“A must-read for curious minds, trivia fans, and crime drama enthusiasts.”

—Library Journal, Starred Review

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With Erika Engelhaupt as your guide, all your weirdest and wildest questions about science will be answered! Would your dog eat you if you died? (Quite possibly.) What’s the most painful insect sting in the world? (Two scientists experimented on themselves to find the answer.) From dollhouse-sized crime scenes built to analyze blood spatter to NASA’s enduring dilemma—do women need to have their periods in space?—this entertaining book explores oft-ignored but intriguing facets of biology, anatomy, space exploration, nature, and more. Featuring top-notch reporting, interviews with leading researchers, and a healthy dose of wit, Gory Details depicts the world’s most intriguing real-world applications of science in all their glory. The book brings you the best of the Gory Details blog — expanded and updated — and also lots of brand-new stories and on-the-scene reporting.

 

 

Check out Gory Details merch now available on the Square store! The book’s fabulous illustrator, Briony Morrow-Cribbs, has designed mugs, scarves and totes covered with amazing gory details from the book! And you can get a personalized, signed copy of the book.

ADVANCE PRAISE

“A must-read for curious minds, trivia fans, and crime drama enthusiasts.”

—Library Journal, Starred Review

 

“A delightful collection of stories that will turn you into either the best or worst of dinner guests.”

—Ed Yong, science journalist at The Atlantic and author of I Contain Multitudes

 

“A creepily readable journey through the world of the gross.”

—Carl Zimmer, New York Times science columnist and author of She Has Her Mother’s Laugh, A Planet of Viruses, and more

 

“Erika Engelhaupt has a wonderfully unnerving knack for finding the questions everyone ponders but doesn’t dare to ask out loud. Then, she answers them—scientifically, satisfyingly, and, often, humorously. From murderous meerkats to the secrets of earwax, Gory Details has, well, all the gory details your heart could desire. And though you might cringe or squirm as you go through them, you won’t be able to put it down.”

—Christie Wilcox, author of VenomousHow the Earth’s Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry

 

“For anyone who is morbidly curious — about anything — Erika Engelhaupt’s Gory Details has something to chew on, from dead bodies to maggots to sewer monsters. All things gory are served up in a deliciously entertaining style, providing the true poop about body parts and fluids, the secrets of sordid animal sex and the reason why clowns really are creepy. The perfect book to read over breakfast!”

—Tom Siegfried, former editor in chief of Science News, author of The Number of the Heavens, Strange Matter, and more

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