The science of combat

Roach is not only one of the best popular science writers around; she is unquestionably the funniest

Grunt

The Curious Science of Humans at War

Mary Roach

Pan-Macmillan

288 pages; Rs 599

The BASH squad of the US Air Force uses modified cannons to fire dead chickens at aircraft and it overlays strange noises onto the roar of USAF jet engines. These experiments have influenced aircraft design and saved many lives. BASH is the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard team, a group of engineers with a brief to reduce damage from bird-hit.  Birds avoid aircraft, which make noises that sound like bird alarm calls; dead supersonic chickens mimic the damage caused by live birds. 

Military exigencies often lead to unusual research. This book