SCIENCE DETECTIVES

Slipping in a few extra entries and several doable science activities on the side, the editors of Canada’s Yes Mag present a half-dozen modern mysteries solved by forensic science. Along with the “Iceman” and the discovery of DNA, readers will get case studies in the identification of Typhoid Mary, the seemingly innocuous chemical that nearly wiped out India’s vulture population in 1999, the cause of the disastrous crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Nova Scotia and Chuck Fipke’s successful hunt for diamonds in the Northwest Territories. Briefer entries include the prehistoric “Hobbit” fossils recently found on Indonesia’s Flores Island, the mysterious rolling stones in Death Valley and more. Including enough specific detail to keep young detectives engaged, and illustrated with a mix of photos and (largely decorative) cartoon artwork, these tales of science in action nicely complement Donna Jackson’s Bone Detectives (1996) with new material. (index) (Nonfiction. 9-11)