Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.11 (667 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1478950528 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 1 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-01-08 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Without it, you would die in minutes. With every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. Lively, witty, and filled with the astounding science of ordinary life, Caesar's Last Breath illuminates the science stories swirling around us every second.. Along the way, we'll swim with radioactive pigs, witness the most important chemical reactions humans have discovered, and join the crowd at the Moulin Rouge for some of the crudest performance art of all time. On the ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds on the Senate floor, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding; in fact, you're probably inhaling some of it now. And it has an epic story to tell. It's ever-present. It's invisible. Tracing the origins and ingredients of our atmosphere, Kean reveals how the alchemy of air reshaped our continents, steered human progress, powered revolutions, and continues to influence everything we do. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might well bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even r
this is a dose of fresh air.'' --Library Journal''Kean pumps chemical and historical trivia into this tale about air and the gases of which it is composedghtweight and entertaining.'' --Publishers Weekly''Richly informative. Kean, an award-winning science writer has done it again, using his free-wheeling style to translate hard scientific facts into lively stories.'' --Kirkus''Riveting. An enormous pleasure to read.'' --Mark Kurlansky, author of Paper and Salt''Fascinating stories, so insightful, informative, and disarmingly written.
Sam Kean spent years collecting mercury from broken thermometers as a kid, and now he's a writer in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in the New York Times magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, and Science, and it has been featured on NPR's Radiolab and All Things Considered. The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb were New York Times bestsellers.
Science Book for Any Adult Reader R schultz Honestly, the first time I read one of Mr. Kean's books, it was for my book club. I thought it would be over my head. I WAS WRONG. I was so pleasantly surprised at the fluid story lines and attention to detail. Plus the humor in the book- who knew a science writer could be witty? This book is no different! I loved it and would recommend it to anyone- book club or no.. Great look at the atmosphere Steve G This is the third book of Sam Kean’s that I’ve read; the other two were “The Violinist's Thumb” and “The Disappearing Spoon”. I loved the latter two, so I had high expectations for “Caesar’s Last Breath”. I was not disappointed. Once again Kean does some great storytelling, this time about the atmosphere. There is some science involved since it is necessary to understand the behavior of gases in order to understand the atmosphere. Kean explains the science very simply, clearly, and painlessly. He then delves into a discussion of the atmosphere. Although I was already fam. Collin Waltner said This book is an excellent addition to Sam Kean's catalog. This book is an excellent addition to Sam Kean's catalog. Kean is a pleasure to read. His chapters are accessible, enthusiastic, and informative. This book, like his others, is a carnival ride through history. You will find yourself at turns in prehistoric volcanoes, ancient Rome, 19th C. Europe, and even on a future space mission. Kean chooses these scenes to explain masterfully what might otherwise be some difficult science. In particular, the section on Caesar's last breath tickled some memories for me of a droll college math course, but with Kean at the helm, I found the exercise interesting -- even entertaining -- and