How a Fly Walks Upside Down [antikvár]

PREFACE Science, reflected in everything around us, comes from a Latin root that means knowledge. We are all born with inquisitive minds and can enjoy the fascination of scientific information if it is presented simply. But somehow science often makes people cower —enough to make students drop a course because they feel it is too technical. As a teacher, I have always been concerned with how scientific principles could be taught in a matter-of-fact, appealing manner. I do not mean that basic laws and principles should be compromised, but that they could be made more accessible to those who show an interest but who do not wish to delve into the more intricate aspects. Having taught science in high school for some years, I have heard students ask hundreds of questions that ranged far afield from the work at hand, like "Why does sand come in different colors?" "Why does paint peel?" "Why can't ashes burn?" "Where do seashells get their colors?" "Why do mosquito bites itch and swell?" "Why don't birds get electrocuted?" and "Is there anything that is immortal?" To determine which questions were most frequently asked, I began to collect and record the most thoughtful and serious ones that arose over the years. By making these part of the course, and setting aside time for informal discussion, I hoped to let the students see the relevancy of science to their lives. In time I was able to gather a variety of questions covering a broad range of topics. Another source of questions for class discussion emanated from the hundreds of science fair projects I sponsored. For example, I learned from a girl who is now practicing medicine which animal made the