Basher Science: Extreme Biology: From Superbugs to Clones … Get to the Edge of Science

Basher Science

by Simon Basher

Learn about the amazing research that is revolutionizing biology, from advances in medicine to genetic engineering. Meet the world’s toughest bacterium and a biologically immortal flatworm whilst learning about epigenetics, superbugs, nanomedicine and cloning. Extreme Biology is a compelling guide to developments at the very forefront of science – a must-read for anyone wishing to understand, and engage with, modern biology. 
Topics discussed in this book include:
• Hardcore Herd: Water bear, Conan the Bacterium, Planarian flatworm, Superbug (antibiotic-resistant microbes), Aliens
• Gene Genies: Gene (including DNA, RNA, Nucleotides), Gene expression, Protein, Prion, Genome, Epigenetics
• BioHacker Crew: Gene splicing, Recombinant DNA, Recombinant protein, Polymerase chain reaction, Genetically modified organism, Cloning, Gene machine, Shmeat (including tissue culture), Designer baby, Synthetic life, Biosafety (including bioethics)
• Bioscience Buddies/Drug Dudes: Nanomedicine, Monoclonal antibodies, Broad spectrum antiviral, Pharming (the use of genetic engineering to grow drugs), Biosensors
• Medical Mavericks: Face transplant, Regenerative medicine, Gene therapy (including DNA vaccine), Functional MRI

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biology, Technology, Reference

64 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were really interesting topics covered in this book, but unfortunately they were almost all too complex to condense into the two-paragraph, one-page format these books use. I found them quite interesting, but then I took several biology classes in high school and college. Kiddo (7) who has enjoyed all the other books in this series, mostly seemed confused. This book did put them to sleep, but it didn't spark their interest like the other books.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upper Elementary to Middle School won’t be bored learning Biology in this colorful, fun paperback version I won for free
Review gladly shared with fellow instructors
Enjoy!!

[Steph M · Rating 4 out of 5]

idk why y’all are complaining about AP bio when you could just read this... 10/10 learned more in 20 minutes than in a whole year of honors bio

[Serah Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for people who want a book for there children. With a wish that they will read non-fiction.

[Jesse German · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Extreme Biology" was a very easy to read and entertaining book. It does a great job of explaining biology terms that are often presented in boring, traditional definitions. This book includes fun pictures and is written in a way that captivates the reader and makes learning about these biology terms fun. I am not a huge fan of biology, but I thought that this book was really interesting and it made me wish I would have had a resource like this when I was learning these terms in my biology classes. I think that "Extreme Biology" is a great text to have in your classroom library because it introduces students to biology in a fun and exciting way.

I would use this book to show students that research can be fun. I would have them choose a scientific term that they weren't familiar with to research. Then, I would have them turn the definition into an engaging form like the book did. I would have them include a picture that represented the term they chose to research. I would then have all of the students put their terms together to make our own classroom "Extreme Science" book that we could add to our classroom library.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Nickelodeon voice and anime drawings set the Basher Science series apart from any other science books I've read. The personification (or characterization) was a little annoying because sometimes a character stood in place of an object, and other times in place of a process. I think this series might work better if it actually were game cards and the idea was to play the science rather than read about it. The cartoon drawings don't stand in well for microscope photos and realistic diagrams, and the series doesn't pretend to provide this kind of information. So, again, I think if the series is going to look game-like Basher should just make the game. I found myself engaged in some of the individual pages or chapters, but the book as a whole was not an engaging cover-to-cover read. It would be read best in chunks over time.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natasha has gone crazy for the Basher series. They are very high-style, high-concept, and high-production values. Plus, weird factoids about the subject in question. I don't know how much real data they provide, but they're cool-looking, combining the cute of anime with slick computer graphics. Of course, most 11-year-olds aren't reading current science research papers, so a good-looking overview is a plus.

Natasha's copy.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute and easy to read, but so many descriptions that are hyperbole or more fun-oriented without clarity. It's great that the book makes so many concepts fun--most are already fun to a lof of readers--but a science text really needs to be super clear. Too many descriptions were chosen to be more exciting and less direct. This just makes the info confusing. Otherwise, it's engaging and has lots of bite-sized intros into different biological subjects.

[Sarah Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, easy to read (except for scientific names or terms)Biology Book

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love science. This book was remarkable. I loved every page & will be chasing up the rest of the series.

[Abraham Ray]

great book about extreme biology and uses of same!