Remember the hair-raising experiments in the school science lab, specially designed by the chemistry teacher to get you interested in science? Well now you can do them in the comfort of your own home - and impress all your friends and family with your scientific know-how! How to Fossilise Your Hamster is the latest offering from the witty and wise Mick O'Hare and his team at the New Scientist and is full of weird and wonderful experiments guaranteed to amaze, inform and delight. If you have ever wondered how you weigh your own head, make eggs go green,
measure the speed of light with a microwave or tell if a Martini has
been shaken and not stirred, then this is just the book for you. As O'
Hare tells us, experiments are what makes science tick and without
them, we are faced with little more than a set of theories. So this is
your chance to follow his instructions, get into the kitchen, bathroom,
study or garden and prove just why and how things happen. Not all the
suggested activities are true experiments but they allow everyone in
the family, from the youngest to the oldest, to try out simple things
at home that demonstrate the marvels of science in action. A few
involve potentially hazardous materials, like hot water, matches and
knives, so are not suitable for children but most do not require any
specialist equipment and are fun and easy to perform. Take the
'Shocking TV' experiment which is far more enjoyable than yet another
episode of Big Brother and will make you positively crackle with
excitement... And try washing your clothes with conkers or finding out
why mixing the right amount of cornflour with the right amount of water
gives you a liquid that solidifies on impact. The younger members of
the family will be fascinated to try extracting their own DNA and
eating asparagus to create an 'aromatic pee' while dad tests out the
theory that beer poured into a dry glass froths up more spectacularly
than in a wet glass. O'Hare makes the experiments easy to follow by
separating their suitability to different rooms of the house and those
better undertaken in the great outdoors. Each experiment is followed by an informative but easy-to-understand explanation of the facts behind the fun and ends on a high note with the extraordinarily explosive reaction when Mentos mints are mixed with a fizzy drink... How to Fossilise Your Hamster is an entertaining and knowledgeable insight into the way the world works and is sure to bring out the scientist in everyone.

To see some of the experiments in action, log onto the book's website.
As for the fossilised hamster ... well first you need to
wait about 200,000 years. In the meantime, the book bearing its name
would make the perfect Christmas gift!

(Profile, paperback, £7.99)