Every Living Thing: Man's Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys

by Rob Dunn, E. O. Wilson (Preface by)

Overview

Biologists and laypeople alike have repeatedly claimed victory over life. A thousand years ago we thought we knew almost everything, a hundred years ago, too. But even today, Rob Dunn argues, discoveries we can't yet imagine still await us. More is unknown than known, whether about our bodies or the bottom of the sea.

In a series of vivid portraits of scientists as interesting as the mysteries they chase, Dunn introduces the reader to breakthroughs that have changed the world and others that might still. With poetry and humor, Dunn reminds readers how tough and exhilarating it is to study the natural world, and why it matters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061430312
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/27/2010
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rob Dunn is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University and the author of several books, including Every Living Thing. A rising star in popular-science journalism, he writes for National Geographic, Natural History, Scientific American, BBC Wildlife, and Seed magazine. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with many thousands of wild species, including at least one species of mite living on his head.

Table of Contents

Preface E. O. Wilson ix

Introduction xi

Part I Beginnings

1 What We All Used to Know 3

2 Common Names 23

3 The Invisible World 40

Part II Fogging (The Tree of Life)

4 The Apostles 59

5 Finding Everything 87

6 Finding an Ant-Riding Beetle 111

Part III Roots

7 Dividing the Cell 133

8 Grafting the Tree of Life 149

9 Symbiotic Cells on the Seafloor 165

10 Origin Stories 181

Part IV Other Worlds

11 Looking Out 193

12 To Squeeze Life from a Stone 209

13 The Wrong Elephant? 224

14 What Remains 246

Endnotes? 257

Index 265

What People are Saying About This

Paul R. Ehrlich

“If you have any interest in life beyond your own, you should read this book...Between the covers of EVERY LIVING THING you’ll learn both about life’s amazing diversity and that process of their discovery. Savor this fascinating volume and then help to preserve life’s wonders.”

Editorial Reviews

His writing is concise and entertaining. So entertaining that I found myself laughing out loud and following my husband around saying, “Listen to this!” over and over again as I read.

Internet Review of Books

If you have any interest in life beyond your own, you should read this book...Between the covers of EVERY LIVING THING you’ll learn both about life’s amazing diversity and that process of their discovery. Savor this fascinating volume and then help to preserve life’s wonders.

Paul R. Ehrlich