Lauren Genie in the bottle

The Genie in the Bottle
By Joe Schwarcz

In The Genie in the Bottle, Joe Schwarcz presents a collection of questions from a number of fields all having to do with scientific connections. The text demonstrates a person’s broad scientific knowledge and links it to many aspects of culture. In his commentaries, Schwarcz reminds us that with every breath and movement we are experiencing chemistry. The collections of essays blend everyday chemistry with stories from the history of science. The book reveals the captivating scientific secrets gathered by Dr. Schwarcz. Infused with Schwarcz's humor and keenness for magic and science, The Genie in the Bottle celebrates some of the most amazing aspects of our world.
One of the most intriguing commentaries to me was the Dark Side of the Sun. For one thing I never knew that there were baby elephant orphanages in Kenya but it was also interesting to discover the affects that the sun has on human beings. I never knew there was no such thing as a safe tan. I always thought that if you applied sunscreen it was fine to tan. That little piece of information definitely took a toll on me since I spent most of my summer tanning on a beach. Reading about that and the bad affects of sun exposure really pushed me to apply the sun lotion. I kept thinking that I was going to end up with skin cancer, forcing me to age quicker and have a haggard look about me. My thoughts also kept drifting to other disorders that could happen to me from sun exposure. For instance I learned that sun exposure can cause eye cataracts and impair immune systems. Another fact that I found captivating was wearing dark shirts on sunny days instead of light ones. Dark shirts attract the sun’s rays sparing you from sunlight, while light shirts on the other hand can be penetrated by rays. From reading this chapter my knowledge on the affects of sunlight has been broadened and it has made me take more precaution with sun exposure.
This next chapter that I have chosen is a rather odd one. The name of the chapter is kissing toads and it is about the effects that toads have on humans. In Australia during the 1930’s the sugar cane industry was thriving. The only problem was that the grayback beetles were eating the sugar cane. To get rid of the beetles Australia imported toads from Hawaii. Then the toads started to multiple along with the beetles. Rumors started that licking toads can cause hallucinations. Teenagers tried licking toads and experienced delirium, high blood pressure, and rapid heartbeat. Scientists hypothesize that the reason for this is a defense mechanism of toads. When danger is approaching toads activate glands that create a mixture of toxins leading the attacker to find food somewhere else. This chapter caught my interest because I thought licking toads was a myth that was told from time to time.
I enjoyed Berry good News a lot because it was nice to know that berries have extra health benefits. Blueberries for instance have been proved in studies with lab rats to help with memory loss due to old age. Scientist have tested blueberries to discover that they have the highest antioxidant rate out of any other fruit which means that the berries are good at neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are linked to every aspect of aging from eye problems to memory loss. So, from this article I have now learned that when I get older and start to age more drastically I will start eating a lot of blueberries.
This next chapter the magic of Secret Inks is very interesting. It has a mix of chemistry, and magic. In this commentary Schwarcz goes back in time to the 1970’s where he talks about his creation of a wand that makes water change color. The magic was Gallic acid which reacts with iron chloride to form a dark blue compound that can be destroyed with citric acid which then brought the water back to its original colorless form. Schwarzc goes on to say that these chemicals can also be used to create secret ink. For the secret ink to work a person must first write a message in colorless Gall and then when the message arrives to its destination iron chloride can be used to let the words be seen. I found this information to be attention-grabbing and I like being able to know about it in case I ever need secret ink.
Lastly, I found Danger down the drain a particularly chilling chapter. Plumbers have come to my house before to unclog drains but I never knew about the disturbing creatures that could be causing the clogs. For instance it has been recorded in this chapter that strange creature ranging from rats to pythons has been extracted from pipes and in Singapore a python was able to sliver its way through a person’s pipes straight to the toilet. It was very interesting to learn that in different hemispheres and the equator water spirals down in different directions. In the northern hemisphere the water drains counterclockwise and in the south water drains clockwise and on the equator water spirals straight down.