Diving into the silly and "wasteful" science, York explores how we learn about the world through curiosity and collaboration in research. I loved hearing about the Ig Nobel Awards and how Shelia Patek defended science of shrimps :)).

As I scientist, I wanted more details and reflection with nuance about the harms of the anti-science rhetoric or not so great scientific discovery.

3/5 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for this audio arc! I do not know the technical term and will never learn
Did you know that all mammals larger than a mouse take the same amount of time to pee? 23 seconds. You can test it yourself.
Great and timely defense of “silly” science, ie government research that seems like a waste of money only if you’re Elon musk/have no imagination. Basic research is important because without doing it, we have no idea what discoveries it could lead to (like penicillin). Well written, great narrator, and super funny while still informative!
5 stars

This author’s “silly science” book is a way to explain why she (and other scientists) study things without any clear-cut goal in mind. It’s a paean to scientific curiosity: those who observe and wonder, then undertake the rigorous work of understanding why.
Without such inquisitive minds, we would not have new adhesives that emerged from studying the foot pads of gecko lizards, more efficient wind turbines from studying the fins of whales. Today’s pregnancy tests owe much to the study of African claw frogs. With humor and many such examples, the author makes a strong case for science for science’s sake. She reminds us of the Golden Fleece awards given by a senator decrying public spending on scientific research for silly-sounding topics, but makes a strong case for why such work is appropriate and necessary — even when it does not lead to commercially viable products. I found the audiobook to be informative and entertaining, with excellent narration. 4.5 stars rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HachetteAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheSalmonCannonandtheLevitatingFrog for review purposes. Publication date: 17 June 2025.

The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog
Carly Anne York
Narrator: Eileen Stevens
Hachette Audio / Basic Books


Like the web content producer of the same name, I f**kin love science, and Carly Anne York’s book injected it right into my veins. The title is captivating, and so is the rest of the book – informative yet accessible and engaging at the same time. Full of little science trivia, including how quirky experiments lead to applications that affect our daily lives. Somehow, I ended up with both the digital and audio galleys, and I loved them both!

I received an audio ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enjoyable love letter to curiosity and the value of science for science's sake. It has some fun stories about the unlikely benefits of "silly science", and I appreciated that it started with an author's note acknowledging the history of animal testing and challenging it as an ongoing practice.

The colloquial tone made this very accessible, but it didn't always work for me. Sometimes I felt like it tipped over into cutesy or condescending (and anthropomorphising animals as "guys" and "ladies" gets very dark very quickly when we're talking about duck mating). The way the author talks about challenging the idea of science as wasteful expenditure through effective science communication also felt a little naive in the current political climate. Communicating science to the general public is essential, but scrambling to defend science from bad faith political attacks because "it might be useful one day" just feels like letting those politicians set the terms of the debate.

I was also disappointed to have some talking points about "obesity" thrown in. It was a brief reference to something widely culturally accepted to be true, so I don't think it necessarily reflects the quality of the rest of the research, but it didn't inspire confidence in me.

The audiobook production was good, and I thought the narrator was excellent. She felt like a very good choice for a lighthearted pop science book like this, because her voice conveys curiosity and enthusiasm really well.