The Man Who Had His Brain Sliced

The natural curiosity of children, their delight in a good story, is the inspiration behind Kristoffer Frøkjær’s The Man Who Had His Brain Sliced and other real-life scientific experiments. Read about the Russian scientist who wanted to sew an extra head onto another person, or the man that wanted to turn urine into gold, but discovered phosphor to fertilize plants instead.

The short chapters are well-suited to the concentration span of children who read independently, and parents reading aloud to their children will have plenty of inspiration for discussion – and become a little wiser themselves along the way. Easily accessible stories are followed by an explanation of the science underlying the experiments, explaining how vaccinations work, for example, why 99 % of all bacteria are innocuous, and why the heart keeps beating. This book is fun. Serious fun! It’s a laugh for the whole family and makes us ponder the nature of the world – wherever in the world we may be. 

About the author

Kristoffer Frøkjær (born 1973) has a Masters degree in biology and 20 years’ experience in the facilitation of popular science for various institutions, including the Danish Radio Cooperation. Throughout his career Frøkjær has interviewed hundreds of scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, and he is a regular speaker and lecturer on accessible science. Previous publications include the popular science book Hverdagens hjerner [The Everyday brain] (2007).   

Text translated by Denise Rose Hansen