Lost in Curiosity - by Roberta Kwok (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Researchers spend most of their time mired in the "messy middle" of science, the opposite of a Eureka moment. It is these hidden stories that science journalist Roberta Kwok uncovers in Lost in Curiosity.

The word "science" often brings to mind the image of a lone genius struck with a brilliant idea: a flash of insight, a thunderclap of clarity. But the reality is far more muddled.

Each chapter of this book follows scientists who were caught in the middle of their quests, many of them young graduate students or junior researchers who perform the day-to-day labor of science. Kwok joins them in the Arizona desert, at the edge of an abandoned uranium mine; at a wave laboratory in Oregon, wading in a pool of soggy, slightly smelly "tutus" intended to protect cities from storms; on a remote glacier in Greenland, flying over a massive crevasse that gashed the ice; and at a museum in Washington, watching the hair-raising (and also smelly) dissection of coyote carcasses.

Review Quotes

"Lost in Curiosity is a charming, compelling, and much-needed reminder that even the least glamorous work can be full of beauty, and even dead ends tell a larger story." -- Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts

"Lost in Curiosity shows that the doing of science is not a tidy affair, with clear answers following in a straight line from clear questions. Instead, there are wrong turns, misguided assumptions, broken equipment, and a great deal of thrashing around... Both colorful and beautifully written, Kwok's book tells not only this story but also authentically conveys the daily life and mind of the scientist." -- Alan Lightman, co-author of The Shape of Wonder

"Lost in Curiosity tackles my favorite part of the scientific process, when experiments go moldy and frogs refuse to be found, and malfunctioning equipment conjures moons out of thin air. Roberta Kwok is a trustworthy guide as she shares tantalizing peeks into the murk that precedes discovery and proves that our instinct to do science, and better understand our world, is what makes us human. One of the most honest books about science I've ever read, and an utter delight." -- Sabrina Imbler, author of How Far the Light Reaches

"Lost in Curiosity takes readers into the laboratory and out into the field to explore science as a work in progress. Roberta Kwok has written a lively and revelatory book, and, as science in the U.S. increasingly comes under attack, it couldn't be more timely." -- Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction

"From Borneo to Greenland to Jupiter's moons, Lost in Curiosity is an engaging, globe-spanning glimpse into the lives of everyday field scientists. Roberta Kwok expertly details the passions and chance that ignite scientific inquiry, and reveals how frustration and struggle go hand in hand with discovery." -- Jonathan C. Slaght, award-winning author of Tigers Between Empires

"It's a rare book that finds thrills, not in the triumph of discovery, but the messiness of the journey. Roberta Kwok's warm, humane portraits of scientists in the midst of unfinished work jump from jungles to deserts and span the cosmic to the microscopic. Lost in Curiosity is an enthralling glimpse of hidden worlds, delightful, bright with insight, and deeply necessary." -- Melissa L. Sevigny, author of Brave the Wild River

"Kwok deftly threads the twists and turns that define the scientific enterprise... Readers will come away feeling closer to those who have chosen science--and more than a little in awe of their tenacity." -- Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests

"Kwok takes readers into the daily lives of scientists as they deal with equipment failures, experiments that go awry, and carefully-laid plans derailed... Kwok's gorgeous writing makes her subjects feel alive on the page." -- Christie Aschwanden, New York Times bestselling author of Good to Go

"Opening Lost in Curiosity is like walking through a door into a sometimes strange but always beautiful land, full of the unexpected adventures that science offers, the puzzles, the challenges, and the bright flash of understanding when it all comes together. It's the kind of trip you won't want to miss." -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Poison Squad