Onions make us cry because cutting one up releases a specific chemical that needs (so says our body) be washed away with tears. There are some folk theories on how to avoid the tears, but nothing has been proved to work consistently and well. So there’s that, in fact it’s the shortest chapter in the book. But then there are all these other chapters arranged in 5 categories that answer so many more interesting questions in a more elaborate and user friendly way. Very user friendly, in fact, sometimes almost oversimplified, but mostly that was the case with the categories and things I already knew, so that’s a biased opinion. Anyway, I absolutely loved this book. This is exactly the right way for someone like me (interested in science, but not necessarily scientifically minded) to learn about it. There is such a wide range of questions, covering subjects from Sasquatches to pee odors and it’s all exceptionally well explained, accessible for most educational levels, and most of all…fun. You know, because learning ought to be fun. It even has entertaining asides such as science fact and science fiction, where Ingram compares popular knowledge (often sourced from literature and movies) to the facts. I wasn’t familiar with Ingram prior to reading this book, but looks like he’s made a career for himself doing just this, explaining the world the way the world should be explained. I’d definitely read more of his work. This book was a delight. And such a quick read. I went through it in one day, which arguably isn’t the best way of doing it, too much information crammed too rapidly into one brain. But then again, there is really no such thing as too much knowledge and for days afterwards I was able to randomly produce fascinating factoids for various conversation enhancements. So yeah, I absolutely loved this book. Popular science at its best. Recommended.