Science, Sense & Nonsense - Joe Schwarcz [epub]

When did "chemical" become a dirty word?

Forty or so years ago, chemistry - which had been recognized as a miracle-making boon to humanity - somehow became associated with warfare, sinister food additives, "toxins" and pollution.

It's a situation that Dr. Joe Schwarcz aims to put into perspective.

Yes, there's a downside to chemistry, he says, but this is dwarfed by its enormous benefits.

Dr. Joe's new collection of commentaries will inspire an appreciation for the science of everyday life, and equip you to spot the muddled thinking, misunderstandings and deceptions in media stories and advertising claims. Does organic food really always equal better food? Are vaccines dangerous? Will the latest health fad make you ill? Do expensive wrinkle creams do the job? What are the best ways to avoid cancer? The answers to such questions often lie in an understanding of the chemistry involved. Ask Dr. Joe.

Science, Sense and Nonsense celebrates chemistry's great achievements, lambastes its charlatans, and explores its essential connections to our well-being. And does so in authoritative, highly readable, good humoured style.



Praise for Dr. Joe Schwarcz

"Dr. Schwarcz… has a knack for translating science into a language that anyone can understand and actually enjoy."
-Toronto Sun

"There is a vivacity in pure science that somehow gets lost… Schwarcz is doing his part to bring the joie de vivre back."
-Kansas City Star



About the Author

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society, where he teaches courses on nutrition, health, and the applications of chemistry to everyday life. Among his many honours are the Royal Society of Canada's McNeil Award, and the American Chemical Society's renowned Grady-Stack Award, of which he is the only non-American recipient. Schwarcz is the host of a weekly radio show on CJAD in Montreal and CFRB in Toronto, and writes a weekly column for The Gazette (Montreal). He is the author of a number of bestselling books.