Overview

Bacteria, viruses, and fungi...microbes are everywhere. You may think they are all harmful, but most microbes are beneficial. These tiny organisms are too small for us to see, but they impact our lives every day. Readers learn how microbes live in and on our bodies, help make food, inhabit extreme environments, and even change history. Sara L. Latta, with a master's degree in microbiology, tells of the fascinating world of the unseen microbes in our lives.

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9780766012943

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Everything you ever wanted to know about microbes and then some! This information-packed book takes the reader from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of Mars in search of the smallest forms of known life in the universe. According to Latta, a microbe is any organism too tiny to be seen without the aid of a microscope. Most consist of only one cell and can be classified as either archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists, or viruses. Author Sara Latta explores all of these categories in six, fast-paced chapters liberally sprinkled with sidebars and anecdotes. Who knew, for instance, that Beatrix Potter started her career as an illustrator by studying lichens, and that she wrote a scientific paper supporting the theory that they were actually fungi and algae living in symbiosis? Admittedly, all these asides give the book a slightly disorganized feeling. The chapters do not always seem to follow one another. It is not easy to jump from the frontiers of contemporary biotechnology to the history of the plague during the middle ages and back again. However, there is no need to read each chapter in sequence. Once you realize that this is less a comprehensive text than a compendium of odd and fascinating facts about microbes, the author's sprightly style becomes quite enjoyable. The ample illustrations, glossary, and suggestions for further reading would make this a good choice for middle grade students interested in both biology and health science., Children's Literature

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