“America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour. The alimentary canal is classic Mary roach terrain: the questions explored in gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in packing for mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill elvis? In gulp we meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks of? Or has the courage to ask. We go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a fecal transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal.(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)