Microbes create medicines, filter waste water, and clean pollution. They give cheese funky flavors, wines complex aromas, and bread a nutty crumb. Life at the Edge of Sight is a stunning visual exploration of the inhabitants of an invisible world, from the pioneering findings of a seventeenth-century visionary to magnificent close-ups of the inner workings and cooperative communities of Earth’s most prolific organisms.Using cutting-edge imaging technologies, Scott Chimiles...

The marvelous microbes that made life on Earth possible and support our very existenceFor almost four billion years, microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves. The stewards of Earth, these organisms transformed the chemistry of our planet to make it habitable for plants, animals, and us. Life's Engines takes readers deep into the microscopic world to explore how these marvelous creatures made life on Earth possible—and how human life today would...

A hands-on and fun-filled resource for teaching science to middle and high school studentsNew in the 5-Minute Fundamentals Series, The Science Teacher's Activity-A-Day, Grades 6-12, includes 180 easy, five-minute hook or sponge activities to capture learners' attention and introduce lessons. Divided into three units, Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science; the activities cover topics based on the National Science Education Standards.All t...

The remarkable scientific story of how Earth became an oxygenated planetThe air we breathe is twenty-one percent oxygen, an amount higher than on any other known world. While we may take our air for granted, Earth was not always an oxygenated planet. How did it come to be this way? Donald Canfield covers this vast history, emphasizing its relationship to the evolution of life and the evolving chemistry of Earth. He guides readers through the various lines of scient...

In this groundbreaking book, Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan present an answer to one of the enduring mysteries of evolution -- the source of inherited variation that gives rise to new species. Random genetic mutation, long believed to be the main source of variation, is only a marginal factor. As the authors demonstrate in this book, the more important source of speciation, by far, is the acquisition of new genomes by symbiotic merger. The result of thirty years of delving into a vast, mos...

You may be asking "why does a primary teacher like me need to know anything about science? Is there any chance of my enjoying this book if I am not a scientific nerd?" Fair questions. Here are the answers. Our general aim in writing this textbook material was to provide some basic knowledge about how science works. After all, we live in a very science-oriented and techno world, and it would be nice, surely, to understand a bit about how it all works. We are also wanting...

"Delightful alchemy: Curt Stager transforms atomic science into lustrous, golden stories about the hidden connections that unite us all." —David George Haskell, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Forest UnseenWhat do atoms have to do with your life? In Your Atomic Self, scientist Curt Stager reveals how they connect you to some of the most amazing things in the universe.You will follow your oxygen atoms through fire and water...

Have you ever wondered how the universe originated or whether the universe always existed? Have you ever wondered how life began on earth? Have you ever heard others discuss origins but felt unable to contribute to the conversation? Would you like to defend your views but feel unequipped or inadequate to do so? Are you unsure about what to believe? Would you like to learn more about the subject of origins? If so, this book will be a help to you.The subject of evolution and creation...

Don't be baffled by biology. Master this science with practice, practice, practice!Practice Makes Perfect: Biology is a comprehensive guide and workbook that covers all the basics of biology that you need to understand this subject. Each chapter focuses on one major topic, with thorough explanations and many illustrative examples, so you can learn at your own pace and really absorb the information. You get to apply your knowledge and practice what you've l...

Why size plays such a big role in the living worldJohn Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and creative biologists, here offers a completely new perspective on the role of size in biology. In his hallmark friendly style, he explores the universal impact of being the right size. By examining stories ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Gulliver's Travels, he shows that humans have always been fascinated by things big and small. Why then does size always resid...

There are over one billion organisms in a pinch of soil, yet we know much more about deep space than about the universe below. In Tales from the Underground, Cornell ecologist David Wolfe takes us on a tour through current scientific knowledge of the subterranean world. We follow the progress of discovery from Charles Darwin's experiments with earthworms, to Lewis and Clark's first encounter with prairie dogs, to the use of new genetic tools that are revealing an astonishingly ric...

The important role that randomness plays in evolutionary changeJohn Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and insightful biologists, here challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology. In this concise, elegantly written book, he makes the bold and provocative claim that some biological diversity may be explained by something other than natural selection.With his customary wit and accessible style, Bonner makes an argument for the underappreciated...