Bizarre Science

What happened to the dinosaurs? Scientific evidence suggests that a giant asteroid crashed into Earth 65 million years ago, killing off the dinosaurs. This doomsday rock could have changed the course of life on Earth. What are the chances of a doomsday rock striking Earth today, destroying the world as we know it? Author Margaret Poynter investigates the science of doomsday rocks and what danger they are to us.

How does a dead body become a mummy? Can you see a woman's tattoos after she has been buried for 2,500 years? Can we find out what games a young king played 3,000 years ago by searching his tomb? When scientists uncover a mummy buried in the snow or in a tomb in Egypt, it is amazing what information can be revealed. This book unlocks the secrets of mummies and explores how they were preserved and what we can learn about their ancient cultures.

When we think of bloodsuckers, we often imagine vampires like Count Dracula in scary movies, but what about the real bloodsuckers that creep, crawl, and fly all over the world? Mosquitoes love to feed on human blood. Vampire bats fly out of their caves for a late night meal. Fleas like to crawl between the hairs of dogs and cats for a bloody snack. Readers will learn all about these bloodthirsty animals in this book, and which ones might be coming for them.

What kind of insect would make its home in a pile of dung? Does a female praying mantis really eat its mate? Do house flies spit on your food? Author Margaret J. Anderson answers all of these questions in this book as she explores the weird behavior, habits, and characteristics of insects. There are millions of different kinds of insects in the world, and many of them do things so bizarre you'll have to read it to believe it.

A small fly buzzes around a plant with beautiful white flowers looking for a sweet snack of nectar. Slowly, the fly finds what it wants, and lands on the plant's bright red leaves. Suddenly, as the fly enjoys its meal, the leaf snaps shut. The fly is trapped. The fly didn't realize it had landed on a meat-eating plant. Can you believe there are plants that eat insects? Some can even trap small rodents and frogs. Author Nathan Aaseng tells your readers all about these amazing meat-eating plants, from how they trap their prey to what they like for dinner.