THE BEDTIME BOOK OF INCREDIBLE QUESTIONS

Not-so-short answers to over 70 random questions about life and the universe.

Science is all about asking questions, Thomas writes, and most of those posed here are the sort that “are still bamboozling biologists, confusing chemists, and making physicists feel perplexed.” Some may seem to be no-brainers, but the answer to, for instance, “Are cats liquid or solid?” proves to be “both,” according to strict definitions of the two terms. “Why do we get only one birthday a year?” launches a lively discussion of astronomical cycles and birthday celebrations in ancient Rome. Topics range from soap bubble dynamics and the “speed of dark” to our “squidgy and flexible” human genome, and children won’t be the only readers surprised by some of the revelations dished up: No, we don’t actually know what gives airplanes lift, why plants are green, or why we yawn…and petrichor, the fresh smell of rain, actually comes from an oil called geosmin that’s exuded by soil microbes. An invitation to ponder the very nature of reality in response to “How do I know I’m not dreaming right now?” makes clear that the author doesn’t shy away from big questions, either. Most of the human figures in Cushley’s fanciful, stylized illustrations are children, and most are brown-skinned.

Stimulating queries for bed, or any other, time.