Small Wonders
Idan Ben-Barak
'This is an absolutely delightful book about our smallest and most necessary friends … Read this lovely book, and marvel at these tiny critters that make our lives possible.'
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki'An entertaining and fascinating look at bacteria, protista and the other organisms too small to see … Ben-Barak provides an exuberant, informative guide to their hidden world.'
'Idan Ben-Barak demonstrates that this world is a truly enthralling place, worthy of our consideration for its intellectual interest as well as its importance. He shows just how much teamwork is required to rot human teeth, how some microbes thrive on radioactive waste and how we are putting microbes to use in unexpected ways.'
(Australian Science)In the spirit of Natalie Angier’s The Canon, and writing with the verve and wit of Bill Bryson, Small Wonders takes the reader on a fantastic voyage to the microscopic, but massively influential, world of microbiology. It’s a strange and dangerous world where oxygen is a lethal poison, sulphur is a delicious treat, deception is a basic survival skill, and perfectly good alcohol is simply thrown away.
Idan Ben-Barak wears his learning lightly as he introduces us to the amazing lives and workings of genes and proteins, bacteria, and viruses, and the myriad ways in which they interact to shape life on Earth. On the journey, we learn about the teamwork required to rot human teeth; the microbe superheroes who feed on radioactive waste; suicide genes; the origins of diseases and antibiotic resistance; and the numerous respects in which microbes benefit human life — from manufacturing food and medicine, to mining gold, finding oil, cleaning up the mess we make, and generally rendering the Earth habitable.
Small Wonders is popular science at its best. Ben-Barak’s love of bugs is infectious and makes for a scintillating, fast-moving adventure that will appeal to even the least scientifically savvy of readers.
Idan Ben-Barak
Author photo
Idan Ben-Barak holds a B.Sc. in medical science and an M.Sc. in microbiology from the Hadassah School of Medicine at the University of Jerusalem, and is currently working towards a Ph.D. in the history and philosophy of science at the University of Sydney. His first foray into writing for a popular readership was submitting a couple of quirky pieces of fiction to New Scientist. He received a scholarship from the Writing Centre for Scholars and Researchers at the University of Melbourne to work on Small Wonders, his first book.
Website: http://idanbb.wordpress.com/
Extent: 240
Size: 210mm x 135mm
ISBN (13): 9781921372179
RRP: $26.95
Pub date: September 2008
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