Science News - July 2, 2011

What makes the spray of a skunk so
annoying? It irritates the skin, one
scientist says. Or maybe humans are
evolutionarily programmed to respond
to its stink, reminiscent of rotten meat
or caves low on oxygen. Then again,
some people like the scent — so perhaps
its repulsiveness is something learned,
something associated
with bad situations.
No one really knows.

In their new book, radio science journalism veterans Palca (a member of the board of Society for Science & the Public, which

publishes Science News) and Lichtman roam the landscape of human annoyance. Like 18th century naturalists, they collect specimens of the sights, sounds and smells that drive folks crazy: nails on chalkboards, public cell phone chats,

chili peppers, insects, insults, dreams, sirens and spouses. The authors are joined by psychologists, neuroscientists, screenwriters and philosophers speculating about the root causes of irritation.

“Part of the recipe for what makes
something annoying seems to be its level
of unpredictability,” the authors write.
Lack of control also seems to play a role.

Even animals get annoyed, they note, from stickleback fish fuming over the color red to mice genetically engineered to be the angriest rodents on the planet.

This grab bag of colorful anecdotes is tied together in the end with an argument that because annoyances transcend reason, any strategy to overcome them is doomed to fail. But it’s a lot of ground to cover in less than 300 pages, and you may finish the book with more questions than answers.

If you find that annoying, at least after reading this book you may have some idea why. — Devin Po well

John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 272 p., $25.95.

The Dance of
Air & Sea

Arnold H. Taylor

An oceanographer
explores the connect-
edness of the seas,
atmosphere and weather, with impli-
cations for climate change. Oxford
Univ. Press, 2011, 288 p., $29.95.

Finding Mars

Ned Rozell

This travel yarn is set
in the rugged regions
of Earth, following per-
mafrost scientist Kenji
Yoshikawa as he traverses the frozen
Arctic. Univ. of Alaska Press, 2011,
188 p., $22.95.

How to Order To order these books or others, visit www.sciencenews.org/bookshelf. A click on a book’s title will transfer you to Amazon.com. Sales generated through these links contribute to Society for Science & the Public’s programs to build interest in and understanding of science.

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