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Book Cover for: Is That a Fact?: Frauds, Quacks, and the Real Science of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz

Is That a Fact?: Frauds, Quacks, and the Real Science of Everyday Life

Joe Schwarcz

The bestselling "quackbuster" and "tireless tub-thumper against pseudoscience" fishes for the facts in a flood of misinformation (Maclean's)

"Written with a light touch and refreshing humor, this book provides a solid, authoritative starting point for anyone beginning to look at the world with a skeptical eye and a refresher for those further along that path." -- Library Journal

"The author's entertaining writing style and clear, precise explanations make the book a joy to read." -- Booklist

Eat this and live to 100. Don't, and die. Today, hyperboles dominate the media, which makes parsing science from fiction an arduous task when deciding what to eat, what chemicals to avoid, and what's best for the environment. In Is That a Fact?, bestselling author Dr. Joe Schwarcz carefully navigates through the storm of misinformation to help us separate fact from folly and shrewdness from foolishness.

Are GMOs really harmful? Or could they help developing countries? Which "miracle weight-loss foods" gained popularity through exuberant data dredging? Is BPA dangerous or just a victim of unforgiving media hype? Is organic better? Schwarcz questions the reliability and motives of "experts" in this easy-to-understand yet critical look at what's fact and what's plain nonsense.

Book Details

  • Publisher: ECW Press
  • Publish Date: May 1st, 2014
  • Pages: 288
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.50in - 0.80in - 0.85lb
  • EAN: 9781770411906
  • Categories: Chemistry - GeneralApplied SciencesQuestions & Answers

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About the Author

Schwarcz, Joe: - Dr. Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University's Office for Science & Society and the author of 13 bestselling books. Well known for his informative and entertaining lectures, Dr. Schwarcz has received numerous awards for teaching and deciphering science for the public. He is the host of the radio program The Dr. Joe Show, and has appeared hundreds of times on television. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

More books by Joe Schwarcz

Book Cover for: Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex: Science and Pseudoscience in Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
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Book Cover for: That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles: 62 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Brain Fuel: 199 Mind-Expanding Inquiries Into the Science of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: A Grain of Salt: The Science and Pseudoscience of What We Eat, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs: 67 Digestible Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Let Them Eat Flax!: 70 All-New Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Food & Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: A Feast of Science: Intriguing Morsels from the Science of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: The Genie in the Bottle: 67 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: The Fly in the Ointment: 70 Fascinating Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Science Goes Viral: Captivating Accounts of Science in Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Quack Quack: The Threat of Pseudoscience, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Dr. Joe's Science, Sense and Nonsense: 61 Nourishing, Healthy, Bunk-Free Commentaries on the Chemistry That Affects Us All, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Dr. Joe's Brain Sparks: 179 Inspiring and Enlightening Inquiries Into the Science of Everyday Life, Joe Schwarcz
Book Cover for: Dr. Joe's Health Lab: 164 Amazing Insights Into the Science of Medicine, Nutrition and Well-Being, Joe Schwarcz

Praise for this book

"Written with a light touch and refreshing humor, this book provides a solid, authoritative starting point for anyone beginning to look at the world with a skeptical eye and a refresher for those further along that path." -- Library Journal
"The author's entertaining writing style and clear, precise explanations make the book a joy to read, and his choice of subjects is so wide-ranging that there is really something for everyone here." --Booklist
"Takes its readers through the carnival of pseudoscience, the morass of half-truths, and, finally, the relatively safe road of reproducible scientific knowledge. This journey is made all the more enjoyable by Dr. Schwarcz's surgical use of words and his mastery of public writing ... [He] can always be counted on to write about the chemistry of the world in a way that is both entertaining and educational." -- Cracked Science