In this episode, we’re looking for answers to the important questions in life like ‘Why do you believe in diets?’ or ‘Why are you working in a bullshit job?’ 

Biochemist and immunologist Luke O’Neill certainly doesn’t mince words in his new book Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science: A Scientist’s Guide to the Biggest Challenges Facing our Species Today. Despite its provocative title, the book covers some serious topics that range from vaccination and mental health, to racism and climate change. It makes complex science accessible with wit and pop culture references, finding answers to some of the most controversial topics human beings grapple with.

We talk to O’Neill about tackling life’s big questions and punk rock references, and discuss whether the book hits the sweet spot of balancing lightness with its sometimes heavy subject matter.

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry

You can also read Don’s review of Never Mind the B#ll*cks here.

In our next episode we’ll talk about The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime and Dreams Deferred by theoretical physicist and feminist theorist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, one of the fewer than 100 Black women to earn a PhD in physics. The book takes the reader on a journey into the world of particle physics and a cosmos is vibrant and non-traditional, while examining a field that is rife with racism, sexism and shortsightedness.

If you, dear listener, have any thoughts on Never Mind the B#ll*cks or know of a book you would like us to discuss in an upcoming book club, let us know in the comments below or tweet at us @ChemistryWorld.