|
Dust is everywhere, both on planet Earth and throughout the cosmos. Usually regarded as an annoyance at cleaning time, this humble substance actually plays an important role in everything from the formation of stars to the falling of rain. A new book by noted science writer Hannah Holmes proves that the subject of dust is anything but dry.
more>> "Best Science Books for 2001" Finalist, the Aventis Prize for Science Books Featured on: Fresh Air with Terri Gross, NPR's All Things Considered, and |
| Reviews for The Secret Life of Dust
"Nothing to sneeze at . . . dust did in the dinos and suffocated that Pompeiians; today its industrial version can kill. But without it? No earth. The planet, the author writes, is melted dust." What is dust? It's more than the generic "stuff" that lightly covers our tabletops if we're not diligent cleaners, writes Hannah Holmes. In fact, dust comes from such exotic places as the stars, volcanoes, the evaporating seas, the clothing of kings, and even dead people. Sometimes benevolent, sometimes destructive, dust is a little bit of everything. Holmes puts all kinds of dust under the microscope in this short, sweet book. |
