Book excerpt: Lean back and settle in for cutting-edge scientific snippets from the trend-setting Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. In Short Back & Science, Dr Karl combs through some of the greatest scientific conundrums of our age, such as what is killing half the bacteria on Earth every two days and why don't mole rats get cancer? Why would anyone pay $40 million for a cup of tea, and how did a toilet seat help to end the First World War? Are bananas really slippery, radioactive and loaded with potassium? What do clouds weigh? And why are there scientists running around naked in the Antarctic? Brushing aside any hype about coconuts and antioxidants, there is no one better to trim down to the facts than Australia's most trusted scientist, Dr Karl. This is a specially formatted fixed layout ebook that retains the look and feel of the print book.