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Superlative: The Biology of Extremes
2019 Foreword Indie Silver Award Winner for Science
Welcome to the biggest, fastest, deadliest science book you'll ever read.
The world's largest land mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is showing us how to solve a century-old engineering mystery. The oldest tree is giving us insights into climate change. The loudest whale is offering clues about the impact of solar storms.
For a long time, scientists ignored superlative life forms as outliers. Increasingly, though, researchers are coming to see great value in studying plants and animals that exist on the outermost edges of the bell curve.
As it turns out, there's a lot of value in paying close attention to the "oddballs" nature has to offer.
Go for a swim with a ghost shark, the slowest-evolving creature known to humankind, which is teaching us new ways to think about immunity. Get to know the axolotl, which has the longest-known genome and may hold the secret to cellular regeneration. Learn about Monorhaphis chuni , the oldest discovered animal, which is providing insights into the connection between our terrestrial and aquatic worlds.
Superlative is the story of extreme evolution, and what we can learn from it about ourselves, our planet, and the cosmos. It's a tale of crazy-fast cheetahs and super-strong beetles, of microbacteria and enormous plants, of whip-smart dolphins and killer snakes.
This book will inspire you to change the way you think about the world and your relationship to everything in it.
Welcome to the biggest, fastest, deadliest science book you'll ever read.
The world's largest land mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is showing us how to solve a century-old engineering mystery. The oldest tree is giving us insights into climate change. The loudest whale is offering clues about the impact of solar storms.
For a long time, scientists ignored superlative life forms as outliers. Increasingly, though, researchers are coming to see great value in studying plants and animals that exist on the outermost edges of the bell curve.
As it turns out, there's a lot of value in paying close attention to the "oddballs" nature has to offer.
Go for a swim with a ghost shark, the slowest-evolving creature known to humankind, which is teaching us new ways to think about immunity. Get to know the axolotl, which has the longest-known genome and may hold the secret to cellular regeneration. Learn about Monorhaphis chuni , the oldest discovered animal, which is providing insights into the connection between our terrestrial and aquatic worlds.
Superlative is the story of extreme evolution, and what we can learn from it about ourselves, our planet, and the cosmos. It's a tale of crazy-fast cheetahs and super-strong beetles, of microbacteria and enormous plants, of whip-smart dolphins and killer snakes.
This book will inspire you to change the way you think about the world and your relationship to everything in it.
384 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2019
36 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 11, 2019
3.5* fascinated ★★★✬✩
⇝Overall.
This is definitely a book for all the people that like to marvel about newly acquired knowledge. I feel like I now am the master of many little "fun facts" and am more aware of the insights into our own biology nature's extremes offer us. It certainly enlarged my already pretty big regard for the wonders of this planet. I would not recommend reading this book in one sitting but rather enjoying it a chapter at a time.
➺What’s to expect.
To give a summary of what expects you, I will shortly name all the superlative elements of the book. No summary would do this book justice and also undermine the author's expertise. Extremes being the topic of this book, Author Matthew LaPlante moves from the enormously big to the teeny tiny things on this planet. Here, I was very interested to learn more about cancer treatment/science in general, especially. After that, the ancient livings, as well as the fastest ones, are coming into focus. We also learn about the importance of accurate hearing and strength. The ending is formed by the deadliest and the smartest to illustrate how much knowledge these superlatives have to offer and what we can learn from them.
Personally, I favour the chapter on deadly stuff, especially since most people would never think of a mosquito at first but rather some kind of mammal predators (or humans, if they're being very smart). Nobody realizes that it can be tiny organisms that infiltrate your system and kill you much quicker than you'd think possible. Matthew says goodbye with an encouraging conclusion that wants each and every one of us to go through the world with a more open eye to discover what new extreme might lie around the corner. The author certainly sparked a lot of fascination and interest within me but I also had some issues.
You may feel left behind sometimes.
I feel like my education as geographer has certainly helped with understanding and following most of the content and argumentation lines but I felt left behind at some points. Especially books like this which have the potential to ignite a passion for protecting this planet in a less aggressive way need to be down to earth.
⇝The many questions make the reader meander through the facts rather then reflecting on them.
There were an awful lot of questions Matthew brought my attention to, but I was missing answers almost just as many times. Obviously, this is no dissertation that gives the newest research results but the lack of answers made reading this book feel like a labyrinth with an awful lot of dead ends. Every time you think the way leads somewhere, the case is dropped.
Still, it is a very good reading to spark interest in certain topics and maybe find out more about them on your own. So, if you excuse me, I have to read more about how plants affect different organisms (human, mammal, etc.) differently.
_________________
This eArc was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
This book is for you if… enjoy reading a ton of facts about biology, nature and animals without too much further inspirations.
⇝Overall.
This is definitely a book for all the people that like to marvel about newly acquired knowledge. I feel like I now am the master of many little "fun facts" and am more aware of the insights into our own biology nature's extremes offer us. It certainly enlarged my already pretty big regard for the wonders of this planet. I would not recommend reading this book in one sitting but rather enjoying it a chapter at a time.
➺What’s to expect.
To give a summary of what expects you, I will shortly name all the superlative elements of the book. No summary would do this book justice and also undermine the author's expertise. Extremes being the topic of this book, Author Matthew LaPlante moves from the enormously big to the teeny tiny things on this planet. Here, I was very interested to learn more about cancer treatment/science in general, especially. After that, the ancient livings, as well as the fastest ones, are coming into focus. We also learn about the importance of accurate hearing and strength. The ending is formed by the deadliest and the smartest to illustrate how much knowledge these superlatives have to offer and what we can learn from them.
Personally, I favour the chapter on deadly stuff, especially since most people would never think of a mosquito at first but rather some kind of mammal predators (or humans, if they're being very smart). Nobody realizes that it can be tiny organisms that infiltrate your system and kill you much quicker than you'd think possible. Matthew says goodbye with an encouraging conclusion that wants each and every one of us to go through the world with a more open eye to discover what new extreme might lie around the corner. The author certainly sparked a lot of fascination and interest within me but I also had some issues.
You may feel left behind sometimes.
I feel like my education as geographer has certainly helped with understanding and following most of the content and argumentation lines but I felt left behind at some points. Especially books like this which have the potential to ignite a passion for protecting this planet in a less aggressive way need to be down to earth.
⇝The many questions make the reader meander through the facts rather then reflecting on them.
There were an awful lot of questions Matthew brought my attention to, but I was missing answers almost just as many times. Obviously, this is no dissertation that gives the newest research results but the lack of answers made reading this book feel like a labyrinth with an awful lot of dead ends. Every time you think the way leads somewhere, the case is dropped.
Still, it is a very good reading to spark interest in certain topics and maybe find out more about them on your own. So, if you excuse me, I have to read more about how plants affect different organisms (human, mammal, etc.) differently.
_________________
This eArc was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
July 13, 2020
Thanks to a goodread friend, I found out about this wonderful book. Highly recommend. Very interesting if you like to read about biology and animals.
March 28, 2019
Matthew LaPlante’s Superlative is an homage to the Guinness Book of Records, natural edition. He admits everyone loves record setters, including if not especially him. And he is a lover of things natural. As a journalist, he says he pestered his editor until he was allowed to cover the zoo. The book is a best of, featuring what animals and plants do that Man can only drool over.
LaPlante has put a lot of passion into the book. He seems to have met pretty much every animal and plant he describes, from his visits with scientists and their labs, to field trips all over the planet. It is a labor of love as much as appreciation and awe. The most interesting aspects are the whys. Why is this the loudest, the biggest, the tallest, the smallest, the fastest runner/swimmer/flier? What is its advantage? Why does this being have this ability at all?
Elephants rank very highly in his schema. Elephants and Man share a cancer-fighting gene called p53. In Man it surrounds the mutated and mutating cancer cells, and fails to stop them. In elephants, which have 20 copies of p53, it tells the cells to die. So elephants are not cancer-prone. This commanded cell death is called apoptosis, and we see it in Man when the brain tells mitochondria to die when the energy they produce is no longer needed by aging bodies. Not a helpful option. Elephants are also emotional animals, traumatized for life by Man’s killing of their mothers in order to capture them for zoos. And true to the myth, they have phenomenal memories, which LaPlante proves.
The world’s largest tree is also its largest living thing. It’s a 107-acre Quaking Aspen in Utah. Quaking aspens spread underground, and all the shoots – what look to be a simple forest – are all attached to the same root, and are of course genetically identical. Now called Pando, the tree has 47,000 shoots. And it might be 800,000 years old (though some say “only” 80,000), making it by far the oldest living being as well. It’s a very interesting survival strategy: no flowers, no seeds, no fruit. Just root expansion. Very risky, but on planet Earth, there is no end to lifeforms and strategies.
Possibly the toughest beast on Earth is the tardigrade, aka water bear. It is a millimeter and a half sort of caterpillar with eight feet. It can be frozen, boiled, dehydrated and irradiated and still come back for more. We have only begun to classify the varieties of tardigrade we see worldwide. He says they are found from the highest mountains to the deepest ocean trenches. They’re the toughest, most resilient life we know of. They not only have impressive genes, they lack the genes that cause inflammation and pain. Their genes have the potential to change our lives forever.
Appropriating genes might mean Man could travel between planets without suffering the effects of unfiltered radiation bombardment. Or even just surviving the expected new temperature ranges up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit on Earth. LaPlante teases us with the genetic uniqueness of numerous superlative performers throughout the book and what it could mean for Man.
The octopus is the first/oldest intelligent being. Able to analyze its environment, measure up other beings in the area, strategize, escape, learn and make intelligent decisions, it has just two years of life to maximize its abilities. This once shell-protected smart snail is totally unprotected and vulnerable, and must live by its wits alone. The central brain acts as a quarterback, LaPlante says, and the remote brains controlling each of the eight arms do whatever they need to do to execute, which is why they seem to be all over the place, never moving in co-ordination. This distributed hierarchy system is now being applied to co-coordinating thousands of drones at a time.
The slowest animal in the world is the three toed sloth, which burns all of a hundred calories a day – a teaspoon of peanut butter would sustain it.
There are moths that can hear up to 300khz (humans stop at about 20, dogs at 40), far above the echolocation of today’s bats that seek them out.
Of interest is LaPlante’s frustration in doing research for this book. There is hardly any. Many of the animals he profiles were the subject of no scientific studies whatsoever. On others, the research is, to be polite, thin. In the meantime, they are disappearing, and we haven’t even figured out why they are so good at what they do, or how we could benefit from them. Doesn’t seem to stop anyone.
David Wineberg
LaPlante has put a lot of passion into the book. He seems to have met pretty much every animal and plant he describes, from his visits with scientists and their labs, to field trips all over the planet. It is a labor of love as much as appreciation and awe. The most interesting aspects are the whys. Why is this the loudest, the biggest, the tallest, the smallest, the fastest runner/swimmer/flier? What is its advantage? Why does this being have this ability at all?
Elephants rank very highly in his schema. Elephants and Man share a cancer-fighting gene called p53. In Man it surrounds the mutated and mutating cancer cells, and fails to stop them. In elephants, which have 20 copies of p53, it tells the cells to die. So elephants are not cancer-prone. This commanded cell death is called apoptosis, and we see it in Man when the brain tells mitochondria to die when the energy they produce is no longer needed by aging bodies. Not a helpful option. Elephants are also emotional animals, traumatized for life by Man’s killing of their mothers in order to capture them for zoos. And true to the myth, they have phenomenal memories, which LaPlante proves.
The world’s largest tree is also its largest living thing. It’s a 107-acre Quaking Aspen in Utah. Quaking aspens spread underground, and all the shoots – what look to be a simple forest – are all attached to the same root, and are of course genetically identical. Now called Pando, the tree has 47,000 shoots. And it might be 800,000 years old (though some say “only” 80,000), making it by far the oldest living being as well. It’s a very interesting survival strategy: no flowers, no seeds, no fruit. Just root expansion. Very risky, but on planet Earth, there is no end to lifeforms and strategies.
Possibly the toughest beast on Earth is the tardigrade, aka water bear. It is a millimeter and a half sort of caterpillar with eight feet. It can be frozen, boiled, dehydrated and irradiated and still come back for more. We have only begun to classify the varieties of tardigrade we see worldwide. He says they are found from the highest mountains to the deepest ocean trenches. They’re the toughest, most resilient life we know of. They not only have impressive genes, they lack the genes that cause inflammation and pain. Their genes have the potential to change our lives forever.
Appropriating genes might mean Man could travel between planets without suffering the effects of unfiltered radiation bombardment. Or even just surviving the expected new temperature ranges up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit on Earth. LaPlante teases us with the genetic uniqueness of numerous superlative performers throughout the book and what it could mean for Man.
The octopus is the first/oldest intelligent being. Able to analyze its environment, measure up other beings in the area, strategize, escape, learn and make intelligent decisions, it has just two years of life to maximize its abilities. This once shell-protected smart snail is totally unprotected and vulnerable, and must live by its wits alone. The central brain acts as a quarterback, LaPlante says, and the remote brains controlling each of the eight arms do whatever they need to do to execute, which is why they seem to be all over the place, never moving in co-ordination. This distributed hierarchy system is now being applied to co-coordinating thousands of drones at a time.
The slowest animal in the world is the three toed sloth, which burns all of a hundred calories a day – a teaspoon of peanut butter would sustain it.
There are moths that can hear up to 300khz (humans stop at about 20, dogs at 40), far above the echolocation of today’s bats that seek them out.
Of interest is LaPlante’s frustration in doing research for this book. There is hardly any. Many of the animals he profiles were the subject of no scientific studies whatsoever. On others, the research is, to be polite, thin. In the meantime, they are disappearing, and we haven’t even figured out why they are so good at what they do, or how we could benefit from them. Doesn’t seem to stop anyone.
David Wineberg
July 23, 2019
Fascinating book! I'm a big biology nerd so this was very interesting to me. The book describes extremes in the natural world, sort of like a Guiness Book of Records. Some topics could use a little more explanation. I study Biology so for me it was not too hard but for non-science educated people it can lack a little in information. The writing style was easy and entertaining.
Thank you publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.
Thank you publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.
April 28, 2019
If I am being perfectly honest, I requested a copy of this book to fulfil the self imposed criteria of reading something in the Non-fiction genre and not get stuck in any specific sub-genre of fiction. I was rewarded for doing so.
I did not realise how refreshing it would be read and/or discuss the topics in this book. It contains a lot of facts, this may seem to be a form of overload so I suggest taking it in, in chunks, one section or superlative quality at a time. The best part of all the facts in this pages is that they are new, the latest updates to them are as late as 2018. This is something unique for someone (me) who does not actually go out of the way to keep up with general discoveries or discussions in the natural or scientific world. The author clearly shows us how fascinated he is by the concepts that he shares with us and the immense, under-researched potential that is hidden within it and why. It is not meant for one sitting but it is meant for someone with a semblance of interest in the world around us and the power of genetic study and what research in it can throw our way. The Latin names of the species threw me off my pace but after a while I stopped trying to spell it right in my head and kept going. There is nothing conclusive in the chapters, as my usage of under-researched would indicate but there is still time.
Every section of superlative quality tackled here from largest, smallest to oldest etc and how each quality is defined (with some debates on the part of 'proper' definitions) can spike many conversations. I might even hope that for someone who is in the field or heading that way , this collection might spark something. I cannot speak for them since I neither work nor have studied anything biology related after high school level, but I can speak for someone with a healthy dose of appreciation for life in itself. I think when I go on my next buying spree, this book will be on my list.
I received an advance copy thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is completely made up of my own opinions.
I did not realise how refreshing it would be read and/or discuss the topics in this book. It contains a lot of facts, this may seem to be a form of overload so I suggest taking it in, in chunks, one section or superlative quality at a time. The best part of all the facts in this pages is that they are new, the latest updates to them are as late as 2018. This is something unique for someone (me) who does not actually go out of the way to keep up with general discoveries or discussions in the natural or scientific world. The author clearly shows us how fascinated he is by the concepts that he shares with us and the immense, under-researched potential that is hidden within it and why. It is not meant for one sitting but it is meant for someone with a semblance of interest in the world around us and the power of genetic study and what research in it can throw our way. The Latin names of the species threw me off my pace but after a while I stopped trying to spell it right in my head and kept going. There is nothing conclusive in the chapters, as my usage of under-researched would indicate but there is still time.
Every section of superlative quality tackled here from largest, smallest to oldest etc and how each quality is defined (with some debates on the part of 'proper' definitions) can spike many conversations. I might even hope that for someone who is in the field or heading that way , this collection might spark something. I cannot speak for them since I neither work nor have studied anything biology related after high school level, but I can speak for someone with a healthy dose of appreciation for life in itself. I think when I go on my next buying spree, this book will be on my list.
I received an advance copy thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is completely made up of my own opinions.
August 27, 2019
So far, this astounding text is my book-of-the-year. It enthralled me and it will certainly appeal to anyone interested (to whatever degree) in biology, ecology, the environment, health, medicine, conservation, evolution and more. LaPlante has introduced me to even more wonders of the natural world - the smallest, loudest, longest-lived, most prolific, hardiest creatures and more - and given me hope about the work that scientists are undertaking right now. There's also a tinge of despair that we will stuff things up so completely in some areas that we won't ever know what we destroyed, or that we will know a small fraction of what we destroyed and the consequences of that destruction.
The value of the superlatives - or the 'outliers of biology' - is spoken of in relation to humans. However, at no point does one truly believe that LaPlante doesn't see each entity on the planet as being of intrinsic worth, quite outside of how we might benefit from its characteristics.
There is a large notes section, filled with references to other works by many scientists and other researchers. I'll be buying the book and delving into other material named in the notes. Looking forward to learning a great deal more about the superlative of our world from this superlative tome.
PS Also available in audio CD and MP3 versions.
The value of the superlatives - or the 'outliers of biology' - is spoken of in relation to humans. However, at no point does one truly believe that LaPlante doesn't see each entity on the planet as being of intrinsic worth, quite outside of how we might benefit from its characteristics.
There is a large notes section, filled with references to other works by many scientists and other researchers. I'll be buying the book and delving into other material named in the notes. Looking forward to learning a great deal more about the superlative of our world from this superlative tome.
PS Also available in audio CD and MP3 versions.
July 31, 2019
This book was entertaining and different. It hit a lot of cool topics like venomous animals, intelligence in lower animals, size, etc. He makes a good case for studying extremes and how they can guide research. Some of the ideas were quite intriguing.
While I liked the book, I have a few critiques.
Overly long chapters that could have been divided differently. No imagery- which could’ve benefited the narrative at certain points like when he compares decibels and size. His pop culture references just didn’t feel very natural. I guess there’s an art to them. Mostly they were forced and clipped in a way that if you didn’t get the reference you’d be thinking .. huh? He doesn’t make a ton, but still. Also a looooot of time on this aspen clone because he won an award for it. It would have been better to have ended the book on supporting research instead.
Still a lot to like about the author. He’s a surprisingly humble journalist who clearly loves his job and he gives more explicit shout outs to contributors to his narrative than I think I have ever seen. He also is very clearly passionate about the topics and that comes through very well.
If you like animals and if you’re a fan of the Guinness book of records (who isn’t?), check this one out.
While I liked the book, I have a few critiques.
Overly long chapters that could have been divided differently. No imagery- which could’ve benefited the narrative at certain points like when he compares decibels and size. His pop culture references just didn’t feel very natural. I guess there’s an art to them. Mostly they were forced and clipped in a way that if you didn’t get the reference you’d be thinking .. huh? He doesn’t make a ton, but still. Also a looooot of time on this aspen clone because he won an award for it. It would have been better to have ended the book on supporting research instead.
Still a lot to like about the author. He’s a surprisingly humble journalist who clearly loves his job and he gives more explicit shout outs to contributors to his narrative than I think I have ever seen. He also is very clearly passionate about the topics and that comes through very well.
If you like animals and if you’re a fan of the Guinness book of records (who isn’t?), check this one out.
April 27, 2019
Great look at extremes in biology
I loved this book - it is science writing done well. Matthew D. LaPlante writes with a conversational tone and a good sense of humor. There is a lot of science in the book, but LaPlante makes it all easily accessible. If the reader is familiar with biology, as I am, the way the story is crafted makes this book well worth reading. If the reader is not familiar with biology, it won’t matter because everything is well explained. I recommend this book for anyone interested in biology.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
I loved this book - it is science writing done well. Matthew D. LaPlante writes with a conversational tone and a good sense of humor. There is a lot of science in the book, but LaPlante makes it all easily accessible. If the reader is familiar with biology, as I am, the way the story is crafted makes this book well worth reading. If the reader is not familiar with biology, it won’t matter because everything is well explained. I recommend this book for anyone interested in biology.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
June 29, 2019
I really enjoyed this! It was a great primer on so much of what I love about the natural world. I work in conservation, and this does a good job at capturing how much conservation science and learning from other species really matters and why. I personally find the natural world inherently interesting, but I thought this book did a particularly good job of telling interesting stories and moving fluidly from topic to topic to keep it engaging. It’s about so much more than just superlative species and really about what we can learn from nature. Just because something doesn’t think or remember the way we do doesn’t mean it’s not intelligent, and there are still entire universes to be discovered in our own backyards. This book is a love letter to nature. Recommend!
Thank you, BenBella Books, for sending me a copy!
Thank you, BenBella Books, for sending me a copy!
February 20, 2020
From the tinest of frog species to the massive blue whale, This book showcases the wonders of nature in compact, enjoyable presentable format.
Children keep asking questions like what is the fastest, longest, biggest....,Matthew D LaPlante makes use of this innate fascination with extremes and drives it towards biology.
Evolutionary-driven species, where only the fittest survive and leave offspring, diversify in all sorts of specialisations and hence the marvels of nature we study now.
Superlative disscussed a wide range of topics such as climate change, aging, cure to cancer, extinction, scientific research and many more.
The book at hands goes in parallel with Guiness book of records
**Strength: up-to-date data + widely diversified areas of interest + fun facts + well-written🥇
**weaknesses: in MHO, the way these facts are presented makes it eqsily fade away from my memory. I find myself obliged to write them down and refer to them now and then. Other than this, the book is quite a read.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy non-fiction science and those who want to nurture the curious child in them.
Defenitely 5/5 stars rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Children keep asking questions like what is the fastest, longest, biggest....,Matthew D LaPlante makes use of this innate fascination with extremes and drives it towards biology.
Evolutionary-driven species, where only the fittest survive and leave offspring, diversify in all sorts of specialisations and hence the marvels of nature we study now.
Superlative disscussed a wide range of topics such as climate change, aging, cure to cancer, extinction, scientific research and many more.
The book at hands goes in parallel with Guiness book of records
**Strength: up-to-date data + widely diversified areas of interest + fun facts + well-written🥇
**weaknesses: in MHO, the way these facts are presented makes it eqsily fade away from my memory. I find myself obliged to write them down and refer to them now and then. Other than this, the book is quite a read.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy non-fiction science and those who want to nurture the curious child in them.
Defenitely 5/5 stars rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
January 5, 2020
Deadly dull. At one point, the author makes fun of scientists for writing scientifically, then proves his point by quoting... an entire paragraph of scientific writing. And on. And on. And on.
Also, too preachy - every other page, it seemed like, contained either an admonishment about the fact that science didn’t start studying superlative creatures soon enough, or that we aren’t doing enough to study them now.
What did I take away from this book? Two things:
1) The image of goats reluctantly running on treadmills is pretty funny.
2) Monkey calls get louder the smaller their balls are.
There. 300 pages summed up for you. You can feel free to skip this book now.
Also, too preachy - every other page, it seemed like, contained either an admonishment about the fact that science didn’t start studying superlative creatures soon enough, or that we aren’t doing enough to study them now.
What did I take away from this book? Two things:
1) The image of goats reluctantly running on treadmills is pretty funny.
2) Monkey calls get louder the smaller their balls are.
There. 300 pages summed up for you. You can feel free to skip this book now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2021
GODDAMN i loved this book!!!!!!!!! Nothing gets me more excited than a pop science with short chapters and a unique premise. Fk yes. Thank you Matthew D. LaPlante. This is one of those books that makes you seem smart because of all the incredible facts you learn, but it's also written in accessible and easy language. Quality!! *chefs kiss* Sad that I borrowed it from the library and can't keep it.
May 12, 2020
Reviewed for Foreword Books Indies awards.
First and foremost, I have to take umbrage at the author's usage of Science Direct in this book. Twice in the first ten pages and once later in the book he refers to how many articles showed up in the "database" Science Direct. While the definition of Science Direct as a database is debatable, what is not debatable is that Science Direct ONLY finds articles that are published by Elsevier. Now, Elsevier does have a stranglehold on the scientific publishing landscape, but they should not be relied upon as the only source of information, and as such the author failed one of the most basic tenets of properly doing his research. This rankled me as soon as I read it, but even moreso when in the conclusion he refers to librarians as superheroes, but it is clear from his reference to Science Direct that he never consulted them on this very basic literature search. And while it may be petty at this point, he also did not thank the librarians in his acknowledgements. Oftentimes a note in the acknowledgements is the only credit we get for extremely involved and dedicated work, and in this case, the librarians at his university didn't even get name recognition. Long story short? Librarians are here to inform, so please consult (and thank) us!
Now, griping aside, this book missed its mark a bit too. It was certainly an interesting read and focused on some of the most interesting species, but there were several points where these interesting plants had nothing superlative about them. No most/biggest/smallest/least/fastest anywhere to be seen. For example, I don't see how singing to houseplants as presented in The Secret Life of Plants constitutes anything superlative. Certainly interesting, just not most. The book would serve well with a little more focus, and find a few more superlative species to focus on instead of just filling the last couple chapters with interesting species.
First and foremost, I have to take umbrage at the author's usage of Science Direct in this book. Twice in the first ten pages and once later in the book he refers to how many articles showed up in the "database" Science Direct. While the definition of Science Direct as a database is debatable, what is not debatable is that Science Direct ONLY finds articles that are published by Elsevier. Now, Elsevier does have a stranglehold on the scientific publishing landscape, but they should not be relied upon as the only source of information, and as such the author failed one of the most basic tenets of properly doing his research. This rankled me as soon as I read it, but even moreso when in the conclusion he refers to librarians as superheroes, but it is clear from his reference to Science Direct that he never consulted them on this very basic literature search. And while it may be petty at this point, he also did not thank the librarians in his acknowledgements. Oftentimes a note in the acknowledgements is the only credit we get for extremely involved and dedicated work, and in this case, the librarians at his university didn't even get name recognition. Long story short? Librarians are here to inform, so please consult (and thank) us!
Now, griping aside, this book missed its mark a bit too. It was certainly an interesting read and focused on some of the most interesting species, but there were several points where these interesting plants had nothing superlative about them. No most/biggest/smallest/least/fastest anywhere to be seen. For example, I don't see how singing to houseplants as presented in The Secret Life of Plants constitutes anything superlative. Certainly interesting, just not most. The book would serve well with a little more focus, and find a few more superlative species to focus on instead of just filling the last couple chapters with interesting species.
April 15, 2019
Superlative is a nicely written book about animal extremes and what studying these animals can offer us in terms of knowledge, technological innovations and medical advances. LaPlante takes a look at a variaty of organisms - the fastest, tallest, largest, loudest, smallest, oldest, toughest, slowest, most venomous, most poisonous, and the smartest etc. While the author's fascination with superlative animals and plants is clearly evident, so is his (and this readers) frustration with the lack of interest science shows in these organisms. While this book isn't terribly indepth, it does provide a delightful survey of a variety of creatures, some well-known and some more obscure, as well as how the study of these superlative organisms can benefit humans in a variety of ways - everything from climate change research and indicators (frogs and clams), to genetics and cancer treatments (elephants), new drugs (spiders, snakes, jellyfish), technological advances (moths, bats, mites and whales), bioindicators (frogs), regeneration of lost limbs (Axolotl), aging, etc. The conversational style of the book makes it easy to understand. The occassional humour is amusing and not at all cringe-worthy. The extensive reference section provides a list of sources if the reader would like additional information about a particular study or topic.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
April 12, 2020
4.5 stars. This book is one of the ultimate beach reads for nature geeks. LaPlante writes in a conversational tone that bounces from paleontology to pop culture in the space of a page, yet never leaves the reader behind. His own excitement about the things he describes bleeds through the lines, and it is infectious. Whether your fancy for animal (and plant) facts tends towards creatures massive or microscopic, there are multiple parts of every chapter that are sure to pique your interest and leave you wanting to know more. Even if you already know that we know next to nothing, this book will leave you astounded by how much more we have to learn. It is also worth noting that while LaPlante acknowledges ongoing ecological concerns, he never beats you over the head with them as so many authors in this genre do. The main reason that this is not a 5-star review was that many of the section segues felt contrived, which was a bit distracting. It would have been better, in my opinion, to go with clean topic breaks in many places where a cheeky-but-flimsy bridge was built instead. LaPlante tells his story in a clear and amusing enough manner that his point and personality would carry across sections just fine without the superfluous attempts at wit.
January 25, 2025
This is a fascinating highly accessible and superbly researched book. Each chapter filled with interesting facts about different groups of animals : Including the indestructible Tardigrades, the slow Sloths, the ant colonies, venomous snakes and frogs intelligent dolphins and more Highly recommended
March 25, 2021
Great splash of nonfiction bio stuff.
August 19, 2022
Science book written by a journalist. Interesting, light-hearted and engaging but not always factually correct.
March 13, 2024
Very entertaining with lots of good conversation starters. I loved the nuances the author revealed that complicate our attempts to identify the superlatives in nature. So often the answer to “what is the fastest/smartest/strongest creature?” depends on how you define those traits. And there’s so much scientific research to be done. This book operates from a sense of wonder and passes that on.
May 30, 2022
Lots of interesting information about animals, genetics, current scientific studies.
December 7, 2020
Sadly this book got removed from my ereader when I was about half way into reading it. This means I cannot read the whole book and review the whole book. So my review will be based on what I read so far. I had to stop reading somewhere around page 100 or so.
So first of all I would like to say that I really struggled getting through this book, and that is not because of the way it is written! It is mostly because I study biology, which means I am busy studying biology all day and when I have time to relax, a biology book is not the first thing I would like to read. This resulted in me reading less when I got home from uni. This is probably why this book got deleted, it just took me too long.
However, on weekends or days off I did really enjoy reading this book. The book consists of a lot of stories from Matthew. D. LaPlante's own life mixed with a lot of fun facts about superlative species. He usually uses his own experiences to introduce a species. This gives the book a nice personal touch. The species he talks about are mostly species I have never heard of or never thought to look into more. It is very eye-opening to see how he is able to portrait all of these species as really interesting. I am usually not that intersted in the small spieces or insects, but the way D. LaPlante talks about them automatically makes you intersted in them.
The chapter about the Aspen trees was really surprising to me. He talks about the discovery of a huge aspen clonal colony, which might be the biggest organism in this world. And for some reason that struck me as suprising. I had never thought of a forest being one organism before. However, the way he described it made me rethink this. This is for sure a fact I will never forget. What was also so suprising to me is that many researches are unsure about publishing something as "superlative" because someone wil most likely find something bigger or smaller sooner or later.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. Some facts and species left a bigger impression on me than others, but that is mainly because of my interests. This does mean that the book covers different interests, which is a good thing in my eyes. It allows a larger group of people to enjoy the book.
Still a bummer that I will not be able to finish this book right now, but I might give it a shot in the future when I am not constantly busy with studying biology.
So first of all I would like to say that I really struggled getting through this book, and that is not because of the way it is written! It is mostly because I study biology, which means I am busy studying biology all day and when I have time to relax, a biology book is not the first thing I would like to read. This resulted in me reading less when I got home from uni. This is probably why this book got deleted, it just took me too long.
However, on weekends or days off I did really enjoy reading this book. The book consists of a lot of stories from Matthew. D. LaPlante's own life mixed with a lot of fun facts about superlative species. He usually uses his own experiences to introduce a species. This gives the book a nice personal touch. The species he talks about are mostly species I have never heard of or never thought to look into more. It is very eye-opening to see how he is able to portrait all of these species as really interesting. I am usually not that intersted in the small spieces or insects, but the way D. LaPlante talks about them automatically makes you intersted in them.
The chapter about the Aspen trees was really surprising to me. He talks about the discovery of a huge aspen clonal colony, which might be the biggest organism in this world. And for some reason that struck me as suprising. I had never thought of a forest being one organism before. However, the way he described it made me rethink this. This is for sure a fact I will never forget. What was also so suprising to me is that many researches are unsure about publishing something as "superlative" because someone wil most likely find something bigger or smaller sooner or later.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. Some facts and species left a bigger impression on me than others, but that is mainly because of my interests. This does mean that the book covers different interests, which is a good thing in my eyes. It allows a larger group of people to enjoy the book.
Still a bummer that I will not be able to finish this book right now, but I might give it a shot in the future when I am not constantly busy with studying biology.
June 5, 2023
such a great book! im so much more aware of superlatives and how they can play a role in innovation and other scientific discoveries. the book is nicely organized and easy to follow. the concepts are on noce topics but are then expanded into other fields with simple language (which makes it very easy to follow)! im really glad to have read this and would def recommend to anyone who has an interest in ecological niches, biology, and innovation
February 15, 2022
Not exactly life-changing, but a great book to listen to while running, working out, or commuting. Lots of interesting tidbits of science.
June 2, 2019
Superlative follows its title expertly, detailing the many species and biological marvels that fall within the extremes of their respective genera. It’s a fascinating book written in a down-to-earth style that’s filled with the excitement and wonder of a scientist’s inner child. At the end, you’ll understand how amazing the world truly is and how much these extreme creatures can help us understand about the world.
LaPlante takes us all over the globe, detailing his many strange journeys to collect information on these extreme creatures. We see him attempting to shovel poop in the wake of a giant whale. We see him searching for elephants deep in Africa. The most interesting aspect is the many conversations he has with experts of every scientific branch. Frog experts, microbiologists, tree scientists. Anything you could want to know about the extremes of the world is collected here.
These are the animals that so fascinated us as kids. Elephants, giraffes, blue whales. Their size alone makes them fascinating to the world at large. LaPlante digs deeper, looking at the many marvelous discoveries made possible by studying them closely. You’d be amazed at what you could learn from the poop and snot of a whale, or from the cutest animal you’ve never seen, the Etruscan shrew. You’ll discover many species you weren’t aware of as you get deeper in the book, looking at land speed, loud noises, age, strength and intelligence. Think of this as a Guinness World Record book of sorts. The difference lies in the fact that these creatures were already record-breaking without knowing it.
Overall, Superlative is an exceptional book that’s easy-to-read and easy to obsess over. You’ll learn so much about things you’ve never thought of and it just might spark a deeper interest in the planet.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
LaPlante takes us all over the globe, detailing his many strange journeys to collect information on these extreme creatures. We see him attempting to shovel poop in the wake of a giant whale. We see him searching for elephants deep in Africa. The most interesting aspect is the many conversations he has with experts of every scientific branch. Frog experts, microbiologists, tree scientists. Anything you could want to know about the extremes of the world is collected here.
These are the animals that so fascinated us as kids. Elephants, giraffes, blue whales. Their size alone makes them fascinating to the world at large. LaPlante digs deeper, looking at the many marvelous discoveries made possible by studying them closely. You’d be amazed at what you could learn from the poop and snot of a whale, or from the cutest animal you’ve never seen, the Etruscan shrew. You’ll discover many species you weren’t aware of as you get deeper in the book, looking at land speed, loud noises, age, strength and intelligence. Think of this as a Guinness World Record book of sorts. The difference lies in the fact that these creatures were already record-breaking without knowing it.
Overall, Superlative is an exceptional book that’s easy-to-read and easy to obsess over. You’ll learn so much about things you’ve never thought of and it just might spark a deeper interest in the planet.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
July 3, 2019
The outliers: biggest, smallest, deadliest, smartest, strongest, oldest, fastest. A sort of Guinness Book of Records for grown-up nerds, huh? Same fascination factor, for sure, but with purpose and science to boot. What can we learn from these extremes of nature? How did they come to be? What are the challenges to their survival? How can they benefit us?
For example, in “Why Almost Everything We Know About Giraffes Is Wrong”, we learn that prevailing theories say giraffes developed their unique bodies and long necks in order to graze from tree tops. But did they? They seem to bend down to eat from grasses and shrubs as much, if not more, than in trees. So why those long necks with those pretty little heads at the top?
And there’s “Why Elephant Cells Are Like Empathetic Zombies”. Elephants grow so rapidly that cells tend to mutate, and so it seems that elephants would develop cancers at an astounding rate – but they don’t. In elephants, mutating cells appear to “develop a conscience” and die. Now wouldn’t it be great if our pre-cancerous cells offed themselves? Yeah, that’s the ticket, and we’d have elephants to thank, so back off, poachers!
I’ve only sampled Matthew LaPlante’s good book, but I’ll be back, and it’s perfect for enjoying this way if you like. Of course, for many, it’ll be like potato chips. Hard to stop with one or two. Whatever your style, munchies or the full buffet, the line starts here.
Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me by BenBella Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed herein are my own.
For example, in “Why Almost Everything We Know About Giraffes Is Wrong”, we learn that prevailing theories say giraffes developed their unique bodies and long necks in order to graze from tree tops. But did they? They seem to bend down to eat from grasses and shrubs as much, if not more, than in trees. So why those long necks with those pretty little heads at the top?
And there’s “Why Elephant Cells Are Like Empathetic Zombies”. Elephants grow so rapidly that cells tend to mutate, and so it seems that elephants would develop cancers at an astounding rate – but they don’t. In elephants, mutating cells appear to “develop a conscience” and die. Now wouldn’t it be great if our pre-cancerous cells offed themselves? Yeah, that’s the ticket, and we’d have elephants to thank, so back off, poachers!
I’ve only sampled Matthew LaPlante’s good book, but I’ll be back, and it’s perfect for enjoying this way if you like. Of course, for many, it’ll be like potato chips. Hard to stop with one or two. Whatever your style, munchies or the full buffet, the line starts here.
Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me by BenBella Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed herein are my own.
September 28, 2021
If you are looking for a broad view of the animal world and would be interested in how scientists study animals, Superlative by Matthew LaPlant might be for you. Biggest, smallest, fastest, slowest, oldest, loudest - even deadliest … LaPlant describes dozens of animals, and a few plants. Some of his inquiries include: “How elephants are like martial artists”; “Why almost everything we know about giraffes is wrong”; “Why you can’t call every noisy creature a loudmouth”; “How killer spiders and friendly goats are working together to make shoes”.
In one chapter LaPlant explains “fastest is a quirky concept”. There’s fastest land mammal (the cheetah - at least fastest in a short burst); fastest in the ocean (bluefin tuna - though it’s hard to gage); there’s fastest in the air (the peregrine falcon - again, hard to clock - although one man, Ken Franklin, did measure a peregrine’s speed. It involved him and his falcon, Frightful, jumping from an airplane over 200 times). And then there’s a mite that has a stride of 135 steps per second (that’s 322 body lengths) Equivalent human speed is something like 1300 miles per hour.
LaPlant not only tells which animals are fastest (or oldest, or loudest) but explains the body mechanics that produce the superlative and how the animals have been studied.
Superlative takes you on a journey through, seemingly, the entire animal kingdom. With this book you’ll learn as much about scientific discovery as you will about the animal world. How by studying one tough salamander, scientists may uncover the secret to regeneration.
Reading Superlative: the Biology of Extremes will give you an appreciation for science - what we’ve discovered and, even more, what we have yet to discover.
In one chapter LaPlant explains “fastest is a quirky concept”. There’s fastest land mammal (the cheetah - at least fastest in a short burst); fastest in the ocean (bluefin tuna - though it’s hard to gage); there’s fastest in the air (the peregrine falcon - again, hard to clock - although one man, Ken Franklin, did measure a peregrine’s speed. It involved him and his falcon, Frightful, jumping from an airplane over 200 times). And then there’s a mite that has a stride of 135 steps per second (that’s 322 body lengths) Equivalent human speed is something like 1300 miles per hour.
LaPlant not only tells which animals are fastest (or oldest, or loudest) but explains the body mechanics that produce the superlative and how the animals have been studied.
Superlative takes you on a journey through, seemingly, the entire animal kingdom. With this book you’ll learn as much about scientific discovery as you will about the animal world. How by studying one tough salamander, scientists may uncover the secret to regeneration.
Reading Superlative: the Biology of Extremes will give you an appreciation for science - what we’ve discovered and, even more, what we have yet to discover.
April 26, 2021
Starting from African elephants to underground ecosystems that support giant pando aspens of Utah to single-celled organisms like amoeba, Matthew D. LaPlante's Superlative takes the reader on a fascinating journey through mankind's ambition that is fueling research to understand and leverage the unexplored power of plant and animal kingdoms. Do elephants really have sharp memory and recall things from a quarter century ago? Can venom from snakes and other poisonous organisms like frogs and even plants be used to treat other diseases that affect humans (over and above being antidotes)? Could it be that octopuses are cleverer than humans? Is it a good idea to use genetically modified sterile mosquitoes to eradicate malaria-causing mosquitoes? Superlative is awfully informative about how far human beings have come to understand animals and plants around them by rounding up all the scientific advances in one neat immersive book (news flash: we have not come far enough to understand either plants or animals well enough.) Equally delightful are the footnotes in each chapter that reference to anything from scientific papers to magazine articles to episodes of NPR's all things considered and Radiolab.
ps: received arc from netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review.
ps: received arc from netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2019
Superlative is really just a book with a bunch of nature facts. I found some of the featured animals/plants more interesting than others, but it was thoroughly researched and well written. I enjoyed LaPlante's humour and his personal involvement with the species he looks into. One thing that I was a bit disappointed in was that a lot of superlative traits mentioned in the book haven't actually been used for further research, so a lot of times the section ends with something like "this trait is superlative and maybe if we research more into it, we can learn something or do something". I guess I was hoping for more examples of how superlative traits have been used for human applications or what current applications are in the works because of superlative discoveries and not just the possibility. The number of species and the diversity of traits covered is quite extensive, so I do appreciate how there is a lot of potential in these animals and plants.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
May 23, 2019
As a kid I loved browsing through Guinness Book of World Records, I could sit for hours at an end, just reading about the biggest bird, the toothiest animal and so on. Superlative brings back much of that same fascination, albeit for an older audience (obviously!). Matthew D. LaPlante writes in a humouristic and engaging manner, making me eager to read more. I am still as fascinated by the extremes in nature as I was as a kid and this book is all about that, but also what lessons we can learn from other animals, even how animal poison is directing us to cancer cures. The natural world is truly amazing and I hope one day we humans will truly learn to appreciate the diversity of the world we live in! All in all I absolutely loved this book and I´d recommend it to anyone who likes to read about natural history and evolution, it´s a thoroughly entertaining and thought provoking book.
I got an e-ARC of #superlative from the good people at #netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
I got an e-ARC of #superlative from the good people at #netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
October 10, 2024
One of the richer, more interesting biology books I've gone through in a moment. It may be that the extreme nature of the organisms makes the material more attention grabbing, but it is well done regardless. Delving into physiology, genetics, and touch of psychology, all across the board excellent.
A few of the stories I'd heard about before, if you've a healthy appreciation for biology, no doubt, you'll encounter that as well. However, you also get a healthy dose of historical context and a bit of the "behind the scenes" of which ever extreme case, so, again, it's never a slog. The only criticism I see with the book is it isn't technical enough, that the authour is "writing out of his purview". The best biology books, in my opinion, are written by curious authours with a penchant for science and investigation. David Quammen, Micheal Pollen, Sam Kean, not a true blue scientist among them but they write the most digestible scientific texts I've encountered which invite further exploration of the topic.
A few of the stories I'd heard about before, if you've a healthy appreciation for biology, no doubt, you'll encounter that as well. However, you also get a healthy dose of historical context and a bit of the "behind the scenes" of which ever extreme case, so, again, it's never a slog. The only criticism I see with the book is it isn't technical enough, that the authour is "writing out of his purview". The best biology books, in my opinion, are written by curious authours with a penchant for science and investigation. David Quammen, Micheal Pollen, Sam Kean, not a true blue scientist among them but they write the most digestible scientific texts I've encountered which invite further exploration of the topic.
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