Fanfare! Science for Life published

[Brian Clegg]

I'm unusually excited that my new book Science for Life is now on sale.

It's quite different from anything that I've ever done before. The idea is to take on all those science issues we constantly get pumped at us in the media (especially from the Daily Mail and Daily Express), telling us about a new discovery in science and how it influences in our lives. It could be that red wine is good for you... or bad for you. It could be that there's a new sunscreen you just drink, or that listening to Mozart will make your baby cleverer. What I try to do in the book is both explain the difference between real science and the media representation of science, and to cover as many different topics that have an influence on our lives as I can.

It's divided into Diet, Exercise, Brain, Psychology, Health, Evironment and Fun sections, each containing a host of little articles on all these many topics. And because it's never really going to be finished, there's an accompanying blog where I'll continue to add new topics and update existing ones.

The book is now available both as a rather handsome hardback and as an ebook (all the main formats) - please do click through to its web page and find out a bit more about it (or even go mad and buy a copy). The nice thing about it is that though it should interest my usual science audience, I think it will be really appreciated by a much wider set of people who are simply confused by all the conflicting information the media pump at us.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Congratulations!

 

[Alistair Roberts]

More good news, congratulations.

 

[Carol Rose]

Congratulations!!! *tosses confetti*

 

[tabby3]

I went mad and clicked through and bought a copy. The site works great and took about sixty seconds to complete through Kobo. I even read through the section on alcohol. As a former bartender I found the idea of units a little confusing. We were taught a formula that relates alcoholic beverages to the notion of a standard drink: V x % divided by 60, which I would be happy to explain if you are interested.

 

[Brian Clegg]

I went mad and clicked through and bought a copy. The site works great and took about sixty seconds to complete through Kobo. I even read through the section on alcohol. As a former bartender I found the idea of units a little confusing. We were taught a formula that relates alcoholic beverages to the notion of a standard drink: V x % divided by 60, which I would be happy to explain if you are interested.

Thanks! I hope you find the rest interesting. I'm guessing you aren't based in the UK - a 'unit' is the standard approach here. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_of_alcohol

 

[Katie-Ellen]

But please explain anyway, tabby 3. One never knows when new information might come in handy

 

[tabby3]

But please explain anyway, tabby 3. One never knows when new information might come in handy

I guess the moral of the story is to find out what constitutes a standard drink in your locale and use that as the measure. The formula I was referring to stipulates that the volume of the beverage consumed times the alcoholic content divided by 60 will tell you how many standard drinks you've had.

So, in Ontario Canada, a bottle of beer is typically 12 oz. and is 5% alcohol by volume. Therefore 12 x 5 divide by 60 equals 1. So one Canadian beer is one standard drink.
A one ounce shot of whiskey, on the other hand, is 40% alcohol by volume (by law). Therefore 1 x 40 divide by 60 equals 2/3 of a standard drink.

Why any of this is important is because the results can be related back to body weight. Namely, a 200 pound man can have about 4 standard drinks (within 2 hours of being tested) on an empty stomach and still pass a breathalyzer test (a 200 pound woman can have slightly less). So, using the above formulae, if one weighed 200 hundred pounds one could have either 4 bottles of beer or 6 mixed drinks and still be okay. This info is good to know if you are in a bar and things aren't labeled.

In parting, may I recommend shooters which are usually 1 1/2 ounces at about 10% alcohol by volume. So, 1.5 x 10 divide by 60 equals 1/4 of a standard drink. Meaning the 200 pound male can have 16 of these and still be okay.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Good grief. So, a shooter? Is that like an alcopop? Daughter, 19, a new driver home from Uni for the w/e has just cadged lift because she wants to drink at a friend's. At home she might have a vodka shot or a vodka based alcopop like W*kd. Il Matrimonio might drink one beer or glass of wine if he's going to drive later. I barely drink at all. I fancy a cinzano or whisky and orange or a nice red then get woozy right away and lose interest. Plenty went into the cooking over Christmas, however. Madeira is very -hic- useful for all sorts.

 

[tabby3]

Good grief. So, a shooter? Is that like an alcopop? .

When I referred to shooters, I actually meant the liqueur type like these:
Layered shooters

• After Eight: equal parts Tia Maria, crème de menthe, and Baileys Irish Cream, layered to avoid mixing. Resembles an After Eight mint.
• B-52 (and related B-50 series cocktails).
• Baby Guinness: Tia Maria topped by a layer of Baileys Irish Cream poured over the back of a bar spoon to sit atop the Tia Maria.
• Bloody Brain or Brain Hemorrhage: peach schnapps, with Baileys Irish Cream poured over a bar spoon on top, with a drizzle of grenadine in the center until it starts dripping through. (see photo)
• Blow Job: quarter of a fluid ounce of coffee flavored liquor (e.g., Kahlúa) layered with half a fluid ounce of amaretto liquor. Typically the drink is mixed in a small shot glass and topped with whipped cream. An individual picks up the glass with their mouth and tilts their head back to drink it. If the cream is spilled, it may be licked off by a fellow drinker. Can also be done with Baileys, Kahlua and a few drops of strawberry liquor on top.
• Buttery Nipple: equal parts butterscotch schnapps and Irish Cream. The Irish cream is poured off the back of a bar spoon so it "floats" on top of the schnapps in a shot glass.

 

[Frances Gow]

Congrats, Brian - the book looks really interesting!

Thanks, Tabby3, for the education on shooters...

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Yak. The names. The NAMES! The B-52 is beautiful. I like After Eights. To eat, and I'd never ask for any of the other cocktails? because I am over, ahem, 21.

 

[flootzavut]

Congrats, Brian!

 

[Brian Clegg]

Thanks all!

 

[Diamond]

I just bought the Kindle version on amazon.com. It's going to take me several weeks to dig in, but I'm really looking forward to ingesting some 'brain food'. A review will be forthcoming, so let's hope it doesn't suck! Heh. Just kidding, I know it won't.

 

[Brian Clegg]

I just bought the Kindle version on amazon.com. It's going to take me several weeks to dig in, but I'm really looking forward to ingesting some 'brain food'. A review will be forthcoming, so let's hope it doesn't suck! Heh. Just kidding, I know it won't.

Thank you - hope you find it interesting!