Not for the faint-hearted

Ever wondered how much snot you swallow in a day (a litre), or why your feet smell? Sylvia Branzei could tell you straight off. Disillusioned with the way children are being taught science, she invented Grossology-the science of really gross things. For her, nothing is too disgusting if it encourages students to learn more about chemistry and biology. She has published four books on Grossology and is teaching science her way at the Whale Gulch School in Mendocino County, California. Branzei explains to Anil Ananthaswamy why gross is so cool with kids, and how it’s stirring up science education…