The Genie in the Bottle

The Genie in the Bottle makes science downright fun. Dr. Joe Schwarcz blends quirky anecdotes about everyday chemistry with engaging tales from the history of science. Get a different twist on licorice and travel to the dark side of the sun. Control stinky feet and bend spoons and minds. Learn about the latest on chocolate research, flax, ginkgo biloba, magnesium, and blueberries. Read about the ups of helium and the downs of drain cleaners. Find out why bug juice is used to colour ice cream, how spies used secret inks, and how acetone changed the course of history. It’s all there! “Dr. Joe” also solves the mystery of the exploding shrimp and, finally, he lets us in on the secret of the genie in the bottle. The author’s first book, Radar, Hula Hoops and Playful Pigs, was a 1999 best-seller in Canada. The author is a charismatic public speaker and notable crowd-pleaser. His fans call him “Dr. Joe” and he always brings humour, show-biz savvy, and magic to his work.

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is a professor of chemistry and the Director of the Office for Chemistry and Society at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He hosts a weekly phone-in radio show, is a regular on Canadian television, gives numerous public lectures, and writes columns for the Montreal Gazette. He has received many honours, including the prestigious American Chemical Society’s Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.