It Doesn't Take a Rocket Scientist: Great Amateurs of Science

By John Malone

Did you know. . .

. . . that the woman who discovered the largest and most complete T. rex fossil on record was a high-school dropout who became one of the world's greatest fossil hunters? . . . that the great British scientist Michael Faraday was the son of a blacksmith and had very little formal education? . . . that Gregor Mendel had time to study inherited traits in garden peas because he failed the test to qualify as a high school science teacher?

This is just a small sampling of the many surprises you'll find in this enlightening survey of the mavericks, misfits, and unschooled investigators who have been responsible for some of the greatest scientific discoveries in history. It Doesn't Take a Rocket Scientist explains the achievements of each of these accomplished amateurs, describes how they approached their investigations, and discusses the impact of their discoveries. In these amazing and inspiring stories, you'll learn about:
* Grote Reber and the birth of radio astronomy
* Arthur C. Clarke's vision of communication satellites
* Joseph Priestley and the discovery of oxygen
* Felix d'Herelle's pinpointing of bacteriophages, killers of bacteria
* Thomas Jefferson and the science of archaeology


You'll also discover which fields of science still offer great opportunities for modern amateurs eager to make a name for themselves. After all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: May 2, 2008
• ISBN: 9780470356609

John Malone

Since John was a kid, his favorite movie has always been The Wizard of Oz. As he got older, he and his brother developed an affinity for the horror film genre, always looking for the next great thriller. Knowing of his love for both horror and Oz, John was introduced by his friend, Nicole Delgado, to the Dorothy Must Die series by Danielle Paige, a dark Oz thriller he found absolutely amazing. After reading through the series, and intrigued by the backstory and characters used from the original stories, John went on to read the original fourteen books in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. After noticing his increased interest in everything Oz related, Nicole, having already published a book, posed an unexpected question. If you could write a book, what would it be about? One immediate idea came to mind: John’s own dark and twisted version of the Wizard of Oz. John has always enjoyed a good storyline filled with plot twists and surprises. Following in the footsteps of some of his favorite movies (Fight Club, Inception, Oculus, and Shutter island), shows (American Horror Story, Black Mirror, Breaking Bad, and Gotham), and video games (Bioshock, The Darkness, Half-Life, and Portal), John was inspired to create a story that would also keep within his idea of a perfect horror story: something dark, twisted, and completely unexpected. And as a fan of the villains from the Batman and Spiderman comics, John knew his story needed a villain that would keep the story interesting. With the twisted story ready to be written, John and Nicole began collaboration to on their first book in a whole new dark Oz series. Out of respect for the original series, and being a huge proponent of keeping true to the originals, John created his ideal story, Oz Will Fall: The Royal Marriage. But as much as he stayed true the original, that didn’t stop him from breaking from the classics to bring is own dark aspects to the story every chance he could. After all, what fun is it to create the ultimate villain if you can’t break a few rules?