The New Scientist has long boasted its ability to entice any kind of reader, from the would-be scientist to the Nobel-laureate, a fact that is all the more evident in their newly released and international bestseller, Does Anything Eat Wasps?
The book is a compilation of popular science questions written entirely by readers of the New Scientist.
“We get questions from all around the world from our readers,” explains Ivan Semeniuk, U.S. Bureau Chief for New Scientist and U of T alumnus. These questions range anywhere from poignant contemplations on our universe to the bodily science of exactly how long a person can live on beer alone.
“Instead of doing the obvious thing, which is to find some world expert…we actually throw the question back to the readers and they themselves answer the questions.”
And with a worldwide community of science know-it-alls at their fingertips, the New Scientist picks out the better answers-or the most entertaining-and publishes it in their latest issue.
“We have this column in the magazine called the ‘Last Word’,” Semeniuk says. “It’s really almost like a competition to have the last word, literally. Who can give the best explanation?”
Of course, the best explanations are not always written by your neighbourhood PhD candidate, but by the soccer mom or determined 6th grader writing in the spirit of fun and curiosity.
“We actually had one question that led to a scientific paper,” Semeniuk says.
The question dealt with Tia Maria, a coffee liqueur, and its curious reaction when introduced with 18 per cent table cream. Readers had decided the pattern of mixing was due to the alcohol and fat in the cream reacting-and were ousted by a team of mystified physicists in Spain and California.
“They did an intensive laboratory study with Tia Maria and with other pure substances and it led to a paper about exactly what the phenomenon was doing,” Semeniuk enthuses.
“We’re drawing on a really eclectic and diverse readership to do the explaining for us and some of them are fantastic,” Semeniuk says. “There’s a certain energy to the column that never seems to go away because you’re always hearing those different voices.”
With readership at over half a million, the fast pace of the ‘Last Word’ and Does Anything Eat Wasps? is translating to a growing global interest into the science of life-or of booze.
“There’s an inordinate number of questions about alcohol which reflects the British base of the magazine,” Semeniuk comments.
But one question remains: can we trust these explanations to be scientifically correct? After all, booze, not to mention that beer-only diet, is a subject of unusual fondness among university campuses. Can we really trust this motley crew of scientists and scientist-wannabes to be right?
“Yes,” Semeniuk confirms. “As much as you can trust any roomful of scientists.”
