Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules

I loved this book, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would give some advice on how to sort through nonsense on the web, how to tell an authoritative source from a nonsensical one. Instead, the answer seems to be that Dr. Joe is an authoritative source, so we should just read his stuff.

So all in all, the combination of the blurb and the approach of the book are a little, well, hubristic? off-putting? But that only shows up in the introduction, the blurb, and the conclusion. Between the intro and conclusion, there are many short articles on chemistry-related news items and rumors, setting the record straight. And Schwarcz's voice is them is, for the most part, really very enjoyable. He gets rather snappish when Dr. Oz and the Food Babe come up, but when he's talking chemistry, he just talks chemistry, and I really enjoy it. He doesn't apologize for offending folks, though. If you're a fan of homeopathy, acupressure, or, yes, Dr. Oz, you're not gonna like his take on them. But he is consistently scientific, looking for evidence over conjecture.

The result is a set of short essays on most of the chemistry-related issues I've thought about over the last year or so. Okay, not all of them, but many of them that have come up in the news. The book is divided roughly into thirds: first, thoughts on food and nutrition, second, some basic chemistry and chemists (history), and third, medicine drugs, and various and other sundry topics. Including the Food Babe. Like most chemists I know, he resents that somehow "chemicals" have become villains in our culture, and often he asks what we would have left if we eliminated chemicals from our lives. Fair enough. He's Canadian, so he often sites their Canada Health tests for the safety of food additives, or complains about their policies, which is a fresh break from FDA-bashing for me. Some of the articles focus on practical, useful things, like what sunscreen actually does, or that we should wash cantaloupes before cutting. Others are more random, but interesting and still chemistry related. A history of the German Bayer company, or stressing the early chemistry interest of Alan Turing (back off! he's our computation guy, not a chemist!). The brevity of the pieces and the lack of any real link between successive pieces (except at the very end) makes it a little hard to read in long sessions, but as a short, informative, easy read, I recommend it.

I got a copy of the ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The so-called "junk science" is everywhere now. It's easy to see another alarming heading on a newsfeed, easy to share and yet hard to analyze, so this collection of short articles explaining common misunderstandings and misrepresentations, whether deliberate (I'll point at PETA's "chicken wing" statements here) or unintentional, is very welcome.

It's a good book for dipping into, one chapter at a time. It's also ideal for leaving in a communal area, or for chemistry teachers to inspire students and show the relevance of chemistry in the real world. (The point, as [book:Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules] shows, is that chemistry is everywhere, and rarely separated from the other sciences.)

Don't expect snappy "top ten" lists, but do expect straightforward explanations of the science behind the myth, and the flaws and fallacies. "Natural does not mean "healthy", but equally "scientific" does not mean "right", and Schwarcz debunks some of the more pervasive myths on fairly much every topic from food to health and the history of medicine. He educates us with real science, giving practical solutions (or real issues to worry about). There's enough science for geeks, but it's easily understood - or skipped - for a layman. (My eyes did glaze a little during some of the more detailed explanations.)

And it's not just scientific debunking. Quite often it's just a matter of pointing out statistical fallacies or misrepresentations, such as 65% decreases that sound wonderful... until you realize the original figure was miniscule to begin with.

He doesn't hesitate to call out fear-mongering celebrities such as Dr. Oz and The Food Babe who mangle science in an effort to garner publicity, instead filling us with facts to delight random trivia buffs. It's almost like a guided tour through a "Popular Science" wiki. He points out the hypocrisy of human thinking, where we'll studiously avoid "chemicals" in one area and then saturate ourselves in them somewhere else, and the irresponsibility of manipulating data and studies to fit an agenda, and isn't averse to admitting that sometimes we just don't have an answer... yet.

In short, it's about putting science in context, understanding the hype, and having some awareness of how statistics can be manipulated. The writing seems balanced, and is easy to read. Each segment can be read in isolation, having its own introduction and snappy finish, offering a clear conclusion where possible. Schwarcz might be considered the Bill Bryson for chemistry.

There's a good index at the end, too, so you can easily find the science to refute whatever histrionic scare might pop up next.