IT'S A GAS

Gases seen as our technical, physiological, and emotional life-support systems.

As light(hearted) as helium and as focused as an argon laser, Miodownik’s exploration of gases and our dependence on them takes a whiff of their behavior and finds them extraordinary. Gases compose a universe of the invisible, from the oxygen we breathe to the methane that heats our homes to the atmosphere that protects all living things on Earth. The author details how we have gone from bequeathing gases with supernatural properties and intents (the caprice of the gods) to understanding the science. In the process, we have harnessed their power to our needs, devising technologies that sustain us and our civilizations. But at a cost. “Like the sorcerer’s apprentice, we have employed these powerful spirits without properly understanding how to control them,” he writes. Offering a wealth of surprises, his fascinating survey is as entertaining as it is eye-opening. Miodownik, a materials scientist, engineer, broadcaster, and professor at University College London, never lets hard science get in the way of an engrossing narrative, but neither does he scrimp on substance. It would be hard to imagine a more comprehensive guide to gases for the lay reader, or one that made their crucial, interactive role in Earth’s history more apparent. Miodownik blends top-drawer expertise with a sprightly style that commands the reader’s attention first word to last, opening most chapters with illustrative anecdotes from his childhood. But his examination of the causes that are accelerating global warming, of the double-edged quandary some gases represent, and of what humanity must do to reverse the damage is deadly serious. He does not preach, knowing all too well the practical and political complexities involved in weaning humanity off harmful gases, or even mitigating their impact.

The periodic table was never so interesting.