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WORK TITLE: The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog
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WEBSITE: https://carlyanneyork.wixsite.com/website
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COUNTRY: United States
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PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:Elon University, B.S.; Western Kentucky University, M.S.; Old Dominion University, Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Biologist, educator, and writer. Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC, associate professor in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics, founder and advisor to SEEDS of Lenoir-Rhyne. North Carolina Zoo and TED-ED collaborator; guest on YouTube shows and podcasts; featured on the Science Channel.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
[open new]An animal behaviorist and physiologist acquainted with the animal kingdom’s wide variety of life, Dr. Carly Anne York tested the publishing waters with a pair of children’s books before diving into writing a well-received survey of “silly science” for adults. About the origins of her eventual career, York told BookPage: “If you had asked kid-Carly what she wanted to be when she grew up, I doubt ‘scientist’ would’ve been her answer—but looking back, it was clearly where I was headed. I spent the first 10 years of my life on Capitol Hill in D.C., so I was surrounded by science and animals early on thanks to the Smithsonian museums. My parents signed me up for summer camps at the National Zoo, and we went to the National Museum of Natural History so often I knew the Hall of Fossils by heart.” York related that only when she entered her master’s program did she experience a moment of thinking, in terms of settling on a profession, “Wait … I can actually do this!” After earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from Elon University, in North Carolina, she gained master’s and doctoral degrees in ecological sciences from Western Kentucky University and Old Dominion University. Becoming an associate professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University, in North Carolina, she teaches animal physiology, vertebrate zoology, and science communication in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics. She founded and advises SEEDS of Lenoir-Rhyne, a student organization promoting diversity in the sciences.
York launched her career as a writer with Horses: What Do Wild Horses like Mustangs and Ponies Get Up to All Day?, part of the picture-book series “A Day in the Life.” Beyond the history of horses’ evolution from the dog-sized, three-toed eohippus 52 million years ago to the majestic beasts known today, the book delivers vignettes of horses enjoying the breadth of a day, from a newborn foal learning to walk to mustangs fighting on the plains. York explains horses’ daily habits, communication for surviving drought and predators, fly-swatting tails, zebras’ predator-baffling stripes, and more. A Kirkus Reviews writer declared that the author’s “expert research” makes for a “fascinating, easy-to-understand primer for anyone curious about horses.”
Queens of the Jungle: Meet the Female Animals Who Rule the Animal Kingdom!, York’s second picture book, highlights the prevalence of “girl power” and “wonder women” in a variety of species’ social hierarchies and gender relations. Among orcas, wild horses, ring-tailed lemurs, spotted hyenas, bonobos, and honeybees, the ladies are in control. Mating activities come into play with the female orchid mantis and black widow spider, who more than figuratively devour their mates, while species including mole salamanders, marbled crayfish, and water fleas manage to reproduce without male input. A Kirkus Reviews writer appreciated how York “ventures into … intriguing territory” and shares “enough to leave readers agog,” as Queens of the Jungle offers “revelatory reading for audiences of every gender.”
About her pivot from youth to adult audiences, York confided to BookPage: “The horse book was pretty straightforward, but Queens of the Jungle was a doozy. Trying to explain things like sex and murder in a kid-friendly way? Not easy!” With The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog, then, “it was a huge relief to finally just let it all fly. And I really let it fly—I still can’t believe my publisher let me get away with some of the stuff I wrote. I kept waiting for my editor to tell me to tone it down, but he never did … so I didn’t. Writing this book was an absolute blast, and I think from now on, adult nonfiction is where you’ll find me.”
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog details a succession of scientific studies that may seem esoteric and of questionable relevance, but which have led to important breakthroughs in knowledge and practice. Studies of rats’ olfactory power led to the realization that they can sniff out the likes of tuberculosis, land mines, and trapped humans—and can be trained to operate portable cameras for rescue missions. At the vanguard of chemistry was a researcher who in the 1700s inhaled nitrous oxide, to realize its humorous as well as anesthetic effects. Study of a humpback whale’s fin helped improve wind turbine design, and of a heat-resistant microbe found in boiling water at Yellowstone National Park helped lead to the development of the Human Genome Project and a crucial Covid-19 test. Other unique subjects of study include a floating frog, elephant urine, and duck genitalia—corkscrews, labyrinths, and all.
A Kirkus Reviews writer declared that The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog amounts to a “witty and deftly delivered answer to the question: What’s the point?” Affirming that York’s “delightfully bizarre research” shows how “science can be as fun as it is important,” a Publishers Weekly reviewer enjoyed the “appropriately jocular tone” she adopts in discussing select subjects. The reviewer proclaimed that this “boisterous” book is “pop science at its finest.” In BookPage, Linda M. Castellitto wrote that York’s “enthusiasm is infectious, her advocacy persuasive, as she encourages more open-mindedness about the role of whimsy and creativity in science.” The Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that York delivers a “fun, fast-paced romp” and “delightful plunge into the curiosity-driven discoveries at the heart of science.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2022, review of Horses: What Do Wild Horses like Mustangs and Ponies Get Up to All Day?; March 15, 2024, review of Queens of the Jungle: Meet the Female Animals Who Rule the Animal Kingdom!; May 1, 2025, review of The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science.
Publishers Weekly, April 7, 2025, review of The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog, p. 59.
ONLINE
BookPage, https://www.bookpage.com/ (July 1, 2025), Linda M. Castellitto, review of The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog; (November 12, 2025), author interview.
Carly Anne York website, https://carlyanneyork.wixsite.com/website (November 12, 2025).
Dear Author, https://dearauthor.com/ (June 24, 2025), review of The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog.
Lenoir-Rhyne University website, https://www.lr.edu/ (November 12, 2025), author profile.
Dr. Carly Anne York is an animal behaviorist and physiologist who studies how animals interact with their environments. She teaches biology courses within the College of Natural Science and Mathematics at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Additionally, she is an active science communicator who has collaborated with TED-ED on the creation of science lessons, participated in numerous YouTube shows, podcasts and has been featured on The Science Channel. York holds her Ph.D. in Ecological Science from Old Dominion University; her M.S. in Biological Sciences from Western Kentucky University; and she holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Elon University.
York can be found on Twitter and Tik Tok @BiologyCarly
I am an animal behaviorist and physiologist who studies how animals interact with their environments. I am also an active science communicator, who has collaborated with TED-ED on the creation of science lessons, participated in YouTube shows and podcasts, and has been featured on The Science Channel. My goal is to make science accessible and exciting for people at all education levels.
Carly York
Ph.D., Ecological Sciences, Old Dominion University
M.S., Ecological Sciences, Western Kentucky University
B.S., Exercise Physiology, Elon University
Carly Anne York is an animal behaviorist and physiologist who has spent her life studying how animals interact with their environments. She teaches animal physiology and vertebrate zoology courses within the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.
York's current research is studying the sensory physiology of the African clawed frog, an invasive species found around the world. She also works with the North Carolina Zoo and has completed research projects with students on the chimpanzee troop and African elephant herd. In addition, she has a special interest in communicating science to non-scientists and teaches a science communication course for biology majors.
York is the founder and faculty advisor of the student organization SEEDS of Lenoir-Rhyne, which is focused on promoting diversity and accessibility within the life sciences. She is an active science communicator who has collaborated with TED-ED on the creation of science lessons. York has also participated in numerous YouTube shows and podcasts and has been featured on The Science Channel.
What do cape-clad termites, elephant pee and nitrous oxide have in common? That’s not a trick question: All have been central to groundbreaking scientific research that detractors nonetheless deem “silly science.” But as author, animal behaviorist and physiologist Carly Anne York convincingly and entertainingly argues in The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science, there is in fact immense value (and joy!) in approaching science with curiosity and creativity—in seeking knowledge for knowledge’s sake.
Book jacket image for The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog by Carly Anne York
You dedicated The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog to your parents, who supported you in your silly science endeavors. Please share a bit about kid-Carly: Was there any thought or indication then that you’d become the scientist—and staunch science advocate—you are today?
If you had asked kid-Carly what she wanted to be when she grew up, I doubt “scientist” would’ve been her answer—but looking back, it was clearly where I was headed. I spent the first 10 years of my life on Capitol Hill in D.C., so I was surrounded by science and animals early on thanks to the Smithsonian museums. My parents signed me up for summer camps at the National Zoo, and we went to the National Museum of Natural History so often I knew the Hall of Fossils by heart. Still, I don’t think I really knew I was going to be a scientist until I was starting my master’s program and had this moment of “Wait . . . I can actually do this!”
Your previous two books, Queens of the Jungle and A Day in the Life: Horses, were children’s books. What made you decide to write a book for adult readers? What was different (or the same) about writing for adults versus kids?
Honestly, I hadn’t really planned on writing children’s books—it kind of just happened when an editor at Neon Squid reached out. The horse book was pretty straightforward, but Queens of the Jungle was a doozy. Trying to explain things like sex and murder in a kid-friendly way? Not easy! So when it came time to write The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog, it was a huge relief to finally just let it all fly. And I really let it fly—I still can’t believe my publisher let me get away with some of the stuff I wrote. I kept waiting for my editor to tell me to tone it down, but he never did . . . so I didn’t. Writing this book was an absolute blast, and I think from now on, adult nonfiction is where you’ll find me.
“Reframing ‘silly’ as ‘essential’ in public discourse is a powerful step in reshaping how society values scientific inquiry.”
You note that, as an animal physiologist, your work falls into the category of “basic research . . . driven by curiosity and the observation of nature, not by immediate demands for application.” Certainly, the various nay-saying politicians you write about demanded justification for scientific work, for spending time and energy and money on things they didn’t view as immediately, obviously beneficial. Do you think capitalism is a driving force behind this dismissiveness? What do you see as other key societal or political factors?
Phew, this is a loaded question. First off—yes, I absolutely think capitalism plays a role in the dismissiveness toward curiosity-driven research. If it doesn’t promise a profit, a lot of people don’t see the point. But it’s not just about the money. There’s also a deeper cultural issue: a general mistrust of science and scientists. To be fair, we as scientists haven’t always done the best job of explaining what we do or why it matters. That gap leaves a lot of room for misunderstanding. Then there’s the media, which can make things worse by running with flashy headlines that oversimplify or misrepresent the science. And when new findings contradict old ones, people get frustrated. They want clear, final answers, and when science evolves—as it always does—they think we don’t know what we’re talking about. But that’s how science works. It builds, it adapts, it corrects itself as new information comes in. It’s not a flaw—it’s a feature.
Like your fellow, albeit fictional, professor Indiana Jones, you are not a fan of snakes. Understandably, then, you weren’t thrilled to learn that flying snakes exist. What other revelations did you have during your research for the book that were especially surprising, discomfiting or otherwise memorable?
Those corkscrew duck penises are pretty disconcerting. I don’t have pictures in the book, but you should do a quick Google image search and see for yourself. On the flip side, writing about the heroRATS (African giant pouched rats trained by Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development, a Belgian nonprofit organization) absolutely melted my heart. Rats get such a bad rap, but the work they do—like land mine detection and disease diagnosis—is incredible. And now they have a new program called rescueRATS, where the rats wear tiny little vests with cameras and are trained to help in search and rescue missions. The camera stays off to save battery while they’re searching, but when they find a person, the rats pull a little string on their vest to turn it on. Like—can you imagine being rescued by a rat in a tiny vest? It’s amazing.
Read our starred review of ‘The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog’ by Carly Anne York.
You are a very accomplished—and busy!—person, what with teaching and researching and writing and spreading the word about science via YouTube videos, podcasts and social media. Which elements of your work came first? How do they affect and inform one another? What did you learn about yourself as a scientist, as a writer, as an educator, as you wrote this book?
I’m a biologist and professor by training, so the teaching and research definitely came first. Honestly, I hadn’t even heard the term “science communication” until about five years ago. In January 2020, a friend convinced me to get on Twitter. Turned out to be pretty great timing—just a couple months later, we were all in lockdown, and suddenly, building an online science community felt really meaningful. From there, a bunch of science communication opportunities came my way, and I just kept saying yes. Without a doubt, diving into sci-comm has made me a better teacher. While I was writing The Salmon Cannon, I’d come in to class almost every day with some new, weird, wonderful fact to share. It made teaching even more fun and reminded me that curiosity is contagious.
Speaking of social media, you went viral in 2020 when you tweeted about your horse Violet behaving like a “drama queen” when you made her wear a coat. How is Violet doing today? (Is she wearing a coat?)
My sweet Violet is doing great! She’s 23 now, which is definitely on the geriatric side for a horse, and she’s still absolute chaos. We recently brought a new horse to the farm, and let’s just say Violet had big feelings about it. There was a lot of screaming and striking at first, but now she refuses to let him out of her sight. I did make her wear a blanket a few times this winter—it was especially wet and cold, and even though she always has access to shelter, she insists on standing out in the rain. At her age, she’s not great at knowing her limits anymore, so yes . . . mean mommy made her wear a blanket. Now that it’s warmer, her favorite game is swimming in the water troughs. She’ll wedge both front legs in and splash around like crazy. She also demands a daily shower, which she follows up with a very deliberate roll in the dirt.
“Can you imagine being rescued by a rat in a tiny vest? It’s amazing.”
You learned about and interviewed so many fascinating people for your book. Whose story sticks with you the most?
I really loved interviewing Patty Brennan, one of the world’s premiere experts in animal genitalia. I hadn’t met her before, and she actually stood me up for our first scheduled call because she was, and I quote, “elbows deep in a manatee vagina.” Honestly, best excuse ever for missing a meeting. Patty has this magnetic positivity, and I was so inspired by the way she handled getting dragged by the media [when a conservative news program spotlighted her duck genitalia study as an example of government waste]. She keeps showing up—for her scientific community and for the public—and she’s not afraid to talk openly about her work, no matter how uncomfortable it might make people. I admire that a lot. I’m also excited to keep up with Kaushik Jayaram. His bio-inspired robotics are seriously impressive, and he’s just getting started. I can’t wait to see where his research goes next.
Your work, and that of those you profile in your book, absolutely gives the lie to the notion that science is calculated or black and white. As you elaborate, “The whole point of science is to question existing paradigms and explore uncharted territories—neither of which you can do without thinking outside of the proverbial box.” In the 10 years you’ve worked as a scientist, have you seen increasing openness to the idea of science being creative and playful? Are there any books, TV shows or movies that you think get it right?
You’re absolutely right; the media hasn’t done scientists many favors. We’re either portrayed as evil geniuses or total social weirdos. I know a lot of people love The Big Bang Theory, but it drives me nuts how heavily it leans into those stereotypes. Honestly, I’m hard-pressed to think of a TV show or movie that doesn’t rely on those tired tropes. That said, I do think there’s been a growing openness to the idea that science can be creative, playful and deeply human. More scientists are stepping up to show their personalities and passions, and that’s starting to shift things—at least a little. In terms of books, Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl does a great job showing scientists as real, complex people. We need more of that.
What are some ways that readers can put into practice what they learn from your book, to help advocate for and celebrate a new perspective on the value of “silly science”?
My hope is that this book can provide readers with the tools to join the conversation about the value of curiosity-driven research. It could just be a conversation with a colleague or over a family dinner, but one of the easiest ways readers can put this into practice is by simply sharing science stories with others. Research that, as Mark Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel Prize, says, “makes people laugh, and then think” is a fantastic way to catch people’s interest. After you have their attention, you can do the real work of showing how such research often leads to unexpected breakthroughs. Readers can also advocate by supporting funding for basic research, especially studies that don’t have immediate applications but expand our understanding of the world. On a more public level, they can champion this perspective by celebrating odd discoveries on social media, engaging in science festivals or writing letters to policymakers that emphasize the broader importance of exploration without a predefined outcome. Ultimately, reframing “silly” as “essential” in public discourse is a powerful step in reshaping how society values scientific inquiry.
“I kept waiting for my editor to tell me to tone it down, but he never did . . . so I didn’t.”
What’s up next for you—is there anything else (book-related or otherwise) that you’d like to share with readers?
There’s definitely another book in the works—I just haven’t quite landed on the framework yet. I’m constantly coming across these fascinating studies in animal physiology, especially ones that end up inspiring some kind of innovation. For example, some fish species living in the Arctic have special “antifreeze” proteins that bind to ice crystals and lower the freezing point of their blood. And it turns out, those same proteins can be used in ice cream to make it smoother and keep it from getting icy when it refreezes. Who knew? It’s little discoveries like that that keep me hooked—and they will likely shape whatever I write next.
York, Carly Anne THE SALMON CANNON AND THE LEVITATING FROG Basic Books (NonFiction None) $30.00 6, 17 ISBN: 9781541605213
How so-called silly science leads to advances for humankind.
If artists are expected to experiment with paintbrushes, and musicians with instruments, scientists too must have "space for play and creativity," according to this fun, fast-paced romp through the weird and curious minds that dared to ask why. The author is an animal behaviorist whose keen understanding of creatures enlightens tales of how the path to a scientific breakthrough is often not linear. From rats that sniff out tuberculosis and land mines, to a small frog that appeared comfortable floating in midair and made a big splash for physics, to the scientists who studied how elephants pee, it all matters, somehow. "He didn't just study nitrous oxide: He inhaled it," the author writes of a chemistry maverick of the late 1700s who noticed the laugh-inducing and pain-dulling effect of the gas. Thoroughly researched yet highly readable, this book has more twists and turns than a duck's penis--and vagina, it turns out--as the author describes how knowledge of duck genitalia changed our understanding of evolution and sexual selection. Tales include one about a microbiologist who spotted an algae that thrived in the boiling waters of Yellowstone National Park, which eventually led to the creation of a ubiquitous PCR test used in the Covid-19 pandemic. The "salmon cannon" in the title refers to the vacuum device, akin to a bank-teller tube, that propels salmon over dams as they make their way upstream to spawn. In an era of cutting costs for basic research in favor of applied research, and amid long-standing questions of why taxpayers should fund research that seems outlandish, this whole book is a witty and deftly delivered answer to the question: What's the point?
A delightful plunge into the curiosity-driven discoveries at the heart of science.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
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"York, Carly Anne: THE SALMON CANNON AND THE LEVITATING FROG." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837325578/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6f68e7e9. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science Carly Anne York. Basic, $30 (288p)
ISBN 978-1-5416-0521-3
*| Pursuing knowledge for its own sake often paves the way for unexpected practical applications, according to this boisterous study. York (Queens of the Jungle), a biology professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University, discusses how scientists studying algae native to Yellowstone's boiling springs discovered the organisms possess an enzyme whose ability to withstand high temperatures made the laboratory DNA replication process more efficient and enabled the Human Genome Project. Elsewhere, she describes how biologist Frank Fish sawed off the 10-foot fin of a beached humpback whale to examine the evolutionary advantages of its tubercules. His finding that the bumps increase lift while decreasing drag inspired the design of more effective wind turbines. Each subject is stranger than the last, including rats capable of sniffing out tuberculosis, a frog made to levitate in a magnetic chamber, and pneumatic tubes that transport salmon across dams. This delightfully bizarre research proves that science can be as fun as it is important, and York brings an appropriately jocular tone to the proceedings. ("Patty Brennan didn't set out to become one of the world's premiere experts in animal genitalia," York writes, discussing how the ornithologist discovered that female ducks have labyrinthine vaginas that stymie fertilization from unwanted partners.) This is pop science at its finest. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group. (June)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 14, 7 Apr. 2025, p. 59. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A835360909/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=74cd1f6c. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
York, Carly Anne QUEENS OF THE JUNGLE Neon Squid/Macmillan (Children's None) $19.99 5, 7 ISBN: 9781684493746
A biologist presents a gallery of her favorite females, "the wonder women of the animal kingdom."
"It's all about girl power," York writes--referring to elephant families, but really applying the notion to dozens of animals as she highlights a wide array of female-led group dynamics, reproductive practices, and parental behaviors. For many creatures that hang out in family or social groups, from wild horses, ring-tailed lemurs, and spotted hyenas to orcas, bonobos, and honeybees, females are in charge. Also, for the much tinier male orchid mantis and black widow spider, there's often "no second date," as the author puts it. She ventures into more intriguing territory by introducing multiple species that change genders as they go. She also describes female Amazon mollies and mole salamanders (which clone themselves, but only in the presence of sperm they don't actually use) as well as water fleas, marbled crayfish, and New Mexico whiptail lizards, which produce offspring without having to bother with males at all. If that's not enough to leave readers agog, she offers several examples of extreme maternal sacrifice such as that of the desert spider, which liquifies her own insides to feed her young. Humans don't make the cut, but Clinthorne-Wong slips occasional mildly anthropomorphic expressions or nurturing postures into her vibrantly hued close-up portraits of wild mothers and children.
Revelatory reading for audiences of every gender. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
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"York, Carly Anne: QUEENS OF THE JUNGLE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786185842/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ec758da0. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
York, Carly Anne HORSES Neon Squid/Macmillan (Children's None) $16.99 9, 6 ISBN: 978-1-68449-250-3
The history and habits of equines.
Horses, as we know them today, first appeared as a genus called Eohippus 52 million years ago, the size of a dog and sporting three toes in addition to hooves. A two-page spread displays how this little creature evolved into the majestic horses we know; great care goes into showing not only how the ancestors of horses looked, but also their leg bone structure within picture balloons. This latest in the series blends expert research with beautiful illustrations, allowing readers to absorb a vast amount of information in just 48 pages. Biology professor York explains not only how horses, zebras, donkeys, and other members of the family spend their days, but how they communicate and survive against drought, predators, and even each other. Like others in the series, this one offers a "day in the life" of various animals, presenting a different vignette for each hour of the day: a foal being born and walking within hours in the English countryside, a fight between mustangs on the Nevada plains. Explanations of the purposes of horsetails (nature's fly swatters) and stripes on a zebra (to confuse predators) are just a few of the factoids found here, written in easy-to-understand prose. Prabhat's illustrations effectively create a sense of place and action and differentiate the wide range of species. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fascinating, easy-to-understand primer for anyone curious about horses. (glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 6-8)
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"York, Carly Anne: HORSES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A709933220/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a00c0ad8. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
July 2025
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog
By Carly Anne York
Review by Linda M. Castellitto
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog playfully and pointedly advocates for increased understanding of “silly science”—and the ways curiosity-driven discoveries have immeasurably improved our lives.
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In author and biology professor Carly Anne York’s world, it’s supercool to be curious. And in her adult debut, The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science, she employs her animal-physiologist credentials and gift for storytelling to make a compelling case for greater appreciation (and continued funding) of “basic research.”
As York, who’s also written two nonfiction books for kids (Queens of the Jungle: Meet the Female Animals Who Rule the Animal Kingdom! and A Day in the Life: Horses), explains: “This branch of science is driven by curiosity and the observation of nature, not by immediate demands for application.” While such open-ended research and experimentation initially might not have specific goals in mind, “new, profound knowledge” has indeed been gleaned from work in this field time and time again.
For example, when Einstein developed his theory of relativity, “it wasn’t until almost a hundred years later that his theory became useful in everyday life via GPS.” More recently, scientist Kaushik Jayaram’s research into cockroaches’ resilience served as inspiration for robots used in search and rescue missions (e.g., collapsed buildings, narrow tunnels) and maintenance of Rolls-Royce aircraft engines (no need to remove them for inspection when robots can just burrow in).
Other fascinating stories detail a study of massage’s impact on rats’ growth markers, which led to treatments for premature human babies plus “a dramatic reduction in national health care costs”; an investigation into various animals’ urination speeds that yielded information pertinent to engineers who work with water tanks and fire hoses; and how Felicia the ferret became the hero of a $250 million Department of Energy project.
York’s enthusiasm is infectious, her advocacy persuasive, as she encourages more open-mindedness about the role of whimsy and creativity in science. The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog playfully and pointedly encourages increased recognition and understanding of the work scientists do—and the ways in which their curiosity-driven discoveries have immeasurably improved our lives. “It’s not just about idle musing,” she reminds readers, “it’s about piecing together the colossal jigsaw puzzle that is the universe, one tiny piece at a time.”
June 24, 2025
REVIEW: The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science by Carly Anne York
JayneB+ Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Readsdiscovery / non-fiction / science / technology2 Comments
Recommended Read
A brilliant new voice in science writing—”witty, whip-smart, truly one of our best” (Mary Roach)—shows why playfulness and curiosity are the key to science
Why would anyone research how elephants pee? Or study worms who tie themselves into a communal knot? Or quantify the squishability of a cockroach? It all sounds pointless, silly, or even disgusting.
Maybe it is. But in The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog, Carly Anne York shows how unappreciated, overlooked, and simply curiosity-driven science has led to breakthroughs big and small. Got wind power? You might have humpback whales to thank. Know anything about particle physics? Turns out there is a ferret close to the heart of it all. And if you want to keep salmon around, be thankful for that cannon! The research itself can seem bizarre. But it drives our economy. And what’s more, this stuff is simply cool.
York invites readers to appreciate the often unpredictable journey of scientific exploration, highlighting that the heart of science lies in the relentless pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Emphasizing the hard work of the people behind the discoveries, this is an accessible, story-driven book that shows how important and exciting it is to simply let curiosity run wild.
Review
They hold our future in their curious hands.
First let me say I love seeing the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book urging that the ethical considerations of using animals in research, despite the gains for humanity, shouldn’t be ignored.
What made the author want to write the book is an encounter she had years ago with John Q Public who (merely wanting to see how hard earned taxes were being used) asked her why she was doing the specific research that she was. After flustering around, she realized she didn’t have a good answer then and with this book, she now has one.
Science is not tidy. It’s not neat, and it’s not linear, despite what we learned in school. At times, it begins with an odd observation, sparking a trail of curiosity that leads deep into uncharted territories.
I wanted to read it because it sounded neat and due to a TV series I watched years ago which was hosted by a British science historian, James Burke, called “Connections.” In them, he took a scientific idea through multiple discoveries during which scientists, researchers, and others built on previous discoveries to end with the wonderful final thing. In this book York gives examples of how “silly science” has sparked (sometimes through a series of steps) amazing things with practical applications.
York has a great way of writing with easy to understand explanations. In some of the given cases, scientists purely followed their “what the heck, why not” interests while in others, there was a goal but on the way to it, something else popped up. In almost all of them, collaborations were done or another scientist heard about This Thing and realized they could build on that for This Other Thing.
What gets covered? Well how about how the study of the honeybee waggle dancing improved web hosting services. Then there was the study of screwworm sex lives that has led to its eradication along with other plant pests and livestock pests, all without the use of pesticides. Premature infant massage techniques which were developed from those being given to rat babies can reduce the cost of caring for these human babies by about $10,000 per child adding up to roughly $4.7 billion healthcare costs saved per year. Worm blob studies might help increase recycling of medical face masks. Tweaking a glowing jellyfish has allowed the spread of cancer cells to be tracked and neural circuits in the brain to be visualized. It also earned these scientists the Nobel prize in chemistry.
Observation might be the spark, but curiosity is the gasoline that sustains the fire of scientific discovery.
A scientist being hosed by his baby son during a diaper change led to studies of urine fluid mechanics which in turn led to The Law of Urination that can be used to detect health problems earlier and lead to tech to control incontinence. Did research on Gila monster venom eventually lead to Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro? Why yes it did. A scientist’s unplanned trip to Yellowstone National Park and what he found eventually led to all those home Covid tests, among other very important things. Learn how a ferret saved a $250 million dollar project. Then read about Prozac for clams.
After discovering their amazing sense of smell, African rats are now being used to detect tuberculosis as well as clear minefields (don’t worry, the rats aren’t large enough to set off the mines). Want to adopt one? – see below. John Oliver’s YT video humorously shows the low-tech device now being used not only to get salmon over dams but also detect and divert invasive fish species. Most of us shudder when faced with cockroaches but one scientist (after getting over his own ick feelings about them) has turned their abilities to squeeze into small spaces into a device which can be used in natural disasters to find people trapped in collapsed buildings.
Not all of these efforts have led to practical outcomes just yet. Some are fascinating to read about though such as one Florida researcher studying sexual selection in (tiny) jumping spiders. Fake eyelashes and Sephora’s Urban Decay eyeliner have gone into this. She’s also got free downloadable coloring pages to boost spider appreciation.
“Silly science” and scientists’ enthusiasm to follow where it might lead have done amazing things for us. Who knows what the next major thing will be and from what study it will come from. B+
~Jayne