This is Improbable Too

June 16, 2014
As this sequel from Abrahams (This Is Improbable: Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens, and Other WTF Research) nicely illustrates, some scientific endeavors are outrageously unnecessary—and outrageously entertaining to read about. The book’s unrelenting flood of hilarious headlines, however, grows excessive, particularly for a science enthusiast. Most of the silly studies are covered in one to three short pages. As a result, readers can’t glean much in the way of deeper understanding from the silliness, merely the knowledge that it silly. That said, some studies are sure to pique the reader’s interest. One scientific paper finds that some mothers can distinguish their own babies’ poop from unknown infants’, raising the question of whether this faculty might be another clue to the power of the mother/child bond. Most of the papers never rise above the level of pure novelty: witness “Expletives of Lower Working-Class Women” or the study that examines potential causes of “beer bellies in Germans.” Die-hard fans of the very witty Abrahams and his unconventional science reporting will find much to love here, but those who prefer a bit more science should look elsewhere.

June 15, 2014

Editor (cofounder, Annals of Improbable Research) and Guardian columnist Abrahams has chronicled unusual but amusing research for over two decades. From this reserve he draws material for his various publications and discovers the winners of the annual Ig Nobel Awards, of which he is the founder. Unsurprisingly, the author also accumulates a backlog of research stories too bizarre to keep to himself. Many of those accounts are found in this funny, easy-to-read sequel to his This Is Improbable (2012). As strange as some of these topics may seem, many are not so unusual (who would have thought there were a half-dozen studies on the efficacy of salt pork as a cure for nosebleeds and even more than that assessing how many Greek children have dimpled cheeks?). Similar research is grouped together along with citations for all articles and patents mentioned. An extensive bibliography gives complete retrieval information for the additional studies cited between sections. The author's stated purpose is to bring attention to research that "first makes people laugh, then makes them think," and it is clear that he is delighted by the weirdness of what he uncovers. VERDICT This book, packed with wordplay, will appeal to lovers of puns, curious anecdotes, and those who like their social and scientific research leavened with humor.--Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston

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