governments, manufacturers and users that kept poppers flying under the radar of drug restrictions.

This episode is for all those people who have turned to gardening or amassed houseplants during the Covid lockdowns as we'll be talking about Lessons from Plants. In it, the biochemist Beronda Montgomery explores the vigorous and creative life of organisms often treated as static and predictable. Writing about plants' fascinating ability to perceive, adapt, communicate, decision-make and collaborate, Montgomery asks us to consider the question: What would a plant do? We discuss what agriculture got wrong about plants' symbiotic relationships, how caring for plants can help educators create an environment in which students thrive, and talk to Montgomery about converting knowledge of science into lessons for being better humans.

In this month's episode we'll talk about Science in Black and White: How Biology and Environment Shape Our Racial Divide by medical anthropologist Alondra Oubré. She delves into the science behind the nature versus nurture debate to expose racially biased research and debunk claims of inborn racial disparities and the gendered brain. The result is a deeply researched, comprehensive and nuanced title. ‘Just as many leading experts contest the notion of genes as destiny, gene–environmental interactions do not predict fated life outcomes,' Oubré writes in her epilogue. ‘By the same token, environmental conditions do not guarantee either good or bad predetermined life outcomes, although they can have major consequences for an individual and, in some cases, his family.'

Get your garlic and crucifix ready as we tackle Kathryn Harkup's latest book Vampirology: The Science of Horror's Most Famous Fiend. Harkup is a chemist and science communicator, and an expert at casting a scientific eye on cultural phenomena, literature and film. Her debut, A is for Arsenic – about the poisons in Agatha Christie's works – featured in our very first book club podcast episode way back in 2015. In her latest title, Harkup delves into the world of Dracula and Nosferatu. She finds tales of folklore and fiction, searches for scientific explanations to historic accounts of vampirism and asks the question whether, technically, vampires could exist. We talk to Harkup about watching Buffy reruns and Hong Kong's hopping vampires, and find out what it's like to investigate a myth with science.

How do you make a chemical-resistant beaker out of a material as fragile as glass? And how do you tell the temperature of a piece of steel without a thermometer? These are questions Anna Ploszajski tackles in her book Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning through Making. A materials scientist, engineer, science communicator and occasional stand-up comedian, Ploszajski explores the domain of makers and craftspeople. With knowledge accumulated over generations of trial and error, these experimenters understand popular materials like glass, steel and wood far better than any scientist. We talk to Ploszajski about finding fresh perspectives by stepping outside the scientific realm, and find out whether every materials scientist should take up blacksmithing.

We might like to think that science is purely objective, driven only by scientific principles and free of social disturbances — but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In this episode, we read Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s debut The Disordered Cosmos, a book exposing how racism and sexism persist across all scientific disciplines. Part introduction to particle physics, part biography, part cultural and social analysis, The Disordered Cosmos examines the colonialist thread running through science’s history and presents a vision of the cosmos as vibrant, inclusive and non-traditional. We talk to Prescod-Weinstein —  theoretical physicist, feminist theorist and one of the few Black US American women to ever earn a physics PhD — about her message to the next generation of scientists, and find out who should read this timely, provocative and necessary title.

In this episode, we’re looking for answers to the important questions in life like ‘Why do you believe in diets?’ or ‘Why are you working in a bullshit job?’  Biochemist and immunologist Luke O’Neill certainly doesn’t mince words in his new book Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science: A Scientist’s Guide to the Biggest Challenges Facing our Species Today. Despite its provocative title, the book covers some serious topics that range from vaccination and mental health, to racism and climate change. It makes complex science accessible with wit and pop culture references, finding answers to some of the most controversial topics human beings grapple with. We talk to O’Neill about tackling life’s big questions and punk rock references, and discuss whether the book hits the sweet spot of balancing lightness with its sometimes heavy subject matter.

This month we find out drug testing has come a long way, as we read The Poison Trials: Wonder Drugs, Experiment and the Battle for Authority in Renaissance Science, the latest book from historian of science and medicine Alisha Rankin. The book tells little-known stories of medicine in 16th century Europe, such as Pope Clement VII’s personal physician testing a new antidote by feeding poison-laced cake to two condemned criminals. Only one received the cure. Such grisly episodes occurred at a time when fears of deadly poisons were running high among those in power and physicians were scrabbling for cures. As such, Rankin suggests they might be considered an early form of clinical trials. We talk to Rankin about researching and writing the book, and discuss what these stories mean for us today, as scientists search for cures to a public health emergency.

This month we’re celebrating 20 years of a popular science classic: Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks. In his memoir, Sacks – who later became a famous neurologist – recounts how he discovered his love for science growing up in the 1930 and 40s. We’ll try to find out whether this book is worth reading (or re-reading), chat to the chemist whose own childhood was influenced by Sacks’ work and talk to the women writing Sacks’ biography.

Whether you’re looking for a sciencey Christmas present for the young readers in your life or just want to delve into the science of children’s science writing, this kid’s books roundup is for you. We brought together three families and their four children aged three to nine to review Once Upon an Atom by James Carter; I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast by Michael Holland; Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet by Kate Pankhurst; and Awesome Matter and Materials by Jon Richards and Rob Colson.

This time, we’re reading Written In Bone: Hidden Stories in what We Leave Behind by forensic anthropologist Sue Black and author of the 2018 Sunday Times bestseller All That Remains. Black discusses criminal and historical cases from her own career, showing how everything we do – from what we eat to where we go – leaves behind traces in our skeleton. Find out what we thought about the book, whether you should read it, and hear from Black herself as she talks about her favourite bone and why mortuaries are the funniest place in the world.

It’s the end times in this episode as we’re reading The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking). In five scenarios, cosmologist Katie Mack explores how the universe might meet its ultimate demise and what this might look like if anyone were still around to see it. The book promises to be a wildly fun ride to the farthest reaches of scientific knowledge.

In this episode we’re reading United We Are Unstoppable: 60 Inspiring Young People Saving Our World, a book of short stories, told by the people who are fighting for their homes and their futures in the face of climate change. Find out what we thought about the book, whether you should read it, and hear from editor Akshat Rathi about what it was like to work with and learn from young climate activists.

This month we’re reading Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium by historian Lucy Jane Santos. The book traces the story of a radioactive element, from its ascendance as a cure-all ingredient in the late 19th century to the gradual downfall and eventual discredit of the entire radium industry.  Find out what we thought about the book, and hear from Santos herself as she talks about digging into forgotten history and taking a bath at a modern radioactive spa.

In this episode we’re tackling the coronavirus information overload by comparing three books on pandemics past and present: Outbreaks and Epidemics by Meera Senthilingam, Adam Kucharski’s The Rules of Contagion, and The Pandemic Century by Mark Honigsbaum (the only one written well before the current pandemic hit). Find out what we thought about each of these titles, what readers might get out of them, and hear from Outbreaks and Epidemics author Meera Senthilingham about what it was like to write about pandemics while being in the middle of one.

From photographic film to scientific glassware, Ainissa Ramirez’s new book The Alchemy of Us offers a unique insight into our relationship with technology. Find out what we thought about the book, and hear from Ramirez herself as she talks about digging into archives around the world to uncover forgotten characters and intriguing stories.

This month, we take a peek behind the curtain with Gemma Milne’s Smoke & Mirrors. In her first book, the technology journalist looks at headline-grabbing science present and past – from cancer treatments to fusion energy and quantum computers. Will the book deliver on its promise to be a guide on how to recognise hype and how to cut through it?  Find out what we thought about the book, and hear from Milne herself as she talks about the human experience of hype – and how it can be used as a tool for good as well as bad.

This time we're reading Ingredients, a book that promises to make chemistry more fun than Hogwarts. First-time author George Zaidan investigates the stuff inside stuff and tries to answer the question of whether you should eat that cheeto or not.  Find out what we thought about the book, and hear from Zaidan himself as he reads an excerpt and talks about the strangest medical case studies and scientific uncertainty.    

Why don't we think of coffee as a drug? Are you hooked on heroin the moment you take it...or is the answer more complicated? In Say Why to Drugs: Everything You Need to Know About the Drugs We Take and Why We Get High Suzi Gage looks at the misconceptions, theories and attitudes surrounding all kinds of drugs – and attempts to separate fact from fiction.

This month, we’re talking about giraffes, a magic sandwich hole and the question of whether robots will take over the world. All of these things come up in Janelle Shane’s You Look Like a Thing and I Love You, a book about the wonderful and often weird world of artificial intelligence. The title, incidentally, is an AI-generated pickup line, though maybe one of the less successful ones. Find out what we thought about the book, listen to an extract, and hear from Shane herself as she talks to us about why algorithms are not not as smart as they seem and the perils of following an AI-generated brownie recipe.

This month, we’re delving deep into chemistry’s history as we discuss Peter Wothers' book Antimony, Gold, and Jupiter’s Wolf: How the Elements Were Named. Some chemists may know Wothers’ writing in the form of chemistry textbooks, but this is his first popular science book. As Wothers unearths the stories behind the elements’ names, he also explores our understanding of the nature of matter itself.

In her new book Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time Gaia Vince assembles everything you need to know about the world and how human beings have come to rule over so many aspects of it. If it sounds like a mammoth task...that's because it is! Vince skillfully breaks it down into five distinct sections, looking at everything from how humans have mastered energy expenditure for the benefit of the masses, to the pivotal role language has played in making us a species that stand entirely on our own in a whole host of things.

This month, we’re delving into the science of language as we’re discussing linguist David Adger’s book Language Unlimited: The Science Behind Our Most Creative Power. Adger takes on one of the most debated questions in the linguistics community: Do humans come up with languages because they are very good at recognising patterns and remembering things? Or do human brains have a built-in ability for the types of languages we speak (or sign)?

Have you ever considered the practicalities of building a swimming pool out of cheese? Or wondered what it would take to surround your house with a lava moat? Even if you have never thought about these outlandish questions, Randall Munroe has the answers in his new book How to: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems.

Enjoy a fast-paced thriller but wish they were a bit more believable when it comes to the science? In that case, Fiona Erskine’s chemical infused debut novel – which marks the start of her Jacqueline Silver Adventures series – should be on your radar. When Fiona Erskine had a skiing accident on holiday and ended up with more time staying still than she’d bargained for, ideas started to flow and the frame-work behind a book series emerged. Erskine had written a lot about the Chernobyl disaster and, as a chemical engineer, understood the nuances of hard science that many thriller writers either eschewed for dramatic effect or just got plain wrong. The result was The Chemical Detective – an audacious, female-led thriller which took the disposable women of the James Bond franchise and flipped the concept entirely on its head. While this book does stretch the believability factor, it’s an engaging and somewhat unusual read that should please chemists and have enough intrigue to attract readers who don’t consider science a joint first language.

In Superior: The Return of Race Science, Angela Saini examines the history of race science and the people who spend years studying it. Superior was influenced by Saini’s childhood, when experiences of every-day racism made her question the perceptions about race that she witnessed all around her, leading to a career as a science journalist and now three-time author. Both a historical account of how race science evolved into existence and the motivating factors that, Saini says, have led to its revival as a tool at the hands of various political groups, Superior will make you question your assumptions about others. It’ll also encourage you to process all future information through a more open-minded filter. One that says: forget about skin colour – we’re all much more similar than you might at first think.

This time in our Book Club podcast, we celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Primo Levi, the man behind The Periodic Table. In this collection of short stories, the Italian author of If this is a man and If not now, when? offers a startling insight into both fascist Italy, and the harrowing events of the second world war. Filtered through the unique perspective of Levi – a man held back by his Jewish heritage, but saved on many occasions by his expert understanding of chemical processes – even the most mundane or ordinary of every-day events is given an authentic, scientific and sometimes disturbing twist. Instead of chapter names, each story – sometimes part of the overall narrative and other times a complete departure – is named after an element, sending the book off in different directions, before returning to its central theme.

For this month’s Book Club podcast, it’s a highly unusual review scenario, as we get to grips with Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table, written by none other than Kit Chapman (yes, the very same Kit Chapman who was, up until recently, Chemistry World’s cosplay loving Comment editor).  We were in the privileged position to hear about Kit’s book from almost the moment he decided to write it. This, perhaps unsurprisingly, was a task which required him to travel around the globe in search of answers to some of chemistry’s greatest questions: where do elements actually come from and how are they made? And: What happens when what we know about the periodic table turns out to be…well…less right than we thought it was?

This time in Book Club, we follow sustainability journalist Tim Smedley as he pursues one of humankind’s greatest challenges and looks at the dangers posed by air pollution. Intrigued by some casual facts and figures he’d stumbled across in a newspaper, Smedley investigated further, then decided to travel around the world to look at the factors affecting air quality in major cities. Along with examples of how air pollution occurs and some frightening statistics – some compiled from his own measurements using a hand-held air pollution monitor – he suggests practical ways individuals can make a tangible difference to the quality of air in their communities.

In this month’s book club podcast, Anthony Warner – ‘The Angry Chef’ behind the popular blog of the same name that then spawned a book – tackles the enormous problem of obesity and how our perception about it may be the key to minimising the problem. A veteran of the food industry, Warner introduces us to some intriguing and thought-provoking ideas about where obesity comes from and its causes, claiming that there’s much more to it than addressing issues with willpower and doing plenty of exercise. In Warner’s mind, shaming fat people is at the heart of the problem, directing us away from the real issues that we should be paying more attention to.

In this month’s podcast, Australian author Matt Parker looks at the unique relationship that exists between human beings and numbers, and how it inevitably leads to mistakes large and small. Using a series of examples sourced from mainly publicly available information, Parker explains how a simple misunderstanding between a human and a computer could lead to a catastrophic accident – or just a bizarre chain of events that a human being would never have otherwise made. As well as stories of how computers have got it wrong, the author also suggests ways that we can work with technology to avoid problems occurring.

This month's podcast features Inventing Ourselves by cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. The book explores the complex changes that take place in the human brain during adolescence and typical teenage behaviours such as risk-taking, impulsivity and self-consciousness.

This time, we discuss and scrutinise Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome, by Venkatraman “Venki” Ramakrishnan. By the time Venki had earned a PhD in physics from Ohio University in the US, he had already made the unusual decision to change direction and focus full-force on uncovering the secrets of the ribosome, which eventually led to him co-winning the Nobel prize in 2009. Known as the mother of all molecules, you’ll find lots of information to help explain why the ribosome is so crucial in understanding DNA, as well as personal insights and tales of calamity on the way to the top.

This month’s podcast features I’m a Joke and So Are You, in which comedian Robin Ince examines what makes us human by reflecting on his own experiences and through conversations with other comedians. Ince also talks to leading neuroscientists and psychologists to learn more about phenomena such as creativity, anxiety and imposter syndrome.

This month’s podcast is about the Nobel prize and the hype that has surrounded it for decades, as described in Brian Keating’s new book Losing the Nobel Prize. In 2014, Keating was confident that the invention he had helped to create – the most powerful telescope for cosmology that had ever been built – and its findings would lead him to the Nobel prize. But when he lost the prize, Keating found himself compelled to re-evaluate the prize he had loved for so long, and ask how relevant it was for a modern world.

This month’s podcast features material scientist Mark Miodownik’s latest book Liquid: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives. Fascinated by what defines a liquid and the mechanisms behind their working, the author uses his experiences on board an every-day commercial flight as the backdrop for his writings, describing every liquid he encounters along the way, showing how there is magic in everything from aviation fuel to orange juice.

For this month’s podcast, we take a slight diversion from our usual non-fiction theme, and take a look at Jennifer Rohn’s lab-lit novel Cat Zero. Being a scientist as well as a writer, Rohn finds herself in a unique position, enabling her to combine the drama of a traditional thriller with hard science details that most books either ignore or get wrong.

Emma Stoye presents this month’s podcast about immunology professor Daniel Davis’s latest book – The Beautiful Cure. The book explores the history of immunology, along with insights from the author’s career and findings from his recent research. As a leader in the field of immunology, Davis breaks down the various factors that can affect the human immune system, explains how complex a thing it is, and goes on to explore how sensitive it is to things like sleep, stress, age and even our state-of-mind. 

In this month’s podcast presented by Emma Stoye, Helen Thomson reveals fascinating insights about some of the rarest neurological conditions known to science. From a man whose synesthesia allows him to see auras, to a woman who lacks a mental map – making even simple navigation all but impossible – Thomson recalls a number of case studies which she unearthed on a ten-year journey through academic journals. Guaranteed to make you think about things that most of us take for granted, the author reveals both the data and the human stories that give it depth.

Join Emma Stoye at the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. She speaks to New Scientist's Rowan Hooper about his book Superhuman, finds out from Philip Ball why quantum physics is Beyond Weird, and discusses the genesis of a new book with Gabrielle Walker. Plus, an in-depth chat about the very nature of the universe with Peter Atkins, whose textbook Physical Chemistry has graced the shelves of chemistry students since the 1970s.

For this month’s podcast, we explore the world of anti-GM campaigning which Mark Lynas was a part of for years, and discover what it was that made him turn his back on his extreme views. The book looks at how and why he decided to help scientists on the other side of the divide, and explores the work he has done to help farmers in developing countries.

Are things getting better, or are we on the decline? In Enlightenment now, Steven Pinker argues that science and reason have made us better than ever before. Emma Stoye, Kit Chapman and Aurora Walshe find out if he hits the mark.

For this month’s podcast, we peruse Steve Mould and Helen Arney’s new book: The Element in the Room. Inspired by the popular science stand-up show, Festival of the Spoken Nerd,  the book takes us on an energetic journey of discovery through science, showing us how to do a range of science experiments at home, and revealing facts and intriguing snippets of information that often get ignored.