Life at the Limits: Organisms in Extreme Environments

by David A. Wharton

Frogs that freeze solid, worms that dry out, and bacteria that survive temperatures over 100°C are all organisms that have an extreme biology, which involves many aspects of their physiology, ecology, and evolution. These organisms live in seemingly impossible places and exhibit fascinating behavior. In this captivating account, the reader is taken on a tour of extreme environments, and shown the remarkable abilities of organisms to survive a range of extreme conditions, such as high and low temperatures and desiccation. Examples

Genres: Biology, Science

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 6, 1998

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this five stars because it is just that interesting to me. However, I would not like to lead you astray and have you thinking that the writing is anything like Carl Zimmer's (imo the best science writer out there). It's not. The writing is merely adequate. The subject, however, is fascinating. Really.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. What makes this book a standout is the way the author is able to contextualize everything without information-dumping while never getting too general or too casual to be accurate. As enlightening as the book is about the stresses that life endures and how, it's equally as engaging for how it approaches the very questions of what does it mean for something to be alive, or for something to be abnormal in the environment, and whether the arrangements that permit life under "extreme" circumstances tell us anything at all about where we might find life elsewhere in the universe. Could life be based on a different kind of chemistry? How could life have arisen at all? If you're interested in circumspect and deeply-informed discussions of those issues, this book will deliver for you.