Life at the Limits
We are fascinated by the seemingly impossible places in which organisms can live. There are frogs that freeze solid, worms that dry out and bacteria that survive temperatures over 100°C. What seems extreme to us is, however, not extreme to these organisms. 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. Life at the Limits considers how organisms survive major stresses and what extreme organisms can tell us about the origin of life and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. These organisms have an extreme biology, which involves many aspects of their physiology, ecology and evolution.
Preface
1. Introduction: extreme life
2. Be it ever so humble ..
3. Life without water
4. The hot club
5. Cold Lazarus
6. More tough choices
7. 'It's life, Jim, but not as we know it!'
8. An extreme biology
Bibliography
Glossary
Index
David Wharton is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago, New Zealand, where his research has centred upon the extraodinary survival abilities of animals.
| Pm Supplier | CUP/ Cambridge University Press |
|---|---|
| Pm Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Pm Isbn 10 | 0521039908 |
| Pm Isbn 13 | 9780521039901 |
| Pm Publication Date | 2007-07-23 |
| Pm Width | 151 |
| Pm Height | 19 |
| Pm Author | Wharton,David A |
| Pm Longness | 225 |
- Organisms in Extreme Environments
- Key Info: 41 b/w illus, 12 figs, 4 tabs
- Author: Wharton,David A
- Page Count: 307
- Publication Date: 2007-07-23
Life at the Limits
- Organisms in Extreme Environments
- Key Info: 41 b/w illus, 12 figs, 4 tabs
- Author: Wharton,David A
- Page Count: 307
- Publication Date: 2007-07-23
