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El subsuelo: Una historia natural de la vida subterránea
Existe un territorio inexplorado del universo, una zona desconocida que sin embargo tenemos al alcance de nuestra mano. Sólo vemos (y conocemos) una parte ínfima de la vida en la Tierra. La mayor parte de los seres vivos están bajo nuestros pies, un hábitat desconocido y fascinante: el aire, las plantas, la agricultura, el agua que bebemos, lo que comemos, la ciencia, la industria, la medicina actual y la del futuro, incluso la exploración del espacio: todo depende del subsuelo.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 7, 2015
"Step out into your backyard...and bring up a pinch of earth," Wolfe writes. "You will likely be holding close to one billion individual living organisms, perhaps ten thousand distinct species of microbes, most of them not yet named, cataloged, or understood."
Pretty good introduction to an area of the natural world few of us think about, and usually take for granted. The book is divided into three sections, of which the first, on ancient life, I found the most fascinating, although the later chapter on Darwin and earthworms was fun. And the one on soil pathogens the most creepy -- is your tetanus shot up-to-date? That's one disease (of many, actually) that, due to its natural reservoirs, isn't ever going to be eradicate-able the way smallpox was.
It was amusing to compare and contrast the author's enthusiasm for his subject with the bad rap things underground involved with rot and decay -- without which life cycles on the planet would come to a halt -- get from, say, Tolkien or the makers of the animated movie Epic. The subject apparently needs an artist to speak up for it.
Copyright date 2001, which from 2015 is many hundred generations of fruit flies and not a few generations of microbiologists, so this is doubtless not the latest word on its several subjects, but it gives some good directions to go on with.
Contemplating the race of bioscience since the turn of the millennium always reminds me of this Updike poem --
http://hellopoetry.com/poem/10236/vb-...
I swear they must all be moving just like that.
Ta, L.
(Later note: the Updike poem in my copy has an explanatory header between title and text that the version to which I linked lacks, to wit: "Science, Pure and Applied, by V. B. Wiggleworth, F.R.S., Quick Professor of Biology in the University of Cambridge. -- a talk listed in the B.B.C. Radio Times)
August 11, 2013
Excellent book!! Some of this may be old hat to others, but I certainly learned a lot about life underground!! We really are connected to everything and it is mostly bacteria and fungi holding it all together. Very interesting!! The last chapters on humanity's devastation of underground life were pretty depressing and I can't help wondering if we will continue to be so stupid!!
March 19, 2023
Me fascinan los suelos desde que descubrí su ciencia: la edafología. Para su formación tenemos varios elementos interrelacionados como son la roca madre alterada o desintegrada de forma física o química, los agentes como el agua o las condiciones atmosféricas, y la materia orgánica, desde bacterias, raíces de plantas hasta pequeños mamíferos, y de esto último trata este libro.
Todo lo que sea divulgación de este desconocido y asombroso mundo merece la pena, y en especial este libro me ha sorprendido. Ignoraba muchas de las cosas que me ha enseñado desde el nuevo árbol de vida hasta los organismos extremófilos aquí descritos. Es para maravillarse y, una vez terminado, no lograr ver el mundo de la misma manera que antes, así que sí, el autor lo ha conseguido.
Todo lo que sea divulgación de este desconocido y asombroso mundo merece la pena, y en especial este libro me ha sorprendido. Ignoraba muchas de las cosas que me ha enseñado desde el nuevo árbol de vida hasta los organismos extremófilos aquí descritos. Es para maravillarse y, una vez terminado, no lograr ver el mundo de la misma manera que antes, así que sí, el autor lo ha conseguido.
August 24, 2007
It's been too long for me to remember all the details, but I recall the sense of delight I had in learning that clay, rock and dirt could be so interesting and have so many fascinating aspects to them. And it's short, and it's educational.
September 3, 2019
Fascinating exploration; very readable
A sea change in our attitude toward life has occurred in recent years owing to the discovery of extremophiles, microorganisms that can live in extreme environments such as the scalding waters of Yellowstone Park or deep under the ocean near vents of molten rock, or simply underground. These life forms, previously unknown, are now believed by some to constitute a majority of the shear weight of life on this planet. That life can exist without oxygen has long been known (indeed the first life forms lived without oxygen), but to exist without the products of photosynthesis, at least the indirect products, was thought impossible. Now we know that some life forms can use purely chemical means for obtaining energy, and do not need sunlight at all.
David W. Wolfe, Associate Professor of Plant Ecology at Cornell, fired by his own enthusiasm for things extreme and underground, explores these ideas and findings in a captivating way in this informative book. He begins with the soil, what it is made of, how it was formed. "In a handful of typical healthy soil there are more creatures than there are humans on the entire planet," he advises us on page one. He explores the relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and their above ground symbionts, noting that within that same handful of soil there are "hundreds of miles of fungal threads." There are also within one square yard of soil "billions of microscopic roundworms called nematodes, anywhere from a dozen to several hundred of the much larger earthworms, and 100,000 to 5000,000 insects and other arthropods." He points out that many of these creatures "defy classification; they simply have never been seen before." (p. 2)
One of the problems that scientists encounter in trying to study the microorganisms of the soil is that they can't culture them in the lab. "They can't survive when isolated from their neighbors," Wolfe writes. And therein lies perhaps the central tale of this extremely interesting book, namely that we are all of an ecology here on this planet earth, and the interactions and mutualisms and co-dependencies of our existence are as yet only dimly perceived. Remember the biosphere experiment in the Arizona desert some years ago? It failed because the participants had no idea how to create a self-sustaining ecosystem mainly because they were ignorant of the work of the myriad creatures that live in, on, and under the soil.
Wolfe explores the relatively new (and very exciting) idea that life on earth did not begin in something like Darwin's warm pond, but instead deep underground, safe and secure from the horrendous activities on the surface. This idea is what is currently firing our excitement about exploring under the surface of Mars and some of the moons of the gas giants in search of the life that we now know might exist there. He looks into clay as the precursor of bio-replication, and as a catalyst, showing how clay crystals "have an organized structure" that is "heritable just as the mutations of real genes are." (p. 29)
Wolfe also explores how earthworms, prairie dogs and other life forms help to create the top soil upon which our life on earth depends. He looks into the work of Carl Woese and explains how the tree of life was shaken to its very roots by Woese's discovery of a new domain of life, and how the tree was reconstructed into a "universal tree of life" containing three distinct domains, Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. Woese and others did this through rRNA analysis. It is revolutionary to note that the base of the tree on page 65 is shaded entirely with "heat-loving microbes," the extremophiles now recognized as our ancient ancestors.
There is so much more to discuss in this modest, yet highly informative book, including the chemical warfare practiced by soil microbes, their importance in medicine, agriculture, and in maintaining the homeostasis of the planet, and the threat from human activities, topsoil erosion, acid rain, etc. But let me summarize by saying as I read this book I was struck once again with the massive interdependence of all life, forcing me to see mutualism and cooperation between and among species as the fundamental basis of life and not the long revered concept of competition. I suspect that before long the general view of life on earth will be one of diversity in harmony; indeed, I am becoming more and more convinced that the idea of Gaia, the planet as a life form itself, is a viable one.
Professor Wolfe ends the book with a warning not to "naively assume that science and technology will come up with a quick fix to avert the environmental train wreck we are headed toward." (p. 185). It is only through knowledge and a "tempering of our aggressive instinct to " that we will be able "to protect the living soil resource for future generations." (p. 186)
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
A sea change in our attitude toward life has occurred in recent years owing to the discovery of extremophiles, microorganisms that can live in extreme environments such as the scalding waters of Yellowstone Park or deep under the ocean near vents of molten rock, or simply underground. These life forms, previously unknown, are now believed by some to constitute a majority of the shear weight of life on this planet. That life can exist without oxygen has long been known (indeed the first life forms lived without oxygen), but to exist without the products of photosynthesis, at least the indirect products, was thought impossible. Now we know that some life forms can use purely chemical means for obtaining energy, and do not need sunlight at all.
David W. Wolfe, Associate Professor of Plant Ecology at Cornell, fired by his own enthusiasm for things extreme and underground, explores these ideas and findings in a captivating way in this informative book. He begins with the soil, what it is made of, how it was formed. "In a handful of typical healthy soil there are more creatures than there are humans on the entire planet," he advises us on page one. He explores the relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and their above ground symbionts, noting that within that same handful of soil there are "hundreds of miles of fungal threads." There are also within one square yard of soil "billions of microscopic roundworms called nematodes, anywhere from a dozen to several hundred of the much larger earthworms, and 100,000 to 5000,000 insects and other arthropods." He points out that many of these creatures "defy classification; they simply have never been seen before." (p. 2)
One of the problems that scientists encounter in trying to study the microorganisms of the soil is that they can't culture them in the lab. "They can't survive when isolated from their neighbors," Wolfe writes. And therein lies perhaps the central tale of this extremely interesting book, namely that we are all of an ecology here on this planet earth, and the interactions and mutualisms and co-dependencies of our existence are as yet only dimly perceived. Remember the biosphere experiment in the Arizona desert some years ago? It failed because the participants had no idea how to create a self-sustaining ecosystem mainly because they were ignorant of the work of the myriad creatures that live in, on, and under the soil.
Wolfe explores the relatively new (and very exciting) idea that life on earth did not begin in something like Darwin's warm pond, but instead deep underground, safe and secure from the horrendous activities on the surface. This idea is what is currently firing our excitement about exploring under the surface of Mars and some of the moons of the gas giants in search of the life that we now know might exist there. He looks into clay as the precursor of bio-replication, and as a catalyst, showing how clay crystals "have an organized structure" that is "heritable just as the mutations of real genes are." (p. 29)
Wolfe also explores how earthworms, prairie dogs and other life forms help to create the top soil upon which our life on earth depends. He looks into the work of Carl Woese and explains how the tree of life was shaken to its very roots by Woese's discovery of a new domain of life, and how the tree was reconstructed into a "universal tree of life" containing three distinct domains, Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. Woese and others did this through rRNA analysis. It is revolutionary to note that the base of the tree on page 65 is shaded entirely with "heat-loving microbes," the extremophiles now recognized as our ancient ancestors.
There is so much more to discuss in this modest, yet highly informative book, including the chemical warfare practiced by soil microbes, their importance in medicine, agriculture, and in maintaining the homeostasis of the planet, and the threat from human activities, topsoil erosion, acid rain, etc. But let me summarize by saying as I read this book I was struck once again with the massive interdependence of all life, forcing me to see mutualism and cooperation between and among species as the fundamental basis of life and not the long revered concept of competition. I suspect that before long the general view of life on earth will be one of diversity in harmony; indeed, I am becoming more and more convinced that the idea of Gaia, the planet as a life form itself, is a viable one.
Professor Wolfe ends the book with a warning not to "naively assume that science and technology will come up with a quick fix to avert the environmental train wreck we are headed toward." (p. 185). It is only through knowledge and a "tempering of our aggressive instinct to " that we will be able "to protect the living soil resource for future generations." (p. 186)
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
July 3, 2017
The subterranean is not one world but many. It is filled with many unique habitats, and the occupants of these habitats range in size from the microscopic bacteria to the easily visible earth worms and burrowing animals. Tales from the Underground is not intended as a comprehensive treatment of the subject of soil ecology. The author's goal is to introduce the reader to a few of the most intriguing creatures on the underground and to the sometimes equally intriguing scientists and explorers who have studied them. With the many interesting creatures and scientists discussed in this book, I feel the author has achieved his goals.
This book takes a look at the Earth's most ancient life forms, the extremophiles; bacterium; fungi; earthworms; the dual nature of soils with regards to deadly plant and animal diseases; the tragic history of human interactions with prairie dogs, burrowing owls and the black-footed ferret. This book also explores the impact of human activities on the soil resources important to our food security and the potential for using soil microbes for bioremediation of damaged soil. The author also takes a look at the various hypothesis that try to explain the origin of life in which dirt or soil play a role e.g. the "clay-gene" theory in which clay crystals act as a catalyst and gene precursors.
The author states that he hopes that as more of us become aware of the life beneath our feet, we will be inclined to work together to maintain the biological integrity of the underground, an preserve some of what we find there for future generations.
"With each new subterranean discovery, it becomes more apparent that the niche occupied by Homo sapiens is more fragile and much less central than we once thought."
This book contains diagrams where relevant and a decent reference section. However, the author tends to select too many examples and creatures from the U.S.A, which is a bit annoying, since there is an entire planet full of underground creatures and humans that interact with them. The book is well written without excessive biographical detail and a fair amount of detailed information on each topic. I believe this book is easy to understand for the general reader. Tales of the Underground provides an enjoyable look at some of the interesting underground citizens.
This book takes a look at the Earth's most ancient life forms, the extremophiles; bacterium; fungi; earthworms; the dual nature of soils with regards to deadly plant and animal diseases; the tragic history of human interactions with prairie dogs, burrowing owls and the black-footed ferret. This book also explores the impact of human activities on the soil resources important to our food security and the potential for using soil microbes for bioremediation of damaged soil. The author also takes a look at the various hypothesis that try to explain the origin of life in which dirt or soil play a role e.g. the "clay-gene" theory in which clay crystals act as a catalyst and gene precursors.
The author states that he hopes that as more of us become aware of the life beneath our feet, we will be inclined to work together to maintain the biological integrity of the underground, an preserve some of what we find there for future generations.
"With each new subterranean discovery, it becomes more apparent that the niche occupied by Homo sapiens is more fragile and much less central than we once thought."
This book contains diagrams where relevant and a decent reference section. However, the author tends to select too many examples and creatures from the U.S.A, which is a bit annoying, since there is an entire planet full of underground creatures and humans that interact with them. The book is well written without excessive biographical detail and a fair amount of detailed information on each topic. I believe this book is easy to understand for the general reader. Tales of the Underground provides an enjoyable look at some of the interesting underground citizens.
January 31, 2017
_Tales from the Underground_ by David W. Wolfe is an excellent though rather brief introduction to the organisms that live underground; it is only 188 pages long, 206 if one count's the end notes and bibliography (which are quite worthwhile to at least browse). One of the things I liked about the book was that Wolfe was clearly enthusiastic about his subject and expressed a real sense of wonder for the fascinating organisms that dwell under the earth's surface.
He began the book with a nice overall introduction to the subject, more than sufficient to grab my attention. In one just pinch of soil from your backyard, you will be holding close to one billion individual living organisms, including quite a few that are not named, classified, or in any way studied, animals ranging in size from the tiniest of microbes to microscopic threads of fungal hyphae, the total length of which might be best measured in miles, not inches. In a handful of soil there are more creatures than humans currently alive. A typical square yard of soil contains billions of microscopic roundworms called nematodes, a dozen to several hundred earthworms, 100,000 to 500,000 insects and other arthropods, and staggering numbers of single-celled organisms. After reviewing some basics about soil layers and types, he went into more detail about this subterranean world.
The first chapter discussed the origins of life on earth, much of which had to do with life in the soil. The complex structure and chemistry of clay crystals may have played a vital role in the development of life, perhaps initially serving as the "infrastructure" of the first, most primitive organisms, this infrastructure eventually being discarded as more and more organic molecules such as those in amino and nucleic acids took over clay's replication and synthesis functions. According to some theorists clay made possible the very first sequencing of simple proteins and genes thanks to its unique properties.
Chapter two introduced the "extremophiles," organisms that live in hostile environments, many of which exist in subterranean conditions. Some organisms "breathe in" iron oxide (rust) as a substitute for oxygen, while others are able to incorporate cobalt and even uranium into their biological processes. Much of the chapter gave the history of the study of extremophiles, as biologists continually had to revise their notions of what life could tolerate as they found organisms living at ever higher temperatures and depths (with organism at 9,000 foot depths and at temperatures higher than 160 degrees Fahrenheit having been discovered). Of further interest, these organisms may be the most common in the world, with some calculations showing that their total biomass exceeds that of all surface life. Study of one group, lithotrophic microbes, which live buried in basalt rock deep beneath the surface, has been vital in the search for life on other planets.
Chapter three focused primarily on Dr. Carl Woese of the University of Illinois, a researcher who discovered an entire new microbial superkingdom of organisms, the Archaea, a finding that radically changed how the various kingdoms of organisms were classified, a discovery that was highly controversial, as he changed the tree of life from one based primarily on visual characteristics to one based on his molecular approach. Woese found that a number of organisms assumed to be bacteria were something entirely different, as different from bacteria at least as plants are from animals. In the end the new tree of life consists of three superkingdoms or domains, Bacteria, Archaea (which includes many extremophiles), and Eukarya (which encompasses plants, animals, fungi, and protozoa).
Chapter four emphasized the importance of "nitrogen-fixers," a small group of bacteria and archaea that are able to convert nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into a form the rest of life on earth can use, a biological innovation every bit as important as the advent of photosynthesis to the history of life on earth. Wolfe showed the rather intricate symbiosis between nitrogen-fixers and plants as well their complex biology. He also discussed the role of denitrifiers, organisms that aid in the recycling of nitrogen on earth as they are able to convert soil nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen.
Chapter five dealt with the equally important symbiosis between plants and highly specialized underground fungi, vital in enabling plants to obtain water and nutrients from the soil (and occasionally other plants). More than 90% of the higher plants on the planet today benefit from their association with the delicate threadlike hyphae in their roots, a group known as mycorrhizal fungus. Wolfed discussed the two types, arbuscular mycorrhizae (so named because their unique branching, tree-shaped hyphal structures) and the ectomycorrhizae, both of which are the foundation of most terrestrial ecosystems.
Chapter six dealt with earthworms, much of it providing information and anecdotes about Charles Darwin's decades long study of them. Also vital to ecosystems, they act as biological blenders, fragmenting plant debris and mixing it with the soil and living and dead microbial biomass, creating more surface area for further production of humus.
The next chapter discussed some of the good and bad effects on human health of soil organisms. The passages on the soil-borne pathogen _Clostridium tetani_, the cause of tetanus, made for chilling reading. Wolfe also related information about the fungus-like _Phytopthora infestans_, which causes potato late blight, source of the 1840s potato famine in Ireland (and a disease that may be making a comeback). Soil organisms have also done a lot of good; the root fungus _Trichoderma harzianum_ targets a variety of disease-causing soil microbes, and working in the 1940s soil biologist Dr. Selman Waksman discovered a number of potent antibiotics from soil bacteria.
Chapter eight was quite interesting, dealing with the interesting life history and often tragic human history of three animals, the prairie dog, black-footed ferret, and burrowing owl.
The final chapter dealt with the primary threats to soil ecology, notably soil erosion, toxic waste, and climatic change (both acid rain and global warming).
A great introduction to subterranean life, worthwhile reading.
He began the book with a nice overall introduction to the subject, more than sufficient to grab my attention. In one just pinch of soil from your backyard, you will be holding close to one billion individual living organisms, including quite a few that are not named, classified, or in any way studied, animals ranging in size from the tiniest of microbes to microscopic threads of fungal hyphae, the total length of which might be best measured in miles, not inches. In a handful of soil there are more creatures than humans currently alive. A typical square yard of soil contains billions of microscopic roundworms called nematodes, a dozen to several hundred earthworms, 100,000 to 500,000 insects and other arthropods, and staggering numbers of single-celled organisms. After reviewing some basics about soil layers and types, he went into more detail about this subterranean world.
The first chapter discussed the origins of life on earth, much of which had to do with life in the soil. The complex structure and chemistry of clay crystals may have played a vital role in the development of life, perhaps initially serving as the "infrastructure" of the first, most primitive organisms, this infrastructure eventually being discarded as more and more organic molecules such as those in amino and nucleic acids took over clay's replication and synthesis functions. According to some theorists clay made possible the very first sequencing of simple proteins and genes thanks to its unique properties.
Chapter two introduced the "extremophiles," organisms that live in hostile environments, many of which exist in subterranean conditions. Some organisms "breathe in" iron oxide (rust) as a substitute for oxygen, while others are able to incorporate cobalt and even uranium into their biological processes. Much of the chapter gave the history of the study of extremophiles, as biologists continually had to revise their notions of what life could tolerate as they found organisms living at ever higher temperatures and depths (with organism at 9,000 foot depths and at temperatures higher than 160 degrees Fahrenheit having been discovered). Of further interest, these organisms may be the most common in the world, with some calculations showing that their total biomass exceeds that of all surface life. Study of one group, lithotrophic microbes, which live buried in basalt rock deep beneath the surface, has been vital in the search for life on other planets.
Chapter three focused primarily on Dr. Carl Woese of the University of Illinois, a researcher who discovered an entire new microbial superkingdom of organisms, the Archaea, a finding that radically changed how the various kingdoms of organisms were classified, a discovery that was highly controversial, as he changed the tree of life from one based primarily on visual characteristics to one based on his molecular approach. Woese found that a number of organisms assumed to be bacteria were something entirely different, as different from bacteria at least as plants are from animals. In the end the new tree of life consists of three superkingdoms or domains, Bacteria, Archaea (which includes many extremophiles), and Eukarya (which encompasses plants, animals, fungi, and protozoa).
Chapter four emphasized the importance of "nitrogen-fixers," a small group of bacteria and archaea that are able to convert nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into a form the rest of life on earth can use, a biological innovation every bit as important as the advent of photosynthesis to the history of life on earth. Wolfe showed the rather intricate symbiosis between nitrogen-fixers and plants as well their complex biology. He also discussed the role of denitrifiers, organisms that aid in the recycling of nitrogen on earth as they are able to convert soil nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen.
Chapter five dealt with the equally important symbiosis between plants and highly specialized underground fungi, vital in enabling plants to obtain water and nutrients from the soil (and occasionally other plants). More than 90% of the higher plants on the planet today benefit from their association with the delicate threadlike hyphae in their roots, a group known as mycorrhizal fungus. Wolfed discussed the two types, arbuscular mycorrhizae (so named because their unique branching, tree-shaped hyphal structures) and the ectomycorrhizae, both of which are the foundation of most terrestrial ecosystems.
Chapter six dealt with earthworms, much of it providing information and anecdotes about Charles Darwin's decades long study of them. Also vital to ecosystems, they act as biological blenders, fragmenting plant debris and mixing it with the soil and living and dead microbial biomass, creating more surface area for further production of humus.
The next chapter discussed some of the good and bad effects on human health of soil organisms. The passages on the soil-borne pathogen _Clostridium tetani_, the cause of tetanus, made for chilling reading. Wolfe also related information about the fungus-like _Phytopthora infestans_, which causes potato late blight, source of the 1840s potato famine in Ireland (and a disease that may be making a comeback). Soil organisms have also done a lot of good; the root fungus _Trichoderma harzianum_ targets a variety of disease-causing soil microbes, and working in the 1940s soil biologist Dr. Selman Waksman discovered a number of potent antibiotics from soil bacteria.
Chapter eight was quite interesting, dealing with the interesting life history and often tragic human history of three animals, the prairie dog, black-footed ferret, and burrowing owl.
The final chapter dealt with the primary threats to soil ecology, notably soil erosion, toxic waste, and climatic change (both acid rain and global warming).
A great introduction to subterranean life, worthwhile reading.
March 21, 2020
Interesante ensayo divulgativo sobre la vida en el subsuelo y su importancia. Comienza con capítulos muy atractivos sobre el origen de la vida,los organismos extremófilos y el descubrimiento del Reino Archea. Todo presentado de forma entretenida pero sin dejarse llevar por el sensacionalismo. Se nota que está escrito por un científico que admite la diferencia entre el resultado de varios estudios y la aceptación de una verdad científicamente probada. Continúa con amenos e interesantes detalles sobre la dinámica suelo-atmósfera en la que son fundamentales algunos microorganismos y las investigaciones de Darwin sobre las lombrices, un ejemplo de paciencia y aplicación del método científico. Por último se hace hincapié en el efecto negativo de la acción humana en el suelo, basándose sobre todo en estudios en EEUU. En definitiva, un ensayo escrito de forma amena para todos los públicos pero con rigor científico.
July 11, 2025
Un libro ¡excelente! Me da una nueva perspectiva de la importancia del suelo como elemento fundamental en la naturaleza, no solo por su papel como sustento donde se desarrolla la vida de una diversidad enorme de seres que habitan sobre él, sino por la diversidad que hay debajo, los mismos seres que llevan a cabo batallas campales entre microorganismos y participan en el ciclo del nitrógeno. También habitan seres con UN papel ecológico de suma importancia en flora local. Solo por mencionar un Poco de lo asombroso y fascinante de leer esta entretenida obra...
October 24, 2023
Lo pequeño, lo cotidiano, lo que apenas nos merece atención, así valoramos el suelo que pisamos. Este libro nos descubre mucho de lo que pasa abajo, su importancia para la vida, incluso su comienzo. Divulgación de la entretenida, de la que te invita e incita a saber más y sobre todo a cuidar más .
February 19, 2019
Very thorough, but read like a textbook. Not a read if you have no scientific interest.
July 25, 2022
Cada capítulo nos habla en profundidad de un tema y nos dibuja una parte de un mapa que es extraordinariamente rico y complejo.
https://liblit.com/david-w-wolfe-el-s...
https://liblit.com/david-w-wolfe-el-s...
December 23, 2022
The description of soil and microorganisms that reside there is amazing. Later chapters explore how we brutalize the soil but offer limited insight on how to change.
August 30, 2023
this was very good. i’m so sorry prairie dogs
March 17, 2020
Me gustó mucho. Es el primer libro que, en mi caso, me ha abierto los ojos con respecto a la ecología y el tratamiento de los suelos. Tiene partes que hablan de temas muy específicos de bioquímica, que creo no haber entendido del todo. Pero la sustancia del libro con todos sus nutrientes llega intacta: la mayor riqueza y diversidad de la vida, nuestro origen como especie, está en el subsuelo.
June 23, 2019
Fascinating, particularly on the "deep, hot biosphere" where extremophile microbial communities are part of a "dark food chain." With speculations on the origins of life - on earth or elsewhere - near deep-sea hydrothermal vents or electrostatically-charged clay surfaces. A reminder that life is multifarious and wondrous strange.
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October 13, 2019I really enjoyed this book! Pages and pages about dirt, bacteria, extreme lifeforms, and the like were fascinating, and I ended up learning a lot about a subject that I’ve never really delved into before. I felt that this was one of those “science for a general audience” books, while still being far too in depth to be called “pop science.” It did wane towards the end, though, touching topics that had more to do with conservationism and ecology in general. I absolutely don’t have any problem with those topics, but I just wanted to read more about crazy bacteria, dammit!!! Prairie Dogs are pretty cute and it was neat reading about how they aid soil development and how being endangered has already started to affect our environment (that part wasn’t neat, really, just sad), but I got hooked on the germy stuff and wanted moooore.
August 13, 2012
I was a little skeptical about an entire book on soil microbiology, but WOW. I had some idea of the complex nature in which microbes, fungi, and plants interact, but this book is much more than that. I loved his chapter on how archaea bacteria were first discovered, how long it took the scientific community to believe in their existence (until the '80s!), and how that discovery redefined the evolutionary tree of life. The chapters on microbes providing our most precious medicinal compounds were equally fascinating. There was also a chapter on extremophiles and though I was aware of them, I did not realize that they actually are oldest form of life- makes sense that as the earth cooled, life evolved to suit a more temperate environment and those extremophiles are actually us looking into the past.
Normally, I prefer to science writing when written by knowledgeable journalists as opposed to actual scientists. In general, most scientists are horrible at turning what they know into an engaging page turner and instead feels like I'm reading a really long journal article. But this author is an exception, he incorporates the most lovely Walt Whitman excerpts at the start of each chapter (sidenote: I love when authors do this!), and very seamlessly, moves from the abstract to the very detailed. If you have the time, it's not too long and might give you a better appreciation for the "world beneath your feet."
Normally, I prefer to science writing when written by knowledgeable journalists as opposed to actual scientists. In general, most scientists are horrible at turning what they know into an engaging page turner and instead feels like I'm reading a really long journal article. But this author is an exception, he incorporates the most lovely Walt Whitman excerpts at the start of each chapter (sidenote: I love when authors do this!), and very seamlessly, moves from the abstract to the very detailed. If you have the time, it's not too long and might give you a better appreciation for the "world beneath your feet."
August 19, 2013
Written by professor plant ecology at Cornell. Each of the nine chapters focuses on one aspect of life underground – from soil creatures and habitable zone, Woese’s work with archaea, to how humans interact with this life – germs, nitrogen problems, loss of soil, endangered black-footed ferrett. Excellent. This book its enjoyable for the non-scientist because it offers – as the title promises – “tales” from the earth, with frequent mention of activities of individual scientists and reference to current issues. The “Germ Warfare” chapter discusses the discovery and use of antibiotics from the soil, including Waksman’s work at Rutgers. One thing I learned: better wash those veggies before you eat them, even the organic ones. There are some strange microorganisms hiding in the soil! This reads not like a comprehensive text but a series of fascinating views of specific ecological concerns.
My name is incorrect on most reviews so for the recorde it's Sara van Dyck -last name begins with van.
My name is incorrect on most reviews so for the recorde it's Sara van Dyck -last name begins with van.
January 28, 2013
This is a great book for an overview of soil biology. It ranges from the origins of life to the lives of soil-dwellers to the future of our planet's soil (and what it means for us and everything else).
I think my favorite part was actually the section on the origin of life. It is still taught (even in advanced-level evolution courses...) that life probably evolved in some watery environment. In this book, it is argued that life probably evolved within the soil -- and I can really see the appeal of that argument. It is also fascinating to think that clay can serve as a template for nucleotides, and that replication of a nucleotide-clay complex is chemically feasible.
Of course, reading and thinking about the future is always depressing. I am more and more convinced with every book I read that agriculture will be our downfall. This book did not alter that trend.
Overall, a very good read (for non-scientists too) who are interested in what lies beneath the surface of the earth.
I think my favorite part was actually the section on the origin of life. It is still taught (even in advanced-level evolution courses...) that life probably evolved in some watery environment. In this book, it is argued that life probably evolved within the soil -- and I can really see the appeal of that argument. It is also fascinating to think that clay can serve as a template for nucleotides, and that replication of a nucleotide-clay complex is chemically feasible.
Of course, reading and thinking about the future is always depressing. I am more and more convinced with every book I read that agriculture will be our downfall. This book did not alter that trend.
Overall, a very good read (for non-scientists too) who are interested in what lies beneath the surface of the earth.
February 16, 2016
Fifteen years old, but still fascinating, the chapters of this book are a series of linked essays about microbes and larger organisms (plants, nematodes, prairie dogs) under the Earth's surface. Wolfe divides the chapters into three board categories: the evolutionary history of life underground; the role of underground life (bacteria, fungi, earthworms) in Earth's natural systems today; and the ways humans have modified these natural systems, for better sometimes, but mostly for worse. Every chapter drops interesting insights; one overarching point of the book is that the total life underground is vastly larger that humans have usually imagined - enough to cover the land surface of the planet some four feet deep, if it were all brought up to the surface at once. The author makes a strong case that, although the underground portion of the web of life is often overlooked, it's a thing of great beauty and vitality.
May 28, 2013
This book is a revelation to all of us land dwellers; walking around and thinking we've got it all figured out while underneath our feet an entire other life system is churning away. The next time you stoop to dip a shovel or trowel into the soil take heed. Be aware of all those billions of microorganisms that are hard at work. It's more than worms carrying on down below - and take note: for them coitus lasts a good hour. There's so much to learn from our lowly neighbors! Who would have thought that clay may be the source of life? Who knew that homo has the same Latin root as humus? Or that Adam from the book of Genesis comes from a Greek word for soil? David Wolfe spins a sense of wonder as he takes us on this journey into the hidden world beneath our feet. You'll come away amazed.
September 10, 2013
Even though this book is more than 10 years old, I found it had fascinating information that was new to me. I especially enjoyed his early chapters on ancient life -- Bacteria, Eukarya, and Archaea. His discussion of Archaea and its extremeophiles sparked my imagination and could have well been the focus on the entire book. I would have preferred that he had stayed with his title and confined his stories to the "Underground."
A good book spurs one to want to read more on the topic. Before finishing the first section, I was checking to see what my local library had on Archaea and other such creatures and then began to look at the internet. I did not find a wealth of literature for lay persons. Etremeopiles are briefly discussed in many books but usually just briefly.
May 16, 2008
There is more to life below the surface than was ever expected or considered. The various organisms and wholly unappreciated life forms are necessary to all human and most animal life in the world. If the Nitrogen fixing organisms do not exist, most life on earth will not exist. This book is an amusingly written discussion of these facts.
February 1, 2013
Well, I DO love worms, described as biological blenders -- and these water bears are something that I'd not heard of yet. I love that there is so much exploration to be found right in one's backyard. This is a great read for gardeners who love earthy things as much as the above-ground flora.
February 27, 2015
this book is really good to read
April 18, 2017
Soil is the basis of most of our food production, so we should know it better. This book is a fascinating and well-written tour through recent advances in understanding the diversity of microbes, fungi and other living components of soil and their effect on food production and our health. The first section is a brave, clear attempt to understand the origin of life on earth, something that is very difficult to get agreement on because evolution since then has drastically altered both life and the environment in which life originated. The evidence that organisms close to the base of the tree of life are thermophilic supports the idea that life originated in a hot environment - perhaps deep in the ocean where they might have exploited chemical gradients, while the earth's surface was still being pummeled by meteorite bombardment. Only later, when life could survive at the surface, were conditions favourable for evolution of photosynthesis. But life also depends on the nitrogen cycle, involving nitrogenase in nitrogen-fixing bacteria, generally in symbiosis with plants. The intricate symbiosis between fungi and 90% of land plant species was essential to the spread of life to land in the most recent 10% of the history of life on earth - only recently did some land plants evolve the ability to survive without this symbiosis.
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October 20, 2018And excellent, now early, book exploring soil's evolving story. It covers mycorrhizae, worms, antibotics, and prairie dogs among other things. I do dispute the claim that it takes thousands of years to create an inch of topsoil, but take it in the context of a book written in 2001, it's a great primer for those who haven't yet started into the subject matter.
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