Does Anything Eat Wasps? And 101 Other Questions.
New Scientist.

This compilation of questions and answers is lifted from New Scientist magazine's the last word column.

The premise is simple - readers write in with scientific queries to which other readers are invited to make a response. As a result, we are left with answers to such questions as how long can you survive on beer alone?, how long are people alive after they've had their heads chopped off? and how fat would you have to be to be bullet proof?

It is these schoolboy queries that provide the most enjoyment to the general reader, who cannot only be intrigued by the answer, but can also find great amusement in the sound, scientific response to frankly ridiculous questions.

There are also topics which aren't as comical but are certainly intriguing. These include debates on how accents have developed over time, on why birds fly in a 'V' formation, and why cats can apparently survive long drops from buildings, as long as they haven't fallen from the seventh floor.

However, for someone who may have a sound scientific knowledge, but no great passion for science in general, there are times when the responses to intriguing questions - such as Why do giraffes walk with a pacing gait?-read like an A-level biology or physics answer.

This is a great little book designed to make science popular.
Simon Cooper