Why is duct tape the answer to fixing everything? How do geckos cling to walls? And what, exactly, keeps our car tyres rolling down the road? In Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces, physicist and science writer Laurie Winkless paints a vivid picture of the vast array of surfaces we interact with every day – and explores the mysteries we’re still unravelling about how those interactions work.
We talk to Winkless about earthquakes and geckos, and discuss why even the things we sometimes take for granted (like that little broom they use in curling) have a fascinating scientific story to tell.
If you’d like your own copy of Sticky, you can find it on Amazon.co.uk or Bookshop.org.
Next time, my colleague and Chemistry World’s US correspondent Rebecca Trager will be back with Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World by journalist and science historian Kit Chapman, author of Superheavy and former Chemistry World comment editor. The book is a mix of travelogue and historical retrospective as he delves into the scientific history and future of motor racing, both its glories and its tragedies.
If you, dear listener, have any thoughts on Sticky or know of a book you would like us to discuss in an upcoming book club, let us know in the comments below or tweet at us @ChemistryWorld.
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