A gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine
What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco’s famed Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into physics, astronomy, anatomy, and more along the way.
Is slipping on a banana peel as hazardous to your health as the cartoons imply?Answer: Yes. Banana peels ooze a gel that turns out to be extremely slippery. Your foot and body weight provide the pressure. The gel provides the humor (and resulting head trauma).
Can you die by shaking someone’s hand? Answer: Yes. That’s because, due to atomic repulsion, you’ve never actually touched another person’s hand. If you could, the results would be as disastrous as a medium-sized hydrogen bomb.
If you were Cookie Monster, just how many cookies could you actually eat in one sitting? Answer: Most stomachs can hold up to sixty cookies, or around four liters. If you eat or drink more than that, you’re approaching the point at which the cookies would break through the lesser curvature of your stomach, and then you’d better call an ambulance to Sesame Street.
Los autores nos cuéntan cómo la palmaríamos en un montón de escenarios, que van desde lo plausible (resbalar con una cáscara de plátano, comer 6 kg de galletas) a lo auténticamente improbable (lanzarnos hacia Júpiter, caer en un agujero negro) pasando por situaciones improbables pero no imposibles (ser iluminados por 10.000 espejos reflejando el sol en un estadio de fútbol, salir del submarino en el fondo de la fosa de las Marianas). En cada uno de los casos se nos describe cómo la espicharíamos con bastante detalle, dando ejemplos de casos reales parecidos (cuando los hay) y aladiendo humor siempre que se puede. Es curioso. El libro está bien y es entretenido, pero todo el rato mientras lo leía me acordaba del What if? de Randall Munroe. El libro que nos ocupa hoy está no una sino dos divisiones por debajo en cuestión de ingenio, potencia divulgadora e incluso humor. Es una versión descolorida y desgastada del otro. A pesar de que he disfrutado leyendo éste, no puedo más que recomendar, una vez más, el gigantesco trabajo de Munroe.
