365 Surprising Scientific Facts, Breakthroughs, and Discoveries (Wiley Popular Science)
The more recondite its trivia are, the more successful a book like McGrayne's will be. And although hers may not come out on top of the heap marked "most obscure," it's definitely part of the pile. How's this for obscure fact? Although you may think the planet's largest organism is the blue whale, you're wrong; it is instead a 106-acre, 6,000-ton grove of genetically identical aspens that are really all one plant. And try this: the world's oldest organism is one of those large sequoias in California, right? BUZZ! Wrong again. It's a 30-acre, 100-ton fungus in Michigan that is estimated to be 1,500 years old. OK, you knew that because you heard it onAll Things Considered, but did you hear that the substance commonly used to prevent infection and promote healing in deep wounds isnotone of modern medicine's wonder drugs--it's common table sugar? Too obscure for any normal person to know? That's the point.Jon Kartman