This week I'm both honored and flattered to have interviewed Florence Williams, author of the book The Nature Fix. Florence is a contributing editor to Outside magazine and has two best-selling books, including The Nature Fix. She also has a couple podcasts as well that are worth listening to. You can listen to them here.
I first read The Nature Fix earlier this year and immediately found it relevant to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this book, Florence interviews several researchers studying the psychological and physiological effects that nature has on humans. She also participates in several of these studies, from hiking in Scotland to forest bathing in Japan. I found myself while reading the book, desiring to be outside more and more, as I'm sure you will feel too once you give her book a read. Florence's descriptions are breathtaking and picturesque, making the outdoors seem irresistible. At the beginning of the book, Florence moved from Boulder, Colorado to Washington DC. The move from a more rural area to an urban one gave her stress and inspired her to look into why nature has powerful effects on the human mind and body.
In interviewing Florence, I spoke with her about her research process for this book. Florence told me that she was able to receive funding to travel all over the world for this book, participating in these studies as well as focusing on the researchers and scientists themselves. Her first-person perspective gives relatable and valuable insight into how nature interacts with us personally. You can find your copy of the book here.
Today I have a real treat in store for you, as I interviewed Matt Montrose, of Montrose Biology. Matt developed a card game called "Ecologies" which helps teach the science of food webs, trophic levels, and ecologies. I picked up this game after seeing an ad for it on social media, and I have to say it is a personal favorite. It's small, easy to learn, and the artwork is just stunning!
Matt's idea for the game came from his job. As a high school biology teacher, he developed a proto-game to teach the science of food webs. His students and their parents loved the game so much that they asked him to develop it into a professional format and sell it. Matt did just that and used public domain Victorian artwork as the designs for each of his cards. The artwork comes from old science publications, maps, and other sources, each beautifully remastered to go with the game. Sometimes I get distracted by the cards' artwork and forget it's my turn to play!
The "Ecologies" game is easy enough to learn and can be played by anyone, including kids over 8. It's a great Christmas gift idea. I taught my parents how to play, and they thought it was really nerdy at first (which it is), but ended up loving it. The game works similar to Solitare, and players get points by building specific ecologies. In building your ecologies, you learn about trophic levels, consumers, and producers, as well as specific ecologies around the world. The game even has an expansion pack: "Bizarre Biomes," which gives more ecologies and animals to play and can be played by itself without having the original pack. Matt is currently working on other specific expansion packs, including a marine one. You can learn more about the game here.
As a science communicator, I appreciated the effort and time Matt put into this game to help make science more fun. I'd highly recommend buying this game for a Christmas gift or a loved one, and it helps support local business. You can get your own game copy at Matt's Etsy shop.
Listen below to our interview to learn more about Matt's inspiration, research, and the game itself!
Today is a real treat as I get to brag about Heidi Olinger, a powerful voice within the Colorado community. Heidi is the founder of Pretty Brainy, a non-profit organization that encourages young women to pursue careers within a STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) field. Heidi started Pretty Brainy back in 2008 when she noticed a large gap in toys and clothes for young girls that were science-themed. She wanted to empower young girls by giving them examples of science as well as science-themed toys and activities. From there, Pretty Brainy was born and has continued to flourish as a non-profit.
I have been fortunate enough to work with Heidi in one Pretty Brainy yearly program called MISSion Innovation. This program gets a bunch of young women together, from middle school to college-age, and challenges them to find ways to empower others to better their local environment. This past September, MISSion Innovation launched its first app, which you can find in any app store. This app gives you tools and ways to help save energy and be more environmentally conscious within your own home. I've personally used it and loved it!
While the interview below does cover Heidi's work at Pretty Brainy, it was Heidi's recent middle-age book, Leonardo's Science Workshop, that I wanted to talk to her about. Heidi wrote this book to lead children through a series of interactive science activities to teach them more about science. As we discuss below, Heidi designed and did many of these activities herself, as well as got many of the Pretty Brainy young members to help her.
This book is for young people of all ages, not just children. The activities inside are easy and fun to do. Heidi's book also goes a bit into the history of Leonardo Da Vinci, his work, and his impact on our society. If you're stuck inside looking for something fun or new to do, I'd highly recommend getting this for yourself or your kiddos. You can find a copy here.
Heidi is still working hard at Pretty Brainy, pivoting the programs to be fully online due to COVID-19. She's also currently working on a book for encouraging young people to use meditation. Her passion for her community, as well as her drive for the young people around her to succeed, is something I admire and respect. I highly recommend listening to the interview below, as Heidi's passion comes across clear and strong.
This blog is one that I thought I would never write, just because I thought I would never interview this author. Robert Charles Wilson, who I will be talking about today, is a well-known and award-winning science fiction writer. His work has spanned decades, with book titles such as Gypsies, Darwinia, and Spin. While this blog covers popular science writers, I also wanted to interview a science fiction writer, as science fiction is a surprising but impactful way that science can be communicated. Many scientists around the world will tell you they became interested in science due to reading science fiction. Even amateur scientists and science lovers will agree that science fiction has played an important role in how the general public has viewed science.
Before I discuss the interview, I must give a notice that I did not interview Robert Charles Wilson in person, but rather over email. Robert is a very private individual, and with respect to his wishes, the interview below was voiced by myself and my fellow science fiction reader, Austen Hughes. Robert gave us permission to read the interview this way, and I am grateful for him taking the time to share his thoughts with us.
Robert's books all contain strains of science within them, making them integral to certain storylines. In the interview below, I discuss Robert's book Spin, which won the Hugo Award for best science fiction novel in 2006. Spin discusses changes in time and humans' perceptions of time, as well as space travel, Martians, and even cults. The few books of Robert's I have read offer new perspectives on how science impacts society, from Victorian botany to alien politics. Robert's books hook you in from the beginning and keep you entertained as well as challenged. As you'll hear in the interview below, Robert is an expert on plot twists, so you'll find a surprise ending by the time you finish his book. You can find your own copy of Spin here.
Robert hasn't been writing for a while, but his most recent work is a short story that you can find in the sub-Terrain magazine here.
In the interview below, you'll find Austen Hughes and I talk about Robert's books Spin and Darwinia specifically, but also the common themes within his work. Even if you're not a Robert Charles Wilson fan, or have read very little science fiction, have a listen below, as it's important to see how science fiction impacts our world today.
This week I want to showcase the writings of James "Jim" Trefil, who I was privileged enough to interview. Jim Trefil is a physicist and a professor at George Mason University. Jim has written over fifty books, which is a lot, but the one I focused on for the interview was Why Science?
I picked up Why Science? a couple years ago at a used bookshop, intrigued by the title. As I began reading Jim's book, I became more interested in science communication. Jim argues in Why Science? that everyone should be scientifically literate, and understand the basic principles of science, in order to better understand society, science in general, and the current global trends. Jim takes his argument from multiple sides, culture, civics, aesthetics, and discusses the benefits of having a better science-literate populace. In our interview, Jim called it his "manifesto"
Jim also gives examples in his book about the current state of science literacy, as well as ways to improve it. Even though the book is about ten years old, the topics discussed inside are still increasingly relevant. From controversial topics of climate change and global warming, Jim covers the need for better science communication towards a broader audience. You can get your own copy of Jim's book here if you're interested. I'd highly recommend for anyone interested in learning how they can better keep up with current research and science topics.
In our interview, he discussed how he's still writing, and currently is working on a book with famous scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, which will be exciting to see. I doubt he'll ever give up writing, which is a good thing as he makes some profound points. If you want to learn more about Jim's book, listen to our interview below!
It is best if I start this blog by saying that I did NOT think I would actually get an interview with this author.
Randy Olson, for those of you who aren't familiar with his work, is a scientist-turned-filmmaker, and currently works at Story Circles Narrative Training. Story Circles is a program that teaches people how to use narratives to write and communicate better. Randy uses the ABT method, which stands for And, But, Therefore. These three words are used to help both construct and analyze a narrative. Randy uses this framework to help both scientists better write grants and proposals, but also anyone looking to be a better communicator and writer.
Randy's big documentary was Flock of Dodos in 2006, which focused on debates between intelligent design and the scientific theories of evolution.
Randy's two best-selling books I recommend to all: Don't Be Such a Scientist (2009) and Houston, We Have a Narrative (2015). Both of Randy's books deal with how science is portrayed and communicated in the media and with the public. The books also give models and methods of how to communicate technical information to broader audiences. You can find these books here at Randy's website.
I picked up Randy's book Don't Be Such a Scientist, out of curiosity by the title. I was about to head into my master's program in Science Communication at Imperial College, London, and was researching books that would help me to better understand how science is currently being perceived and communicated by public audiences. Randy's book was intriguing, to say the least, and extremely practical for helping to better shape my own writing. I went on to read Randy's other book Houston, We Have a Narrative in the few months after reading his first book. I found it just as compelling and engaging as his previous work, and I was curious to better understand the author behind these two practical reads.
I had contacted Randy previously for an interview and was finally able to make contact. In our initial exchange over email, Randy told me: "I hope you're not going to be offended when I begin by saying there shouldn't even be such a topic as 'science communication."' This piqued my curiosity, as I wondered how an award-winning documentary maker such as Randy, who focused on climate change and the communication of science, didn't want "science communication" as a topic to exist.
Once Randy and I started the interview, it became more apparent why Randy didn't agree with "science communication" as a topic. Randy's own personal reasons for this you can listen to in the interview below, as I'd rather him explain it in his own words.
Randy's story is fascinating as there is only one other person I know has a similar background of scientist-turned-filmmaker: the late Michael Crichton. Randy and I did, in fact, talked about Crichton's work and the impact he made on both the scientific community and the American public. Randy highlighted that a viewpoint that both he and Crichton shared, which is that scientists don't listen. Crichton's last speech, given at an AAAS event, discussed some of the big scientific issues. You can read the speech here, and better understand what Randy means when he says "scientists don't listen." By this Randy, explained that scientists don't understand how the media works, and don't understand how to communicate substance in the world of style. Randy further explains that scientists don't like to be self-critical of their own communication, which has led to his books and himself not being fully accepted by the scientific community.
I highly recommend that everyone listen to Randy's story below, as it is full of compelling, challenging, and humorous moments. It teaches all of us about how to better understand our own narratives, as well as how to better understand our scientific community.
Today's post I'm especially excited to share with you, as I had the privilege of interviewing best-selling author Amy Stewart. Amy is a beloved author for us botanists, writing books such as Wicked Plants, Wicked Bugs, Flower Confidential, and The Drunken Botanist. She's also written multiple fiction books as well. In the interview below, I focus specifically on The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants.
The Drunken Botanist, as Amy describes in the interview, came out of a budding interest in the history of how plants become alcohol. From tequila to vodka to rum, plants have been a fundamental part of any alcoholic drink. Amy focuses on the history of these alcoholic beverages, giving interesting and bizarre anecdotes, as well as recipes to make your own cocktails. She also gives recommendations for growing your own cocktail garden! That is something I will definitely be doing in the future. The Drunken Botanist is something I recommend not just for us plant-lovers, but also for people interested in alcohol (who isn't lol), as well as the history of trading and merchant ships. It's a fun and engaging read, with lots of surprising stories. After the initial publication, The Drunken Botanist became so popular Amy started a blog about plant cocktails. You can find the link here.
Amy's book Wicked Plants is also a best-seller. It covers some of the most poisonous and deadly plants on our planet. Amy wanted this to be different from other books that cover poisonous plants, and decided to focus on stories of these plants and who they killed/injured. Her book Wicked Bugs does the same thing but covers bugs as opposed to plants. I'd highly recommend for anyone interested in history, as this book gives a fun and dark side to botany that you may not know. Wicked Plants is full of twists and surprises. You can find your copy of Wicked Plants here.
If you're looking for The Drunken Botanist, you can get a copy here as well, from an independent bookstore.
Listen to the interview below with Amy as she discusses topics ranging from her books to cocktail gardens to unique plants. I'd also recommend checking out Amy's other books. Currently, Amy is taking a break from writing to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.
This week we're heading deep into the Colorado wildland to discuss bear populations, rangeland science, and soil. I was privileged enough to interview local writer Laura Pritchett to discuss these topics with her, specifically focusing on her book Great Colorado Bear Stories. I actually contacted Laura years ago for my undergraduate dissertation, as I had questions for her about her work in science communication. Laura has mainly published books in the fiction genre, but her book Great Colorado Bear Stories is full of wild and fascinating true stories about the bear populations in Colorado. She also recently, as requested by a local theater in Fort Collins, Colorado, wrote and produced a play called Dirt which focuses on soil science and preserving our environment. It was Dirt that originally sparked my interest in interviewing her, as the play is so unique (more about Dirt in a minute).
When I interviewed Laura (as you can hear below), it was mainly Great Colorado Bear Stories that I focused on, asking her why she had chosen bears as her subject. Laura was asked to write this book and became engrossed in the bear populations of Colorado, specifically near where she lives in Fort Collins. As she explained, there is one species of bear in Colorado, the black bear, and the science around bears has been wrongly misinterpreted. For example, Laura explains, that the myth that "a fed bear is a dead bear" is not actually true, as studies have shown that bears will revert back to their natural prey if given the option.
Laura also went on to tell me the story of how the grizzly bears were purposefully exterminated within the state of Colorado in the early 1900s, due to the myth that grizzlies are ferocious maneaters (which is also false). The extermination of grizzlies got so bad that we currently don't know if there are any in Colorado anymore or not. There have been possible sightings of grizzlies, the last one Laura mentioned was in the 1970s. The map on the right shows the distribution of grizzly bears within the northwest U.S.
These pictures below show how the extermination of grizzly bears was being perceived by the Colorado public during the early 1900s. Clearly, the lack of accurate science communication led to tragic results.
While the extermination of grizzlies was catastrophic and heartbreaking, Laura also focused on how during the same time, the national parks were being recognized and preserved as wildlands, free of human involvement. We still obviously have national parks today, and I for one am grateful for this.
The preservation of our wildlands and forests caused me to switch topics to ask Laura about her play Dirt, which focuses on soil science. In seeing the play, I was amazed at how different it was and how accurate soil science was being portrayed. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the need for nutrient-rich soil becomes more and more important as life dies all around. Laura takes this dialogue one step further by having her protagonist conjure up mental arguments with philosophers, scientists, and even the Greek goddess Persephone. The arguments given in the play are enlightening and challenging for any audience member. But the play isn't all negative, as Laura has a funny and dazzling scene of nematodes dancing across the stage. If this play is put on again, I'd highly recommend for everyone to go see it.
If you're interested in reading Laura's Great Colorado Bear Stories, you can get it here. In finishing the interview with Laura Pritchett, I felt grateful for writers like her, who took efforts to communicate the science of local nature however they could, even if their mediums seemed unorthodox. I look forward to the future work Laura will publish and hope that her work has and will continue to make an impact on how people perceive Colorado nature. Listen to the full interview below for more information about Colorado bears and Laura's play!
This week I am honored to showcase an author that inspired me to start the journey into science communication. Sheril Kirshenbaum is both a scientist, and a science communicator, and is best known for teaming up with journalist Chris Mooney to write the book Unscientific America. In this book, Sheril focuses on the U.S. public and their scientific literacy. She looks at how science and scientists are being portrayed by the media, movies, and even books.
When I met Sheril over zoom I was shocked by how young she was. I was expecting someone who had written a popular and ground-breaking book to be much older than she is, and I was impressed by this. In interviewing Sheril I was struck by how passionate she was on the topic of science communication. Currently, she's working in the food science communication industry, particularly looking at food shortages. Our interview ranged from how she communicates food shortages to the public to COVID-19's effect on science communication. When I asked Sheril what we can do as science communicators, Sheril advised education (reading and research) as well as listening to the audience you're trying to communicate with. She said that when she worked on Capitol Hill, the scientists she would talk to wouldn't listen to her point of view as they were too busy arguing their own. I couldn't help but agree with this point, and hope to use it in my own future science communication.
Sheril is about to start her Ph.D., and I hope to continue to follow her writing and her work throughout the rest of my life. Please listen to her interview below, even if you're not into science or science communication. She gives great advice about the effects the current political climate has on science, as well as how we can help our society be more scientifically advanced. You can even read her book here, if you want your own copy. Though Unscientific America is 10 years old, it's still extremely relevant today, especially in the wake of COVID-19.
This week I'm excited to highlight science writer Sam Kean, who was nice enough to grant me an interview. Sam has written many popular books, including The Disappearing Spoon, The Violinist's Thumb, Caesar's Last Breath, The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists, and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb, and others. If you read enough of Sam's books, which I have, you start to realize that he's very interested in how humans interact with different elements on the periodic table.
In this interview below, I focused specifically on one of Sam's first books, The Disappearing Spoon. This book gives an overview of the periodic table of elements in thematic clusters. It answers questions you may never have had such as: "why did Gandhi hate iodine?" Sam gives an in-depth analysis of how human history is built around the periodic table, and how humans have used these elements for the better...or worse.
From bombs to mythology to medicine, Sam covers it all. I'd recommend for anyone interested in a different telling of recent human history, or someone interested in weird science. This book will hook you from page one and is great at giving random and cool facts. You can get a copy right here for your own perusal.
Check out my interview with Sam below to find out why he is interested in chemistry, as well as prefers open-faced sandwiches.
This week I had a real treat as I was able to interview John Wright, an amateur mycologist and a science writer who is interested in the Latin names of species. Wright lives in the United Kingdom and had quite a few interesting stories to tell when we started talking. Unfortunately, his microphone wasn't working properly, and I only got 15 seconds of useable interview material. Oops! Oh well!
Wright's book Naming of the Shrew is all about the Latin names behind certain plants and animals. From weird names like Ahaha (I kid you not), Ba humbugi (again, not joking, these are the real names), Kamera lens, Ytu brutus (yep, it's real)to Ninjemys oweni (which roughly translates to Owen's Ninja Turtle), John's book is sure to keep you entertained as well as educated. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. This book helps to explain why there are such weird names out there for species, as well as the process of taxonomy.
John goes farther though and explains some of the interesting common names we have for animals and plants as well, including penis snake (yep), ice cream worm (doesn't look like ice cream for anyone who is wondering), the fried egg jellyfish, and even the chicken turtle. Common names are different from Latin names in that common names are what people commonly refer to a species, as opposed to using their Latin names to refer to them. Some plants and animals, like Aloe vera, actually have their Latin name as their common name. Cool huh?
Even after writing his book, John continues to enjoy finding interesting names. When I asked him what his favorite name was (listen to the short interview below), he said it was the Hoopoe, which is a bird native to Africa, Asia, and Europe, and notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. John explained that the Hoopoe's Latin name mimics the bird's calls, which I thought was cool.
You can find John's book here to get a copy for yourself. I'd highly recommend for an entertaining and hilarious read about some of the weirdest plants and animals on our planet.
This week I was honored to interview John Calderazzo, a nature writer and science communicator. John was a professor of English at Colorado State University, and while I did attend that school, I was never lucky enough to have him as a professor as he had retired by that point. John currently is a freelance writer, focusing on science communication and coastal living.
By complete accident, I had found John's book, Rising Fire, in a bookstore one day and both the title and the author caught my eye. In cracking it open, I was immediately hooked in the stories John tells about volcanoes all around the world, and how people survive in the shadows of these geological monuments. From Pompeii to Krakatoa, John gives an in-depth history of each volcano, and his journeys to get to the actual volcano and describe what's going on. From various near-death experiences to making friends with the locals, John uses his skills as a story-teller to communicate the science of volcanoes in a new and fascinating way. I couldn't put the book down!
John was more than excited to have me interview him, and we talked for longer than I was expecting. While the main focus of the exclusive interview below is on his book Rising Fire, we also discuss the importance of being a good story-teller and science communicator. John's stories are both entertaining and valuable and have changed the way I see volcanoes. I'd highly recommend reading John's book if you're looking for something easy, fascinating, and adventurous. You can get your own copy here.
And make sure to listen to the fun and interesting interview I had with John below!
I apologize for taking a longer break than usual, as it was the Fourth of July. However, this week I want to talk about science writing for...babies? Yep! I was privileged enough to interview physicist Chris Ferrie, who is also the author of some best-selling baby books about science, such as Astrophysics for Babies or Quantum Physics for Babies. I asked Chris about the difficulty of trying to explain hard theoretical science to someone like a baby. He responded by saying that you can't keep all the science the same, but using analogies and also simple models will help get the ideas across better.
I asked Chris why he decided to write these books originally, and he replied with explaining the desire to show his kids what type of work he does as a physicist. Besides writing Astrophysics for babies, Chris has also written a couple science parody books, such as Goodnight Lab and Scientist, Scientist, Who do you See? I remember picking up Goodnight Lab just for the obvious parody on Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon, and loving it! Though I won't give too much away, my favorite page from the book is "Goodnight Liquid Nitrogen." I ended up displaying Goodnight Lab inside my glass-windowed laboratory as an undergraduate. Passersby asked if that was an actual book, and I explained that it was. From these conversations, I had been wanting to interview Chris for a while, and hearing his story has just made me fall in love with his books all over again!
Whether you have young kids or are a curious adult like me, Chris's books are full of surprise and entertainment for all ages. You can even find videos of him reading his own books on YouTube. If you want your own copy, you can find it here! Chris is continuing to work with the Baby University series, where Astrophysics for Babies first got published and is grateful they have expanded out to Climate Change for Babies as well as other fields of science! I'd highly recommend Chris' books to any expecting parents, current parents, or anyone wanting an entertaining and nerdy read.
This week we have a really cool interview with one of my favorite authors, Deborah Blum. Deborah has been fascinated with the science of chemistry, and in particular, poisons. In interviewing Deborah, I realized that she had I have the same sense of morbid humor, as she told me that she pitched the idea for her first book, The Poisoner's Handbook, as to how she would get away with murdering her husband. New York Times best-selling book was born. The Poisoner's Handbook tells the mysterious tale of a series of poisonings in New York City in the 1920s. Follow Chief Medical Examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler as they begin to use some of the first forensic science methods to catch this elusive killer. Deborah's book is full of shocking details about the dark side of the Prohibition Era and the underbelly of the Jazz Scene in New York City. As a reader, you'll be startled to find some of the most normal regulations for alcohol and other products, rose out of this time period. I couldn't put this book down, and it's definitely on my list to reread again! You can find the book here if you're desperate enough for your own copy!
I also interviewed Deborah about her more recent book The Poison Squad. If you can't sense a theme yet, keep reading, lol. Deborah's background is in chemistry, and she wanted to follow up on The Poisoner's Handbook by discussing the rise of the FDA and the regulations of dangerous foods during the 1920s. This book tells the story of Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, the chief chemist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and his struggle to help regulate food so it would be safe enough to eat. This book is definitely a must-read and you can find it here!
You can find my interview with Deborah below. Please note that it is both humorous and surprising, and I enjoyed talking to her, and appreciate her taking the time to talk to me.
This week we're moving from the evolution of sexual behavior to theoretical physics. I was honored to interview English science writer Brian Clegg, who has won several awards for his books, as well as worked with the BBC on multiple occasions. I read Brian's book Dice World, a while ago, and was immediately intrigued by the subtitle: "Science and Life in a Random Universe." What did it mean to be in a random universe, I couldn't help but wonder. As I started to read Brian's book, I was impressed by how well Brian communicated the hard-to-understand world of theoretical physics and chaos theory.
Dice World is a book I couldn't put down, not because the story was addictive, but because it gave me answers to many questions I had about what it meant to live in a random universe. Brian puts our lives into perspective, giving applicable scenarios, from luck to statistics. I found myself asking even more questions after each chapter, curious if the universe was as random as I had thought. For the record, I have very little background in physics or mathematics, shying away from them in high school and college, as I thought they were always challenging and difficult. Thankfully, Dice World makes the math and physics easy to understand, and even enjoyable. For anyone looking for an intriguing read about the universe around them, I'd have to recommend this book. Each chapter is sure to surprise you and blow your mind a bit, making you realize how much more there is to the universe than just us. You can find Brian's book here if you want your own copy! He's also written other award-winning and popular reads such as Inflight Science, which is on my list for my next read. Brian's most recent book Are Numbers Real? also sounds extremely interesting, and will definitely be going on my to-be-read list. You can find the interview with Brian below!
This week we're talking about the weirdest and wildest book you'd ever read, all about the evolution of sex on our planet. I interviewed Dr. Olivia Judson, who studies evolution in animal behavior. I've met Olivia previously while in my undergraduate research, and we've been friends since then. Currently, Olivia is in Berlin, working on her next upcoming novel, all about the origins of the earth.
The book we're talking about today, however, is Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation. It's an interesting title that prefaces a very interesting read. Not only will you learn about the weirdest sexual rituals performed by animals of all species in all places on earth, but you'll read it in a very interesting way. And by that, I mean that Olivia wrote this book in a series of letters coming from different animals to a fictional sex expert, Dr. Tatiana, discussing their sex lives. Dr. Tatiana then goes onto explain common patterns of sexual behavior in these animals, answering dilemmas ranging from female promiscuity to raging cannibalism. This book is both fascinating and hilarious. I couldn't put it down! You'll definitely want to give this a read if you're looking for something new and fun. This book is definitely not one your grandmother would like, but it is something deliciously interesting and funny as hell!
After I read Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, I had quite a few questions for Olivia, mainly, how she even came up with this engaging but definitely unorthodox idea. You can listen to her answer and more in the funny and interesting interview below!
This week is quite special as I was honored to interview best-selling author Kathryn Harkup. Kathryn writes in a very niche genre of looking at the science behind some of the most famous literature in history. I read her book A is for Arsenic, which is all about the poisons in Agatha Christie, and then Making of the Monster, which is all about the science behind Frankenstein, before reaching out to her. As someone with a background in English and Biology, I've come to love Kathryn's take on things, showing that science and art connect seamlessly.
Her book A is for Arsenic, dives into the use of poisons within all of Agatha Christie's novels. In researching this book, Kathryn admitted to me that she had to read all 83 of Christie's works in order to find the poisons Christie used. There are approximately 14 poisons used within Agatha Christie's books, and Kathryn dives into the chemistry behind each poison, which books it is found in, as well as famous historical cases that the poison has been used in. From Arsenic all the way to Thallium, poisons have been used for centuries. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, and very much entertained. As one who loves true crime and science, this book was the perfect balance of both those things.
Kathryn's more recent book Making of the Monster is different it that it follows the life of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, and where Shelley learned her science to write Frankenstein. Kathryn gives cases of body-snatching, Victorian medicine, and the drama of Mary Shelley's life to show that Frankenstein may be more reality than myth. This biography of Mary Shelley is nothing like I've read before, and made me want to learn more about the author. I also wanted to know more about body-snatching. Apparently, in Victorian times, there was a shortage of cadavers for anatomy labs in many of the hospitals and universities around the U.K. Enter the body-snatcher, a man or woman (typically a man) who would exhume bodies from cemeteries and sell them to hospitals or universities for profit. While this was illegal, it would take a few years before body-snatching was officially abolished. If you ever have seen metal cages over coffins, this is why they are there, to keep the dead in their place. Kathryn's book explains more of the horrors and mysteries of body-snatching than I could. Have a read and find out for yourself!
Kathryn's most recent book is available for order in the States. Death by Shakespeare discusses the science behind many of the deaths within the bard's plays. I've already ordered my copy and can't wait to give it a read. You can order your copy here! I can't really say what Kathryn is working on next, you'll just have to have a listen to her interview to find out!
We have a real treat this week as I was privileged enough to interview Helen Scales, a bestselling author who focuses on marine biology. Helen currently lives in London, and I've interviewed her before for my undergraduate thesis. I reached out to her knowing she had a new book come out. My timing was just perfect as her newest book The Eye of the Shoal is going to be released in paperback this coming week! Stay tuned! You can pick it up here!
I read The Eye of the Shoal electronically, and after reading the first two chapters, realizing I needed an actual copy because I would reread it again. The book focuses on the interactions between humans and fish, as Helen describes the evolutionary history of fish, some of the biggest fish discoveries in history, and how we currently view these creatures. Between chapters, there are myth stories detailing some of the oldest documentation of fish, whether they are deities or mythical creatures. We follow Helen's own story as well, as she takes us into scenes of her own life, from discovering her love of marine life to diving into the deep waters of the ocean.
Fish are creatures that have fascinated our kind for centuries, as they seem alien and different to us. Helen gives a new perspective to see our aquatic neighbors, one of wonder and whimsy. I cannot recommend this book enough, like the stories she tells of some of the unknown and strangest creatures in the ocean you will never have heard about. Her descriptions will have you mesmerized, and you can feel as though you've traveled throughout the world in just one sitting.
Listen to Helen's interview below as I ask her more about this book, which myths she chose, her take on our current interactions with fish, and why this book really matters:
This week I'm introducing writer Thomas Morris, and his book The Mystery of the Exploding teeth. Tom started this book by writing a blog on Victorian medical reports, and the weird case studies he found. He realized that there were enough weird stories (where patients were sticking things up...places...or limbs were falling off...or they were peeing out of different orifices), that he had to compile the good ones and write a book about them.
Thus The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth was born. Tom breaks down the book into different parts to discuss different attributes of the cases he finds. I found the book both interesting and graphic, and I was so shocked on multiple occasions by what had happened to the patient or by what objects were found, that I couldn't stop reading. This book is gripping from one page to the next, and the only thing I can say is patients get really creative in swallowing objects or inserting them. But these make for good stories and some of the stories have plot twists that are both amazing and freaky. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun new read, you can pick up his book here.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom about this book a while ago. Tom used to work for the BBC and currently resides in Canada. You can find the interview below.
A few months ago I interviewed Sy Montgomery to discuss her award-winning book, The Soul of an Octopus. Sy and I have talked before when I reached out to her for my undergraduate thesis. She lives on the East Coast and has written over 60 books.
I read The Soul of an Octopus quite a while ago, but I remember being struck by how Sy had captured the personality of the octopuses she encountered in her adventures. From reading her book, I realized that other animals can be considered intelligent by their own standards, and not by the standards humans put on them. I found that each octopus had their own story to tell, and I found myself enjoying the time Sy spent with the octopuses more and more.
I interviewed Sy to ask her about story-telling within this book, and why she decided to write this book in particular. Sy has covered other animals and looks specifically at animal behaviors. She's written on endangered pink dolphins in the Amazon river basin, the Great Apes, and other animals. Sy's personal story is one of adventure and surprises, and well...I'll let her tell it. You can listen to the interview below in the YouTube video. You can find her book here if you want your own copy!
Hello Readers! Welcome to "From the Biblio-files!"
This was originally supposed to be a podcast, but I have turned it into a blogcast instead! Now you may be wondering what a blogcast actually is, and yes I did just make up that word. It's a blog with an audio file mixed in so readers can hear but also read about our work.
Here at "From the Biblio-files," I, Kenna Castleberry, your host, and interviewer, talk with famous science writers about their work, discussing the needs of story-telling within science. Some of these authors you may have never heard of, and feel free to read the books we cover in these blogs. They're great fun and I can say that each of these writers has helped me to better understand how science writing works.
You can find the audio files in video format here in the blog, which each of the videos being linked back to my Youtube channel. Feel free to comment with questions for our writers, as well as suggestions of who you want to see next!
