Table Of Content

US_001_288640_half_title.indd 1 19/04/2017 18:39 Senior art editor Stefan Podhorodecki Senior editor Jenny Sich US Senior editor Shannon Beatty Designers Sheila Collins, Jemma Westing Editors Carron Brown, Anna Fischel US Editor Jill Hamilton Design assistant Kit Lane Assistant editor Vicky Richards Picture research Liz Moore Creative retouching Steve Crozier Jacket design Stefan Podhorodecki, Simon Mumford Jacket editor Claire Gell Jacket design development manager Sophia M Tampakopoulos Turner Producer (pre-production) Jacqueline Street Senior producer Gary Batchelor Managing editor Francesca Baines Managing art editor Philip Letsu Publisher Andrew Macintyre Art director Karen Self Associate publishing director Liz Wheeler Publishing director Jonathan Metcalf Illustrators Peter Bull, Jason Harding, Stuart Jackson-Carter, Jon @KJA, Arran Lewis, Peter Minister, Simon Mumford Contributors Laura Buller, Stella Caldwell, Derek Harvey, Susan Kennedy, Polly Goodman, Andrea Mills, Sarah Tomley, Victoria Pyke Consultants Dr. Sarah Brewer, Jack Challoner, Hilary Davidson, Clive Gifford, Derek Harvey, Jacqueline Mitton, Darren Naish, Philip Parker, John Woodward First American Edition, 2017 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Copyright © 2017 Dorling Kindersley Limited DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC 17 18 19 20 21 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001-288640-Sept/2017 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4654-6112-4 DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing SpecialMarkets, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 [email protected] Printed and bound in China A WORLD OF IDEAS SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW www.dk.com US_002_003_288640_title.indd 2 19/04/2017 18:39 US_002_003_288640_title.indd 3 07/06/2017 17:22 LOOK INSIDE! What's inside? 6 Prehistoric creatures 24 Exploded Earth 8 Eye opener 26 Fabulous fruit 10 Planet parade 28 Cool cars 12 Shark attack 30 Top cat 14 Spread the word 32 Fantastic fungi 16 Picture perfect 34 Bang goes the theory 18 A sting in the tail 36 Dazzling diamonds 20 Making waves 38 Steam power 22 On the ball 40 4 US_004_005_288640_Contents_new.indd 4 19/04/2017 12:02 Insect invasion 42 Stunning Saturn 114 Famous pharaoh 44 Birds of a feather 116 Heard the buzz? 46 Viking voyages 118 Big ideas 48 Blowing up a storm 120 Grab a bite 50 Mighty mollusks 122 Get the message 52 Earth matters 124 Rock stars 54 Moon suit 126 Time flies 56 Feel the force 128 Animal kingdom 58 Medical marvels 130 Romans rule 60 Night sky 132 Super seeds 62 Color clash 134 Don't stop the music 64 Lizard king 136 Going supersonic 66 Read all about it 138 Feeding time 68 Way of the warrior 140 Blood rush 70 Piano pieces 142 Ocean depths 72 Stealthy stinger 144 Hot rocks 74 Oil boom 146 Sky lights 76 Brain box 148 Making movies 78 Mythical beasts 150 Noble knight 80 Money talks 152 In a spin 82 Internet links 154 What's the matter? 84 Precious plants 156 Our star 86 Glorious Greeks 158 Get cracking 88 Crocodile smile 160 Funny bones 90 Down to Earth 162 Amazing amphibians 92 Muscle power 164 A way with words 94 Curious cats 166 Dress to impress 96 Glossary 168 Chocolate chunks 98 Index 172 Heavy metal 100 Acknowledgments 176 Plane crazy 102 Bright sparks 104 Whale tale 106 Think of a number 108 Busy bees 110 Food processor 112 5 US_004_005_288640_Contents_new.indd 5 19/04/2017 12:02 Space is full of mysteries, but we 1 do know some things about the starry sky above us. Puzzle over the planets and be stunned by the Sun, but don't forget to check out the world's most famous spacesuit on pages 126–127. Go for gold on pages 2 100–101 and get a glimpse of this precious metal. Pages 54–55 will let you dig up other buried treasures, but you're in for a rocky ride. Keeping your eye on the 3 ball may be crucial for many sports, but there are other forces at work on pages 128–129. This high-flying feat will show you some of the secrets of science. Roman legionaries were 4 some of the fiercest fighters in history, but they were a fashion disaster. Find out why they might have worn socks with sandals, on pages 60–61. Our vast oceans are You may not give a fig 5 6 some of the most unknown about healthy eating, but places on the planet. why not discover Dive into the darkest depths on the fun behind fruit on pages pages 72–73 and unearth the 10–11? Alternatively, you'll find toothy terrors that live there. a sweeter treat on pages 98–99. WHAT'S 1 3 ½ INSIDE? Find out things you never knew you needed to know in this exploded catalog of curiosities. From bees to blood, money to mummies, each entry offers up 131⁄ incredible facts. 2 Just turn the page to see where you'll go next. 6 US_006_007_288640_intro.indd 6 19/04/2017 12:02 From hot-air balloons It's all heating up inside 7 8 to helicopters, how did Earth. Volcanic eruptions humans learn to fly? can spew out deadly clouds, Get the plain and simple but turn to pages 74–75 to see just truth on pages 102–103. how high this smoke can reach. Put yourself in someone 9 else's shoes on pages 96–97. Your impressions of Elizabethan fashions may change at the drop of a hat. The animal kingdom 10 is full of powerful predators and eccentric eaters. Turn to pages 68–69 to find out why rabbits gobble up their own droppings. Can you stomach the 11 truth behind how your body works? Take a look at pages 112–113 to get the real picture. Some of these facts might take a while to digest. Color me surprised—even 12 the dullest brown paint can have a gory story behind it. Check out the peculiar past of pigments on pages 134–135. Follow the links to 13 1 weave through the 3 ½ wonders of the World Wide Web on pages 154–155. This graphic will show you the ins and outs of life online. Misconceptions and half 13 ½ truths abound: you can’t believe everything you hear. The final fact for every entry in this book busts a myth and tells you the total truth—however unexpected it may be. 7 US_006_007_288640_intro.indd 7 19/04/2017 12:02 EXPLODED The ground may feel firm 1 beneath your feet, but Earth’s rigid outer layer, the crust, is only a few miles EARTH thick in places. This rocky surface makes up just 1 percent of Earth’s total volume. Earth came into being about 4.6 billion years ago. This huge spinning ball of rock and metal is not as rigid as it seems. The surface of our planet is constantly changing as continents collide, mountains rise up, and oceans widen. The crust is broken into pieces 2 Wrapped around the called tectonic plates, which fit 4 center of our planet, together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. the outer core is a liquid However, unlike puzzle pieces, these plates layer of iron and nickel. These are constantly on the move—shifting swirling metals create Earth’s around and crashing into each other. magnetic field. Earth’s largest layer, the 3 mantle, is about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) thick. The tectonic plates float on the mantle, which is made of solid rock but flows very slowly due to the extreme temperature and pressure. Tectonic plates all move 5 at different rates, and the Nazca plate (the plate to the west of South America) is the fastest. Every year it moves approximately 6 in (16 cm)— about as fast as hair grows. Earthquakes and volcanoes often 6 happen along plate boundaries. One such hot spot is the East African Rift—where the African plate is slowly splitting in two. Eventually, a new ocean will fill the ever-widening gap. 8 US_008_009_288640_tectonics.indd 8 19/04/2017 12:02