Winning a war takes more than guns. The need to keep soldiers safe and healthy have prompted researchers to explore everything from Kevlar underwear to laundry-free uniforms and shark repellents (no luck, yet, on that front). In her new book, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, Mary Roach goes behind the scenes with the scientists trying to make life a bit better for soldiers.
Previously, Roach has applied her curiosity and sense of humor to topics ranging from sex, and digestion, to the afterlife, and human cadavers. In her military science deep dive, she uncovers some under-covered risks to soldiers - hearing loss (the most common veteran injury), diarrhea (special ops can't just drop everything and go), and urogenital injuries (on the rise among IED victims).