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The Curious World of Bacteria
Bacteria were the first life on Earth. But what do we really know about them? In this captivating, science-driven book, you’ll learn everything you need to know about these often misunderstood—and incredibly interesting—microbes.
In this engagingly written and scientifically rigorous book, author and scientist Ludger Wess introduces an eclectic collection of impressive, useful, weird, and dangerous bacterial species. Wess reveals everything he knows about bacteria, including their ability to survive almost anywhere, to “sleep” for millions of years before becoming active again, to maintain their own immune systems (a discovery that has led to medical breakthroughs for humans), and to—hypothetically—live on other planets.
In part two, Wess moves on to his curious compendium of bacterial species, presenting fifty fascinating portraits grouped by useful bacteria that are record holders, extreme-habitat dwellers, unusual consumers, people-helpers, and people-harmers. Beautiful black-and-white illustrations accompany each portrait. At the end of this engrossing read, Wess recognizes how much we still don’t know about bacteria. But by starting here, we can come closer to understanding the first life on Earth.
In this engagingly written and scientifically rigorous book, author and scientist Ludger Wess introduces an eclectic collection of impressive, useful, weird, and dangerous bacterial species. Wess reveals everything he knows about bacteria, including their ability to survive almost anywhere, to “sleep” for millions of years before becoming active again, to maintain their own immune systems (a discovery that has led to medical breakthroughs for humans), and to—hypothetically—live on other planets.
In part two, Wess moves on to his curious compendium of bacterial species, presenting fifty fascinating portraits grouped by useful bacteria that are record holders, extreme-habitat dwellers, unusual consumers, people-helpers, and people-harmers. Beautiful black-and-white illustrations accompany each portrait. At the end of this engrossing read, Wess recognizes how much we still don’t know about bacteria. But by starting here, we can come closer to understanding the first life on Earth.
- GenresScienceNonfictionBiology
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
11 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Ludger Weß
4 books1 followerLudger Weß (1954) ist ein deutscher Wissenschaftsjournalist und Romanautor.
Weß studierte Chemie und Biologie an der Universität Münster und war danach vier Jahre lang als Forscher im Bereich molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie an der Universität Bremen tätig. In den 1980er Jahren begann er, über Wissenschaft zu schreiben, vorwiegend über die Gen- und Biotechnologie. 2006 gehörte er zu den Gründern der Kommunikationsagentur akampion.
Weß studierte Chemie und Biologie an der Universität Münster und war danach vier Jahre lang als Forscher im Bereich molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie an der Universität Bremen tätig. In den 1980er Jahren begann er, über Wissenschaft zu schreiben, vorwiegend über die Gen- und Biotechnologie. 2006 gehörte er zu den Gründern der Kommunikationsagentur akampion.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 9, 2023
The living world is divided into three domains, bacteria, archaea and eukarya (that's us). Bacteria is the oldest, arguably, and when speleologists explored 'undisturbed karst caves millions of years old,' they were back in a world inhabited only by bacteria, which is far from the green and pleasant lands of today,
Archaea, also single-celled, differ in as many ways as they are similar to bacteria. But their dna is completely different. They are found everywhere, plants, animals, live inside us alongside bacteria, and also in the most extreme environments of temperature, acidity etc that bacteria cannot. You would expect them to wreak as much havoc as bacteria can on us but no. "Not a single species of archaea has yet been found to cause disease in humans, other animals or plants." Archaea don't seem to affect our world, they are just there.
Something I learned from this book that I am going to have to read up on is horizontal gene transfer which,
One last quote, it made me smile. I had never thought of why giant redwoods only grow so high and then stop, or even really how water was transported from the ground to the tips of the highest twigs,
The walls of these caves are coated with moonmilk, or inch-thick layers of pale bacteria and their whiteish residues. Snottites (from the English word snot)—long, sticky structures with the consistency of nasal mucus that are made of bacteria and threadlike strands of slime—hang like stalactites from the cave ceilings. The floor is crumbly and soft because bacteria have transformed it into an oatmeal-like mass.Got to love 'snottites'!
Archaea, also single-celled, differ in as many ways as they are similar to bacteria. But their dna is completely different. They are found everywhere, plants, animals, live inside us alongside bacteria, and also in the most extreme environments of temperature, acidity etc that bacteria cannot. You would expect them to wreak as much havoc as bacteria can on us but no. "Not a single species of archaea has yet been found to cause disease in humans, other animals or plants." Archaea don't seem to affect our world, they are just there.
Something I learned from this book that I am going to have to read up on is horizontal gene transfer which,
does away with the Darwinian concept of a tree of life with clear branches that can be used to trace who is descended from whom. In reality, the branches tangle with one another and sometimes rejoin or form cross-connections, even over long distances - that is between organisms including humans, that are evolutionary distant or are even from different domains.The first part of this book, from which I took all the quotes, is extremely interesting, but the main part of the book detailing individual bacteria in depth, didn't hold my attention, not even when I knew about the bacteria like E. coli. I think it was above my head!
One last quote, it made me smile. I had never thought of why giant redwoods only grow so high and then stop, or even really how water was transported from the ground to the tips of the highest twigs,
Trees can reach a maximum height of only about 425'. It's a physical factor that governs the limit: trees cannot actively transport water. Only when water evaporates from the leaves does the pressure drop sufficiently to allow water to flow upward from the roots. This mechanism doesn't work above this height.I enjoyed the first half of the book very much, it was very detailed, very scientific but full of insights. I think someone with a science background would enjoy the second half just as much.
April 21, 2023
This was a really interesting read.
The author first gives a brief introduction to bacteria, what they are, how they effect the world and how mankind first discovered and began learning about them.
He then breaks out categories, such as record holders or dangerous bacteria and goes on to provide snapshots of fifty different organisms.
He delves into not only what they currently do, but also what mankind might use them to do.
Some are already eating plastic and helping fight cancer, but he holds out the chance that they might just be part of the solution to climate change as well.
His enthusiasm for the subject is as infectious as some of his actual subjects are.
A great read
The author first gives a brief introduction to bacteria, what they are, how they effect the world and how mankind first discovered and began learning about them.
He then breaks out categories, such as record holders or dangerous bacteria and goes on to provide snapshots of fifty different organisms.
He delves into not only what they currently do, but also what mankind might use them to do.
Some are already eating plastic and helping fight cancer, but he holds out the chance that they might just be part of the solution to climate change as well.
His enthusiasm for the subject is as infectious as some of his actual subjects are.
A great read
January 5, 2021
Una lettura molto interessante. Sinceramente essendo un atlante mi aspettavo molte più informazioni ma soprattutto molte più pagine. Lo stesso autore però ha affermato di aver avuto difficoltà ad omettere tanti batteri di cui avrebbe voluto parlare, ha deciso quindi di indicarne solo una cinquantina suddividendoli in categorie. Inutile dire che le categorie che ho più apprezzato sono quelle dei batteri "buoni" e di quelli "cattivi" per la salute umana. Sono però interessanti anche i capitoli riguardo ai batteri da record, in senso di sopravvivenza ad alte e bassissime temperature o resistenza a particolari tipi di habitat che un uomo non riuscirebbe a raggiungere.
Sono rimasta affascinata anche dalla sete di conoscenza di certi studiosi, tanto da ingerire volontariamente dei batteri per dimostrarne la loro reazione, e alcuni di loro hanno perso la vita per avanzare di qualche gradino nella scoperta di questo immenso mondo.
Non è un libro facile da leggere, non è un romanzo ma una guida simil-scientifica che consiglio solo a chi è incuriosito.
Sono rimasta affascinata anche dalla sete di conoscenza di certi studiosi, tanto da ingerire volontariamente dei batteri per dimostrarne la loro reazione, e alcuni di loro hanno perso la vita per avanzare di qualche gradino nella scoperta di questo immenso mondo.
Non è un libro facile da leggere, non è un romanzo ma una guida simil-scientifica che consiglio solo a chi è incuriosito.
January 17, 2021
Recensione completa -> https://thebooksblender.altervista.or...
February 6, 2022
Non è un atlante nel vero senso del termine. L’autore, che è anche un microbiologo, ha scelto di parlare in breve (massimo 4 facciate) di 50 batteri da lui scelti.
Dopo un’interessante introduzione sulla microbiologia iniziano i capitoli sui batteri. All’inizio ho fatto fatica perché la scrittura mi è sembrata molto piatta e senza particolari guizzi. Andando avanti però è decisamente migliorato, grazie anche ai batteri scelti: estremamente curiosi e interessanti da scoprire (batteri legati al cambiamento climatico, a epidemia nella storia, a malattie peculiari, ad armi batteriologiche e pure ai miracoli).
Dopo un’interessante introduzione sulla microbiologia iniziano i capitoli sui batteri. All’inizio ho fatto fatica perché la scrittura mi è sembrata molto piatta e senza particolari guizzi. Andando avanti però è decisamente migliorato, grazie anche ai batteri scelti: estremamente curiosi e interessanti da scoprire (batteri legati al cambiamento climatico, a epidemia nella storia, a malattie peculiari, ad armi batteriologiche e pure ai miracoli).
January 30, 2022
Wo soll ich anfangen?
Diese Buch ist einfach wunderschön. Die versilberten Papierkanten, der Einband aus Stoff und die wunderschönen Illustrationen machen es zu etwas ganz besonderem.
Man merkt der Autor brennt für das Thema. Die einzelnen Portraits sind kurzweilig und unterhaltsam. Es findet sich eine große Bandbreite an verschieden Bakterien. Es ist fasziniered und ich liebe es sehr. Ich würde noch weitere Teile lesen, sollte jemals welche erscheinen.
Wer Interesse an Bakterien hat, unbedingt lesen.
Diese Buch ist einfach wunderschön. Die versilberten Papierkanten, der Einband aus Stoff und die wunderschönen Illustrationen machen es zu etwas ganz besonderem.
Man merkt der Autor brennt für das Thema. Die einzelnen Portraits sind kurzweilig und unterhaltsam. Es findet sich eine große Bandbreite an verschieden Bakterien. Es ist fasziniered und ich liebe es sehr. Ich würde noch weitere Teile lesen, sollte jemals welche erscheinen.
Wer Interesse an Bakterien hat, unbedingt lesen.
December 28, 2024
Clearly written, accessible, engaging
March 19, 2025
Piccolo dizionario dei batteri. Lettura molto divertente e interessante, per gli ipocondriaci è meglio evitare la sezione dei batteri patogeni. Ma i batteri non si limitano solo a questa categoria, la maggior parte sono batteri "buoni" che aiutano noi e l'ambiente. Lascia stupiti la quantità di specie diverse di batteri con peculiarità particolari: dai batteri che sopravvivono a temperature estreme, a quelli che vivono in ambienti acidi, che mangiano la plastica e persino responsabili del caratteristico colore rosa dei fenicotteri. Un mondo piccolo e tutto da scoprire!
May 10, 2023
Microbiology for people in a hurry, The Curious World of Bacteria gives fifty brief examples of marvellous microbes. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews