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

By Hannah Holmes

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Aug 18, 2009
• ISBN: 9780470589144

Reviews for The Secret Life of Dust

[devil_llama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who would have thought a book about dust could keep me up all night reading? Then, of course, you have to get up early to make sure you get the dust out from under the bed, because the author reminds you all the things that can be in dust.

[quantum_flapdoodle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who would have thought a book about dust could keep me up all night reading? Then, of course, you have to get up early to make sure you get the dust out from under the bed, because the author reminds you all the things that can be in dust.

[mullinator52 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It covers everything from the big bang and planet formation to pollution and diseases carried in the air. I found it tedious to read at times and fascinating at others. Although there is a bibliography, there is no index (which I consider essential in non-fiction.)

[fmuller-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

it covers everything from the big bang and planet formation to pollution and diseases floating in our air. It found it tedious to read at times and fascinating at others. Although there is an extensive bibliography, there is no index (which I consider essential in a non-fiction book.)

[carlym_35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Holmes defines "dust" as pretty much any particle 63 microns or smaller, so that includes what we normally think of as dust--dirt particles--but also various chemicals, fungal spores, bacteria, pollen, etc. She describes theories on how space dust accumulated to form stars and planets, how scientists use dust profiles to learn about meteors and other objects in space, how dust is created, how dust travels the earth, the effects of dust on the climate, and the effects of dust on health. Although Holmes frequently discusses the dust-making effects of human activity and the harmful results of that activity, this is not an environmental advocacy book. She also emphasizes that many dusts that are harmful to humans are part of the natural environment, and she explains that the effects of various dusts on the climate are complicated and not fully understood--some particles contribute to global warming, but others produce noticable cooling effects. Holmes is, on the whole, an excellent writer. I got bogged down a little in the middle of the book (a dust overload) and stopped reading this for a while but then finished the second half in one sitting. The book is full of interesting (and sometimes troubling) facts about dust, and it highlights the complexities of the natural world.