Know It All

Some of the craziest questions & answers from the magazine’s “Last Word” column, on subjects like Earth, space, meteorology, evolution, health, and more.

New Scientist magazine’s beloved “Last Word” column is a rare forum for “un-Google-able” queries: Readers write in, and readers respond! Know It All collects 132 of the column’s very best Q&As. The often-wacky questions cover physics, chemistry, zoology and beyond: When will Mount Everest cease to be the tallest mountain on the planet? If a thermometer was in space, what would it read? Why do some oranges have seeds, and some not? Many people suffer some kind of back pain. Is it because humans haven’t yet perfected the art of walking upright? And the unpredictable answers showcase the brainpower of New Scientist’s readers, like the anatomist who chimes in about back pain (“Evolution is not in the business of perfecting anything.”) and the vet who responds, “Quadrupeds can get backache too!”

A Guardian Top 10 Science and Technology book

Praise for Know It All

“An entertaining and intellectually stimulating read.” —Shelf Awareness

“The experts at New Scientist magazine have published a book that answers some of the oddest but most entertaining questions they’ve been asked.” —Daily Mail (UK)

“Explain[s] some of life’s great mysteries.” —Reveal (UK)

“Answers the questions you’ve probably wondered all your life.” —Wales Online (UK)

“Great answers to common dinner party questions.” —Good Housekeeping (UK)