The Secret Life of Dust: From the Cosmos to the Kitchen Counter, the Big Consequences of Little Things - Softcover

Hannah Holmes A mesmerizing expedition around our dusty world
Some see dust as dull and useless stuff. But in the hands of author Hannah Holmes, it becomes a dazzling and mysterious force; Dust, we discover, built the planet we walk upon. And it tinkers with the weather and spices the air we breathe. Billions of tons of it rise annually into the air--the dust of deserts and forgotten kings mixing with volcanic ash, sea salt, leaf fragments, scales from butterfly wings, shreds of T-shirts, and fireplace soot. Eventually, though, all this dust must settle.
The story of restless dust begins among exploding stars, then treks through the dinosaur beds of the Gobi Desert, drills into Antarctic glaciers, filters living dusts from the wind, and probes the dark underbelly of the living-room couch. Along the way, Holmes introduces a delightful cast of characters--the scientists who study dust. Some investigate its dark side: how it killed off dinosaurs and how its industrial descendents are killing us today. Others sample the shower of Saharan dust that nourishes Caribbean jungles, or venture into the microscopic jungle of the bedroom carpet. Like The Secret Life of Dust, however, all of them unveil the mayhem and magic wrought by little things.
Hannah Holmes (Portland, ME) is a science and natural history writer for the Discovery Channel Online. Her freelance work has been widely published, appearing in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, National Geographic Traveler, and Escape. Her broadcast work has been featured on Living on Earth and the Discovery Channel Online's Science Live.

"Nothing to sneeze at."?Time

Acclaim for The Secret Life of Dust

"You will never again look disparagingly upon dust. Hannah Holmes has written my favorite kind of book??one that takes a seemingly mundane subject and trumpets its significance in our lives not only on Earth, but in the Heavens."
?? Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium and author of One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos

"A fascinating journey into the unseen flecks that underpin our world and those beyond."
?? Peter Tyson, author of The Eighth Continent

"Witty, interesting, and absolutely terrifying."
?? Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"An excellent work. Dust is small, but The Secret Life of Dust is a big, and fun, accomplishment."
?? Austin American-Statesman

"Few browsers will put science writer Hannah Holmes? latest volume down without adding it to their to-be-read list."
?? Dallas Morning News

"Worth the price on its dust jacket. Holmes? book belongs on your shelf, in a dusty nook between the works of Diane Ackerman and John McPhee."
?? Chicago Tribune

"It?s an entertaining little book. . . . After reading The Secret Life of Dust, the fluff in your vacuum cleaner will never look quite the same again."
?? New Scientist

"An unusual perspective on things we don?t notice."
?? The Sunday Times

"Hannah Holmes is a science writer to watch. Who ever thought dust could so shine?"
?? Kirkus Reviews