Thermodynamics Of Pizza

Why do pizzas stay hot? Why are olives edible? How does ice carry electricity? Why is blood redder in the tropics? How much is a fingertip worth? Why do camps require health forms? What do drooping eyelids, electric eels, and curare have in common? What was the secret of the Sphinx?  In fifty-plus essays, Harold J. Morowitz, a distinguished biophysicist with a very active sense of curiosity, muses over these and other questions that arise in the course of his daily life, his scientific research, and his miscellaneous reading.  Morowitz's wit, warmth, and ability to make the most surprising connections will delight every reader.

Praise for Morowitz's earlier collections of essays:
"Morowitz is a pleasing cracker-barrel philosopher of biochemistry and biophysics. . . . [His] scientific musings both illuminate and safeguard what we are accustomed to call the mystery of life. You can't ask for more than that."ÐÐAnatole Broyard, The New York Times

"Morowitz can handle the profoundest bits of information with the lightest and best-humored of touches."ÐÐLewis Thomas

"Bite-sized essays in the biological sciences . . . a delight to read."ÐÐCarl Sagan                                          

"Morowitz is . . . one of those scientists with a passion for explaining his field to laymen.  Happily, he has the wit to elucidate the Big Questions underlying the most trivial-seeming of facts. . . . With admirable brevity (few of his . . . essays are more than four pages), Morowitz ranges wide."ÐÐNewsweek

These 52 essays by the author of Mayonnaise and the Origin of Life (LJ 11/15/85) and Cosmic Joy and Local Pain ( LJ 4/15/87) run the gamut from reflections on the bagel, olives, and pizza to a discussion of Thoreau's knowledge of the natural sciences and a comparison of the sailing voyages of Christopher Columbus and William Buckley. Avoiding the repetitive style of many essay collections with pieces that vary in length and difficulty, Morowitz, a distinguished biophysicist, comments on a broad range of subjects in contemporary and historic science. His language is not overly technical, making his pithy insights easily acessible to the general reader. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Library of Science Book Club alternate.
- Susan Klimley, Columbia Univ. Libs.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.