Peter Macinnis

A tour of the many applications of common toxins traces their origins and detection processes as well as their use in medicine, food, cleaning products, cosmetics, and war, in an account that also cites the utilization of poisons throughout history and in key literary works. By the author of Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar.

From Hemlock to Botox to the Killer Bean of Calabar

Poisons

Traces the history of sugar from its beginnings in New Guinea to the present, discussing the effect it has had on world cuisine, culture, and economics.

The Story of Sugar

Bittersweet

Curious Minds: The Discoveries of Australian Naturalists looks at the long line of naturalists who have traversed Australia in search of new plants and animals. Identifying and classifying the unfamiliar plants and animals was their biggest challenge - the early ones were frequently wrong but later naturalists were able to build on and learn from previous mistakes. In time, a new breed of homegrown naturalists emerged. This succession of curious minds would help to foster pride in a developing nation, as well an interest in the preservation of natural history. Curious Minds brings to life the stories of the naturalists and settlers who made the unfamiliar familiar and who contributed to developments in natural science. Among the names are Joseph Banks, Charles Darwin, Amalie Dietrich, Ludwig Leichhardt, Ferdinand von Mueller, Ellis Rowan, John Lewin and John and Elizabeth Gould. Beautifully illustrated with images from the collection of the National Library of Australia, the publication is a loving tribute to the courageous and inquisitive men and women who led by example.

The Discoveries of Australian Naturalists

Curious Minds

Find out where rain comes from and what geysers look like! Read about soil becoming too salty and why greenhouse gases are increasing. Did you know that fog is a cloud sitting on the ground and that ice can tell you about the environment of millions of years ago? And what is lightning anyway? Australian Backyard Earth Scientist is full of fantastic photos and fascinating information that help explain different aspects of earth science - a science that discovered how old the Earth is, what fossils tell us, how mountains were created, what causes earthquakes, what the difference between weather and climate is, and why glaciers are melting. From the beginnings of the planet through to climate change, 'Australian Backyard Earth Scientist' includes interesting and fun facts and projects help develop an understanding and appreciation - like making your own fossils, collecting cloud types, and using tree rings to find out about past weather. Young readers can discover the influences that have fashioned our earth - and are still acting to change it.

Australian Backyard Earth Scientist

A triumphantly toxic tome. As a dedicated Macinnis fan, I relish this latest display of erudition, story-telling and fun. One of his very best.' Robyn Williams, Head, ABC Science Unit Was Abraham Lincoln really as mad as a hatter? Who poisoned Phar Lap? Can wallpaper really kill? Was Jack the Ripper an arsenic eater? Painting a broad canvas, from the early Egyptians to the arsenical tube wells in Bangladesh and the Sarin gas attacks in a Tokyo subway, The Killer Bean of Calabar explores the accidental and intentional tales of poisons and their use throughout history. Historically difficult substances to trace, poisons have been used by many for their own dastardly purposes, from the Great Poisoners such as Nero and Madame de Brinvilliers to the mass gassings of World War II. But the truly great poisoners are those who make selective use of poisons to save human life, not the few who use poison to take human life. Most of the medicines we take are themselves poisons - therapeutic only by virtue of being more deadly to our viruses than to us. Poisons are all around us - from the plants in our gardens and lead in our homes, to the bacteria and toxins in our bodies. With ripping yarns and unusual views of famous people, Macinnis explains the whys and wherefores of poisons and poisoning.

Poisons and poisoners

The Killer Bean of Calabar and Other Stories

Bettina Guthridge

Pssst! It's true! This is the best book on poisons you'll ever read. Did you realise that you take poison at least once a day? There's cyanide in apple pips and harm in herbs, not to mention food preservatives, art supplies, fabric dyes and treatments once used for skin care and headlice. In this book, you read about toxic wallpaper that killed even bedbugs; find out why Bath buns were bad for bun buyers and how poison might cure cancer; and bone up on murder mysteries, including the one about glow-in-the-dark soup. Treat your friends to toxic tales and poisonous plots!

It's True! You eat poison every day (18)

In der Geschichte der Menschheit haben großartige Entdeckungen und Erfindungen immer wieder zu bemerkenswerten Sprüngen in unserem Verständnis der Funktionsweise des Universums geführt und den menschlichen Fortschritt beschleunigt. 100 große Sprünge präsentiert die bedeutendsten Durchbrüche in Wissenschaft und Technik, Medizin und den übrigen Feldern menschlichen Strebens, seit unsere Vorfahren erstmals lernten, mit Feuer umzugehen. Die Bandbreite der Themen in diesem Buch erstreckt sich von der Entwicklung der Landwirtschaft vor etwa 10.000 Jahren über die Entdeckung der Metalle die Erfindung der Schrift die Bestimmung von Form und Größe der Erde die Erfindung des Mikroskops die Entdeckung des Blutkreislaufs die Erklärung der Schwerkraft die Entdeckung der Narkose die Entwicklung des Verbrennungsmotors die Erfindung des Telefons die Entdeckung der Hormone die Erfindung des Computers die Entdeckung der ersten Planeten außerhalb des Sonnensystems bis zur modernen Genomforschung mit ihren bahnbrechenden Techniken zur Entschlüsselung und gezielten Manipulation von Genen in Lebewesen. Bei der Schilderung all dieser Entdeckungen und Erfindungen erzählt das Buch auch die Geschichten der oft erstaunlichen Männer und Frauen dahinter und macht komplexe Konzepte leicht verständlich. Mit anregenden Texten und faszinierenden Bildern veranschaulichen die 100 Kapitel jene großen Sprünge, mit denen der Mensch im Laufe seiner Geschichte fast alle bedeutsamen geistigen, wissenschaftlichen, technologischen und kulturellen Grenzen überwunden hat.

Peter Macinnis

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