Sticky

I am in awe of Laurie Winkless: of her ability to take something as seemingly plain as a tire, as overlooked as the dimples on a golf ball, and produce from it a surprising, fascinating narrative, one that effortlessly reveals the astonishing science of the world around us. * Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Fuzz *An absolutely wild ride … bright and interesting. [Sticky] is a book for the 2020s … truly great popular science for anyone who wants to know more about how we interact with our world – young or old, beginner or experienced scientist. * Nature *Through a wide range of topics, including some that are likely to be less well known, Sticky offers readers an insider’s guide to the secret science of surfaces. * Science *A beautifully-written, utterly fascinating book that had me glued throughout. Like the very best science writing, Sticky helps you see the world from a different perspective. I couldn’t recommend it more. * Angela Saini, science journalist and author *If you’ve ever wondered why some glues work better than others, or been puzzled why there are so many different types of car tire, or been amazed at the ease in which a gecko can run up the wall, then this wonderful book is for you. * Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters *The excellence of [Sticky] shines through. Stickiness may not be something that we often think of as a science issue, but Winkless both shows how interesting it can be, and also how much there is still to learn in this topic that affects all our everyday lives. * Brian Clegg, PopScienceBooks *An enthusiastic exploration of how surfaces interact. * Nature *

Laurie Winkless is an Irish physicist and author. After a physics degree and a masters in space science, she joined the UK’s National Physical Laboratory as a research scientist, specialising in functional materials. Now based in New Zealand, Laurie has been communicating science to the public for 15 years.

Since leaving the lab, she has worked with scientific institutes, engineering companies, universities, and astronauts, amongst others. Her writing has featured in outlets including Forbes, Wired, and Esquire, and she appeared in The Times magazine as a leading light in STEM. Laurie’s first book was Science and the City, also published by Bloomsbury.