Review: Slime by Susanne Wedlich

Slime - A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich has been translated from German by Ayça Türkoğlu and is a scientific exploration of all things slimy. Susanne Wedlich is a freelance science journalist and quickly defines slime for the reader as an extremely aqueous and viscously fluid hydrogel, which - under certain conditions - can also bear the properties of a solid.

Later on, she defines slime even further as follows:

"It's the default term for unknown but sluggish fluids or creepily soft solids. It's a thing in between and a feeling and a description of materials, but there is not one prototypical slime. Depending on origin and function, it hides behind a multitude of pseudonyms like gel, biofilm, mucilage, glycocalyx, but also in ecological communities like biological soil crusts, or in phenomena like marine snow." Page 49

Wedlich also explains that slime is a biological substance with physical properties and biological functions while also being a phenomenon - or an idea - which repels and disgusts.

I was hoping the book would consist of an even mix of science and cultural phenomenon, but it's safe to say it was almost all natural science. The author offers a few references to modern culture, with the slime in Alien and The Matrix movies instantly evocative.

"It's no surprise that their uses in nature are extremely varied, including as lubricants and adhesives, tailor-made for the species and organism. Slime is also essential, selectively permeable barrier inside the human body and elsewhere, allowing in nutrients and other desirable visitors, but stopping pathogens and pollutants in their tracks." Page 43

A large part of the book is spent offering examples of species using slimes as lubricants, adhesives, modes of transport and more, and I found myself continually putting the book down to investigate further. I could definitely do without knowing there are spiders in aeroplankton over Greenland - spiders, in the air!! - or that pearl fish live inside the anus of sea cucumbers but loved learning about marine snow. Another interesting rabbit hole involved hagfish, when the author tells us that the US Navy is trialling the use of military lab-grade hagfish slime to stop suspicious ships in their tracks without using force. Now I'd love to see that!

The relatively new discipline of 'mucomics' is research into the ability of slime to be used in the development of new technologies. Historically, slime has been used in all sorts of ways and in Germany and pre-industrial Sweden, the black slug was used as a lubricant on carts.

"When the dry axle began to squeak, a slug would be placed on the wheel hub and crushed as the carriage continued on its way." Page 55

Ewww! Elsewhere, I enjoyed the mention of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey which is a book I still think of every now and again, despite having read it way back in 2011.

I didn't know deserts and dry regions are covered in a mucilaginous surface which counters erosion and evaporation and that disturbing the soil is like ripping the protective skin layer off, with serious consequences. I learned that even the sea has a skin composed of a delicate layer of gel just a fraction of a millimetre thick.

If Wedlich has an agenda here, it's definitely the importance of the environment and the damage human beings are doing to it. She makes her case firstly by laying out the facts, like explaining that diatoms release at least 20 per cent of all the oxygen we breathe, then pointing out how vulnerable they are to changing temperatures.

The author points out that forest clearing, over-fishing, rising temperatures, acidification and pollution are wiping out species and decimating food webs all over the world. In addition to mass extinctions and the global biodiversity crisis, the author gives us a new reason to care about this, mucomics. If species are wiped out before we can study them, then not only do we lose the opportunity to potentially develop new medicines, we could also lose the opportunity to develop new technologies, based on their unique biological properties.

Much of the content focusses on marine science and I occasionally found the content dry, despite the frequent references to dripping and sticky slime. I was hoping for more about the cultural significance of slime but didn't find it here.

Slime - A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich will appeal to readers with an interest in popular science and the environment.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Sleep First by Dr. Jemma King

* Copy courtesy of Wiley *

It's been 10 months since I last read a book on sleep, so when I received an offer to review Sleep First - Sleep Smarter, Think Sharper, Feel Better by Dr. Jemma King I was quick to accept. The book was off to an excellent start and I was very pleased to see the author quoting from historian Roger Ekirch within the opening pages and the fact that he uncovered hundreds of references to 'first sleep' and second sleep' in pre-industrial era documents.

"You've probably heard the compelling story about how humans 'naturally' sleep in two distinct chunks during the night. According to this theory, before the Industrial Revolution ruined everything with electric lights and rigid schedules, people would go to sleep soon after dark, wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two of quiet activities (prayer, sex, contemplation, light chores), then drift back into a 'second sleep' until dawn. It's called biphasic sleep." Page 3

This is one of my favourite facts about sleep and it's one that isn't widely known. I wish more people knew about this natural phenomenon and that waking up at 3AM is entirely normal. Furthermore, acceptance of this ancient human biology will aid those feeling anxious about waking through the night, fearing they won't fall back to sleep and will feel tired as a consequence the following day.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled 'Choosing the Fire: Special Forces and Elite Athletes' where the author outlines her experience working with the Australian Special Forces and the experiments she conducted during the Commando selection process.

Dr King provides a useful list of self talk and the harm it does and offers helpful alternatives you can try instead. Each one begins with a belief - like "I'm not tired yet" - and then encourages the reader to 'Try this instead' and explains 'Why it works'. This is effective, however the headings are around the wrong way. This proved confusing until I noticed the editing error and it's a shame because some of the suggestions are really great but their impact may be lost with the interrupted flow.

I haven't seen this in many of the books I've read before about sleep, but Dr King includes a chapter on sleep and technology, covering the pros and cons of wearable devices that can track sleep as well as other technology aids and devices that can aid in a good night's sleep. I was very interested in smart mattresses and rocking beds and plan to look into these a little more after writing this review.

My key takeaway after reading Sleep First - Sleep Smarter, Think Sharper, Feel Better by Dr. Jemma King is a consistent wake time. The time I go to bed and read is very consistent, but my wake time used to vary widely. Before reading this book I'd already started to trial a more consistent wake up / get up time regardless of the level of activity or pain experienced the day before. The author does an excellent job of explaining the importance and benefits of doing so and here's just one reason:

"Researchers have calculated that if everyone just adopted a sleep routine covering the same 7 hours each night, population-wide mental disorder rates could drop by 23 per cent through the simple low-cost act of going to bed and waking up at consistent times." Page 91

Sleep First - Sleep Smarter, Think Sharper, Feel Better by Dr. Jemma King is recommended for anyone wanting to improve their sleep quality. If you struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep, suffer from chronic tiredness or insomnia or you're just interested in learning more about sleep and maximising your quality of sleep - sleepmaxxing, it's a thing - then there's plenty to learn here. You can even read the first chapter for free. Oh, and did I mention she's Australian?

Sleep well tonight!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Morbidly Curious by Coltan Scrivner

Coltan Scrivner, PhD is a pioneer on the subject of morbid curiosity and in Morbidly Curious - A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away, he endeavours to explain what it is. In the prologue Scrivner firstly explains what it isn't; it's not a pathological, abnormal or unhealthy curiosity. Instead, morbid curiosity is a curiosity about things that are threatening or potentially dangerous and usually falls into the following four categories:

- minds of dangerous people
- physical violence
- bodily injuries
- paranormal dangers

This might present as a fascination with true crime, watching gory medical procedures or playing violent computer games. It's also what drives that irresistible urge to look at a car accident and try to determine what happened from the carnage left behind on the road.

Scrivner is the leading expert on the science behind morbid curiosity and the creator of the Morbid Curiosity Scale. Scientists now use this scale to assess how morbidly curious a person is and where they fall with respect to these four categories. I completed the free Morbid Curiosity Test on the author's website after reading the book and scored an overall score of 4.63 out of 6.0, where the population average is 3.41. As for the four categories mentioned above, I scored highest in the 'Minds of Dangerous People' category which correlates with my interest in true crime and wanting to understand why people commit such terrible crimes.

While I wasn't surprised to learn that morbid curiosity has helped humans across history learn more about the dangers of daily life in order to avoid or survive them, I didn't expect to find that it can positively influence our psychological wellbeing as well.

The author explains how watching a horror movie can actually help someone when they're feeling anxious:

"Horror movies can provide a way for you to hack and redirect your vigilance system. They act as a lure for an anxious mind using a threat centric plot to capture and hold the viewer's attention." Chapter 10, Terrifying Therapy

Who knew watching a horror movie can provide a new and salient threat for your mind to latch on to and which in turn, can out compete other existing sources of anxiety. The author states that those who watch horror movies tend to have more - not less - empathy than the rest of the population. I know two people in particular who regularly watch horror movies and have tonnes of empathy as well as service related PTSD, and I think I better understand now what they're getting out of the experience.

Much of the content in this book is centred around horror movies, computer gaming and haunted houses of the entertainment nature as these were the perfect settings for Scrivner's scientific research. However, this did become a little dull as these aren't the areas of my own morbid curiosity. Along the way, the author sheds light on the fact there is no link between those who play first person shooter games and those who commit mass shootings in the way we've been led to believe. Computer games don't make murderers, but so many boys and men play them that it's likely that those guilty of these crimes also played them.

Ultimately, Scrivner believes:

"Morbid curiosity is an adaptive behaviour that is central to the success of our species."

Sounds to me like a solid reason to embrace our morbid curiosity. Morbidly Curious by Coltan Scrivner is narrated by the author and I'd love to know if you complete his Morbid Curiosity Test.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Darkroom by A.J. Hewitt

A.J. Hewitt is a former Police Forensic Photographer and Senior Photographic Officer with New Scotland Yard and in her book The Darkroom - Case Files of a Scotland Yard Forensic Photographer, she takes us through her career.

For almost a decade, Hewitt was required to photograph the scenes of workplace accidents, accidental deaths, suspicious deaths, suicides and homicides. She frequently photographed and documented the injuries of survivors of assault, attempted murder and domestic violence.

The author explains how she was able to establish a quick rapport with victims in shock, and the gruelling repetitive nature of the work she conducted. I didn't appreciate just how physical the role is, and Hewitt explains how she had to navigate the sometimes remote and challenging terrain, or operate in tiny spaces with her camera gear without compromising the crime scene.

I never really considered the value of aerial shots and Hewitt was required to produce aerial shots from a police helicopter prior to major events or police operations which provided vital information in the planning stages. It sounds like a great job until the author explains how cold it is hanging out of the window at an angle to get the perfect shot. A particular case in the book that stuck with me was the search for human remains at a rubbish tip that took multiple resources and days of hard labour before partial success. The difficulty in photographing the scene from above was made clear, as was the fact that forensic staff strived to provide as much information as they could to aid in the upcoming court case.

Hewitt spends much of the book citing different cases and scenarios, with the names changed of course. One of the well known incidents she attended was the Marchioness disaster in 1989, which I mentioned in my review of Unnatural Causes - The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist by Dr Richard Shepherd. Given Hewitt also took photographs during post mortem examinations I couldn't help but wonder if she and Dr Shepherd often worked alongside each other.

Always respectful of the dead, Hewitt rages against femicide and violence against women and girls.

"Male violence against women and girls is now at epidemic proportions worldwide. Women are exhausted." Chapter 6, No Monsters, Only Men

In her career, Hewitt says she only photographed one scene where a woman had killed a man, and noted that none of her colleagues mentioned doing the same, when they would have given the rarity. Later in the book, Hewitt also laments the epidemic of male suicides.

My only quibble was the number of times the author referred to being one of the only females on site, how rare it was to be the only woman on a search team and the fact that some of the uniforms didn't fit because she was a woman. I know I'm being a little harsh here, but perhaps the fact that I was a woman in the ADF means that this isn't such a big deal to me. I wish her message had been more about why women would be great in this role and encouraging more women to consider this career path instead of continuing to point out how unique she was in her field.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emma Spurgin Hussey and the content is quite graphic at times but it won't come as a surprise to those who pick up a book like this wanting to learn more about the role of a forensic photographer.

The Darkroom - Case Files of a Scotland Yard Forensic Photographer by A.J. Hewitt is recommended for readers of true crime and anyone considering a career in police forensic services.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Sensational by Ashley Ward

It's widely accepted that we have 5 senses: vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch but according to Ashley Ward, we might have as many as 53 senses. Ashley Ward is a Biologist in Sydney specialising in the field of animal behaviour and in Sensational - A New Story of Our Senses he delves into disciplines as diverse as psychology, ecology, medicine, economics and engineering to expound on the senses.

Listening to the audiobook narrated by David Morley Hale, the author addresses each of the primary 5 senses in their own sections. He also points out many other senses we already know about but may not have considered, like the sense of time, the sense of direction and the sense of balance or proprioception.

One of the most interesting facts I learned was that plants register vibrations and also make sounds. You might remember the scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Professor Sprout delivers a lesson on how to safely repot a mandrake, noting that the screams of the plant's roots can be fatal to those who hear them. Well, according to the author:

"It'd be a long stretch to say that plants scream, but when they're stressed or damaged, plants emit high ultra sonic sounds and they do this at a volume that's roughly the equivalent of our conversation, about 65 decibels." Chapter 6

Fascinating! But also isn't that just a tad creepy? Next time I'm trimming the dead ends from the leaves of my peace lily I'll be worried it's emitting sounds of distress. I wonder if they can also produce sounds of relief when watered, or perhaps when their dead ends are trimmed. Let's go with that.

I didn't know humans can distinguish over a trillion different smells and that women have a better sense of smell than men. Sensational by Ashley Ward is full of information like this and is recommended for readers with a serious interest in science, biology and anatomy.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Wonderdog by Jules Howard

I was so inspired after listening to Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton that I wanted my very next audiobook to be one about animals. This, combined with the fact I've been catching up on the remarkable videos of Stella the dog communicating with her owner over on Instagram (@hunger4words) led to my decision to embark - pun intended - on Wonderdog by Jules Howard.

While the book was enjoyable on the whole, I really should have paid more attention to the subtitle, Wonderdog - How the Science of Dogs Changed the Science of Life. Styling himself as a zoological correspondent, author and public speaker on his website, Jules Howard was definitely focussed on the science of dogs in this offering, including what we thought we knew about dogs in recent history, how science has overlooked dogs and used them to conduct unmentionable testing in the past and what we know about them now. Leaders in their individual fields of science are mentioned and their studies referenced at a level that didn't really retain my interest.

Instead I enjoyed the few moments in between, like this footnote about eye contact and contagious yawning:

"Dogs can also catch a yawn off their owners, and in doing so, they join an esteemed group of animals who exhibit contagious yawns, just humans, chimpanzees and baboons manage the feat." Chapter 12

Jules Howard does a great job narrating his own work, however this is another case where I have misinterpreted the title Wonderdog and extrapolated a book all about the wonders dogs are capable of and how this has changed science over time. Instead, Wonderdog highlights the evolution of the science surrounding the canine species which was far less interesting to this reader.

Wonderdog by Jules Howard will appeal to readers with a deep interest in dogs and science, but I think I might have been better off listening to something else. How My Dog Saved My Life - Thirty Tales of Courage and Compassion by Cate Cochran sounds interesting.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Sleep Hacks by Keith Barry

The latest audiobook in my never ending exploration of the topic of sleep is Sleep Hacks - Discover the Life-Changing Tranquility of Deep Sleep by Keith Barry. Interestingly, the author provides 21 hacks in 3 sections, advising the reader to choose 1 hack from each section in order to achieve a rejuvenating night's sleep. If for some reason you don't see any improvement in your sleep patterns, switch out one of the hacks for something else.

It seems simple enough but Barry is firm early on that this system won't help readers who aren't determined to apply the learnings and stick to the program. If you don't have the discipline, Barry essentially encourages the reader to come back another time which I respected. He's essentially advocating the success of his program based on the dedication and discipline from those who choose to apply it as intended.

My sleep has improved greatly over the years and I decided to read for interest without strictly implementing his program.

In Chapter 3 Feed Your Brain: Eat Well to Sleep Well, the author provides an interesting list of foods that have been scientifically proven to potentially aid sleep. These include: cherries, walnuts, almonds, pecans, oats, bananas, kiwi fruit, spinach, live yoghurt, turkey, salmon or other oily fish, passionfruit, dragon fruit, pumpkin seeds, cheese, prunes, whole grains and watermelon. The author then asks the reader to choose two food items to eat each day from this list. For those struggling with sleep, it couldn't hurt to try some of these foods, but I doubt they'll cure your insomnia if you don't make any of the other changes suggested in his program.

I believe it was Jade Wu who solidified the phenomenon of sleep arousal in my mind when I read Hello Sleep and I've never forgotten it. Coincidentally, my favourite part of Sleep Hacks wasn't a new concept or breakthrough, but a simple list of the types of thoughts that keep people awake (sleep arousal) as they attempt to sleep. This is from Chapter 7 Mind Wipe.

Did I lock the back door?
What if my alarm doesn't go off tomorrow?
I'm not ready for the big meeting on Friday
Why did I arrange to meet someone after work when I'd rather go home to my kids?
I think that person took what I said the wrong way
I keep buying clothes I don't need and my credit card bill is terrifying
What will I cook for dinner tomorrow?
Will my mother remember she has the kids after school?
Can I skip the gym tomorrow?
How can I quit my job?
Why is the pain in my shoulder getting worse?
The house is a tip and I don't have the energy to sort it out
I am so annoyed my boss called for a meeting at 4.30PM
Can polystyrene go in the recycling bin? I'd better check
How am I going to be able to afford a holiday this year?
I forgot to text my sister back, she's going to be annoyed

I loved these examples of self talk that go on in the minds of people in general, not just when it's time to sleep. My internal chatter sounds a lot like this, and the native Irish accent by narrator Brendan Dempsey was absolutely perfect for this section.

Sleep Hacks by Keith Barry was an enjoyable read on the topic of sleep and I have faith his program will work for those dedicated enough to apply and stick with it.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Everything is Tuberculosis - The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection by John Green is an in depth examination of tuberculosis (TB), it's causes, history, treatments and cures and why it is that so many people continue to die of the disease each and every year.

TB is an infection caused by bacteria and it's airborne, meaning anyone can catch it. According to the author, between 1/4 and 1/3 of all living humans have been infected with it but only a small percentage of those (up to 10%) will end up becoming sick with active TB. Malnutrition and a weakened immune system can trigger a dormant case of TB to become active, making it largely a disease of poverty.

The author of The Fault in Our Stars began to take a serious interest in the topic when he met a young boy with TB in Sierra Leone. Referring to Henry's case throughout the book enables him to put a face on the disease and Green sets the scene early on when he informs the reader just how many people have died from TB in the last 200 years.

"Just in the last two centuries, tuberculosis caused over a billion human deaths. One estimate, from Frank Ryan's Tuberculosis the Greatest Story Never Told, maintains that TB has killed around 1 in 7 people who've ever lived." Introduction

I remember learning this fact at some point in the last few years and it's precisely the reason I decided to read this book. Also known as consumption, and sometimes referred to as the white plague, tuberculosis is the oldest contagious disease and I wanted to know more about it.

The audiobook is narrated by the author himself and I was most interested in the history of TB and in particular the romanticisation of consumption in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At that time, it was believed TB was only acquired by people with great sensitivity and intelligence. If that wasn't bad enough, women with consumption were thought to become more beautiful, ethereal and wondrously pure. Ugh!

TB is a wasting disease and death was commonly a long and drawn out process during which sufferers became weakened and bed-bound. It's hard to believe now - until you recall the popularity of waif models and the heroin chic style from the 1990s - but this began to affect beauty standards of the time. Patients with active TB became thin and pale with wide sunken eyes and a rosy tint on their cheeks from fever and this beauty ideal became desirable and highly valued. (You can see this reflected in the art and literature of the time).

Green moves on to the science of TB and describes the various breakthroughs in medicine that led to TB eventually becoming treatable and then curable. In 2023, a million people died of TB and while Green acknowledges we can't eliminate TB completely, we can make sure nobody dies from it. So why haven't we?

The author explains that the drugs to treat TB aren't being produced and made available in the countries that need them most. Essentially, the drugs are where the disease is not and the disease is where the drugs are not.

A whole host of factors, including big pharma companies keep drug prices high; only a finite amount of aid sent to foreign countries is allocated to medicine and lack of access to basic medical facilities in poorer countries means that TB goes on to kill a million people unnecessarily each year. Learning TB is basically an expression of injustice and inequity was grim and depressing.

At the end of all this, there was no call to action, no website to donate to or petition to sign which was a lost opportunity in my opinion. Green is clearly calling for global healthcare reform, but provides little for the average reader to do with their frustration at the current situation.

For novels with consumptive characters, I can recommend:
- The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Bone China by Laura Purcell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: History Stinks!: Wee, Snot and Slime Through Time by Suzie Edge

Throughout June and July I was finally tackling The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and needed a light audiobook to listen to in my downtime. History Stinks! Wee, Snot and Slime Through Time by Suzie Edge is the second in the History Stinks! series - the first being History Stinks! Poo Through the Ages - and is recommended for readers aged 7 years and over.

Published in April 2025, doctor and historian Suzie Edge turns back time to teach young readers about the history of urine, snot, pus, earwax, vomit, blood, sweat, tears and saliva. Tapping into the fact that kids of a certain age find bodily excretions gross and funny, the author combines her medical knowledge with her love of history to educate us further on this gooey subject matter.

We learn how urine was used by doctors to diagnose patients. 2,500 years ago the physician Hippocrates tasted a patient's urine in order to diagnose their condition. Now considered the father of medicine, Hippocrates was able to utilise this technique to spot conditions like diabetes if the urine was too sweet. He also tasted a patient's earwax; if it was bitter the patient was well, but if it was sweet, the patient was sick.

The chapter on earwax was enlightening as the author tells us medieval monks used earwax to help stick gold leaf to their illuminated manuscripts and to alter the consistency of their ink. Wow!

"Amazingly, earwax can tell us a lot about a person. Archaeologists who find bodies when they are digging in the ground sometimes find them with earwax still there. You can tell what someone liked to eat, the environment that they lived in and what pollutants they were exposed to." Chapter 5, Ewww! Earwax!

Presented in an easily digestible and accessible writing style, the content features regular jokes and info that will no doubt keep kids engaged.

History Stinks! Wee, Snot and Slime Through Time is perfect to listen to in the car with kids who want to know more about gross human bodily excretions and how our knowledge about them has changed over time.

Other books by Suzie Edge include:
Vital Organs - A History of the World's Most Famous Body Parts
Mortal Monarchs - 1,000 Years of Royal Deaths

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★