Hard Places: Reading the Landscape of America's Historic Mining Districts (American Land and Life Series)

Customer Reviews:

Great academic work on mining landscapes.......1999-10-12

If you're interested in the cultural landscapes associated with mining, this book is a must. Great stuff on Bisbee, AZ. Fantastic maps show the development of that mining landscape over time.

Book Description

Extremophiles are life-forms that thrive under some of the harshest conditions found on Earth. This resource provides a detailed overview of the current state of knowledge about this fascinating group of life-forms. Over the course of 11 contributed chapters, 26 experts from around the globe identify known extremophiles, explore their unique ecologies and physiologies, and discuss current and future biotechnological applications.

Providing the most up-to-date coverage available of this rapidly advancing field, this book:

Combines the latest research finding with informed speculation about extremophile evolution, ecology, physiology, and genetics
Covers all types of extremophiles, including hyperthermophiles, psychrophiles, halophiles, acidophiles, alkaliophiles, and anaerobic extremophiles
Explores current and future industrial applications, such as alkaliophile bioenergetics, metal recovery, and toxic waste disposal

Customer Reviews:

very good.......1999-11-25

I am want to look this boo

Impossible Extinction: Natural Catastrophes and the Supremacy of the Microbial World

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Fairly Informative
"Life" Seen Against A Cosmic Backdrop
To Live and Let Live
Great book!
An oustanding book

Impossible Extinction: Natural Catastrophes and the Supremacy of the Microbial World
Charles S. Cockell
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521817366

Book Description

Every 225 million years the Earth, and all the life on it, completes one revolution around the Milky Way Galaxy. During this remarkable journey, life is influenced by calamitous changes. Comets and asteroids strike the surface of the Earth, stars explode, enormous volcanoes erupt, and, more recently, humans litter the planet with waste. Many animals and plants become extinct during the voyage, but humble microbes, simple creatures made of a single cell, survive this journey. This book takes a tour of the microbial world, from the coldest and deepest places on Earth to the hottest and highest, and witnesses some of the most catastrophic events that life can face. Impossible Extinction tells this remarkable story to the general reader by explaining how microbes have survived on Earth for over three billion years. Charles Cockell received his doctorate from the University of Oxford, and is currently a microbiologist with rhe Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI), based at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK. His research focusses on astrobiology, life in the extremes and the human exploration of Mars. Cockell has been on expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctic, Mongolia, and in 1993 he piloted a modified insect-collecting ultra-light aircraft over the Indonesian rainforests. He is Chair of the Twenty-one Eleven Foundation for Exploration, a charity that supports expeditions that forge links between space exploration and environmentalism.

Customer Reviews:

Fairly Informative .......2005-11-30

The book is pretty good but has some detractions. The organization does not hang together all that well. Some of the
potential causes of mass extinctions are not related to the Earth's 225 million year trip around the galactic center, so this obscure fact is mentioned too often and with too little affect. The book has neither footnotes nor a general reference section - this is disappointing because there are a lot of interesting facts that one might want to pursue further but it will take some effort to find the primary sources.

"Life" Seen Against A Cosmic Backdrop.......2003-07-01

In recent years, a new, broad scientific discipline has come into being: Astrobiology. As with anything new, its scope is still undergoing formulation. Some see Astrobiology as simply "exobiology-plus" (exobiology being a term used to describe the search for life's origins on earth -and elsewhere). Others (as a somewhat generic space biologist I include myself) see Astrobiology as something much more expansive - something not at all distant from "Life, the universe, and everything" to lift a line from Douglas Adams.

In his book "Impossible Extinction" author Charles Cockell embraces the larger definition of the term. His task is daunting: describe the Earth's voyage through the cosmos as a backdrop for the origin and evolution of life across the planet's surface - and subsurface. Add in regular catastrophes - of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial origin, stand back, and watch what life does.

Throughout the book (written in engaging style for both an educated layperson or a seasoned professional) it becomes clear that the true survivors as each disaster besets our planet are microbes. Not only do microbes barely hang on, but they thrive.

Over the course of life's tenure on our planet microbes have come to inhabit some of the most improbable and extreme (from a human perspective that is) ecological niches on - and within our planet. Such flexibility and tenacity affords the chance for survival even if the surface of the planet is laid waste and partially molten.

Of course, Earth is but one planet amongst an unimaginable number thought to exist in the universe. Cockell addresses this as well, placing our world and the life it carries, against a truly cosmic perspective. The reader of this well-presented book is left with a clear, concise understanding of what life is capable of enduring on Earth. And if it happened on this planet ...

To Live and Let Live.......2003-06-19

It is only within the last decade that most scientists have accepted that the Earth's geology and biology are both shaped by celestial events, as well as tectonic ones. Cockell has worked in both the Arctic and the Antarctic to study microscopic life under extreme conditions, and he gives us a splendid account of how microbes, which make up to 80% of our planet's biomass, have survived on our planet for three and a half billion years. He uses the 225 million year cycle it takes the Earth to circle the galaxy as a timeframe within which to describe their ability to survive everything from catastrophic volcanism to the impacts of asteroids. Along the way, he also examines chances for life elsewhere in the solar system. Needless to say, he demonstrates conclusively why microbes stand a better chance of survival on Earth than we do. Cockell's writing is authoritative, humorous, and accessible to a lay audience.

Great book!.......2003-06-18

I thought this book would be really technical, but I really enjoyed it, it was easy to read and very interesting!

An oustanding book.......2003-06-18

"IMPOSSIBLE EXTINCTION" by Charles S. Cockell is a fascinating book reflecting on the extraordinary hardiness and resilience of microbial life compared to that of more evolved and narrowly adapted forms of life in the face of global ecological catastrophes as can occur in planetary evolution. In addition to providing a comprehensive overview on the wonderful role and importance of microbes in evolution, Cockell's book presents bold new ideas about the possibilities of microbial life throughout the universe and of future life on Earth, and is at the same time an extremely entertaining read. I recommend this beautifully written book wholeheartedly to the scientist and the lay person alike. It has the feel of an instant classic.

Enigmatic Microorganisms and Life in Extreme Environments (Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats)

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Enigmatic Microorganisms and Life in Extreme Environments (Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1402018630

Book Description

This volume covers the fields of origin, evolution and phylogenesis from prokaryotic to eukaryotic cells. The eminent authors, experts in their fields, review the three kingdoms of life (Archea, Eubacteria and Eukarya) from molecular evolutionary levels to ecological aspects in enigmatic habitats, including general reviews of puzzling pro-and eukaryotic organisms and their domains. We discuss dry habitats, thermophilic (cells in hot springs and undersea thermal vents up to 110°C), psychrophilic (cryophiles) and halophilic (high salt concentrations) niches which among the harshest conditions found on Earth where microbial life is frequently detected. Some chapters deal with the organisms which grow in extreme pH conditions (acidity vs. alkalinity), and under hydrostatic pressure in the deep sea, and microbial growth on petroleum. Audience: Students, lecturers and researchers; scholars in the fields of biology, evolutionary biology and chemistry, and other evolutionary fields, and the intelligent layman.

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Extremophiles in Deep-Sea Environments

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 4431702636

Book Description

Many organisms in deep-sea environments are extremophiles thriving in extreme conditions: high pressure, high or low temperature, or high concentrations of inorganic compounds. This book presents the microbiology of extremophiles living in the deep sea and describes the isolation, cultivation, and taxonomic identification of microorganisms retrieved from the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest point. Also explained are techniques for recovering pressure-loving bacteria, the barophiles (piezophiles), and for whole genome analysis of Bacillus halodurans C-125. Physiological analysis of the pressure effect in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli is used to answer the question of how deep-sea organisms survive under high hydrostatic pressure. These research results are useful in both basic science and industrial applications. Readers discover a new microbial world in the ocean depths, with state-of-the-science information on extremophiles.

Halophilic Microorganisms and their Environments (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)

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Halophilic Microorganisms and their Environments (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)
A. Oren
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402008295

Book Description

The halophilic microorganisms form a highly diverse group of organisms. They present the biochemist/physiologist with interesting questions on the strategies used to cope with high osmotic pressures exerted by hypersaline brines. They often have a strong impact on the ecosystems in which they thrive. The first section of the book presents in-depth discussions of the taxonomy, cellular properties, metabolic diversity, pigments, ion metabolism and organic osmotic solutes, properties of halophilic proteins, genetics, and biotechnological uses of halophilic microorganisms. The second section describes the occurrence and functioning of these organisms in the Great Salt Lake, the Dead Sea, solar saltern ponds, alkaline soda lakes, and other hypersaline environments worldwide. Each chapter contains an extensive list of references. No other book provides in-depth up-to-date coverage of all subjects described. The volume is intended for researchers and students interested in microbial physiology, microbial ecology, environmental sciences, and extremophilic biotechnology.

Journey to Diverse Microbial Worlds - Adaptation to Exotic Environments (CELLULAR ORIGIN AND LIFE IN EXTREME HABITATS Volume 2) (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)

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Journey to Diverse Microbial Worlds - Adaptation to Exotic Environments (CELLULAR ORIGIN AND LIFE IN EXTREME HABITATS Volume 2) (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792360206

Book Description

In this Journey to Microbial Worlds we present the diversity of microorganisms, from the state of fossil microbes in Archaean age rocks to the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. This volume discusses the extremophiles living in harsh environments (from our anthropocentric point) and describes them in considerable detail. Some chapters also review topics such as symbiosis, bacterial luminescence, methanogens, and petroleum-grown cells. The final chapters of this book shed new light on astrobiology and speculate on extremophiles as candidates for extraterrestrial life. All chapters are updated to the latest research level.

Mechanisms by which Bacterial Cells Respond to pH - No. 221

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Mechanisms by which Bacterial Cells Respond to pH - No. 221
Novartis Foundation Symposium
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Microbial responses to acidic and alkaline pH are important in many areas of bacteriology. For example, the mechanisms of resistance to acidic pH are important in the understanding of the passage of human pathogens through the acid of the stomach; and an understanding of microbial degradation of alkaline industrial waste is important for the environment.

Bringing together contributions from an international and interdisciplinary group of experts working on the many aspects of bacterial cellular responses to pH, this stimulating volume draws together new and innovative work in this area. It delineates both similarities and differences between mechanisms of tolerance and response, providing readers with an invaluable resource on the subject.

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Microbial Life in Extreme Environments
Harold S. Kushner
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Microbiological Aspects of Biofilms and Drinking Water (Microbiology of Extreme and Unusual Environments)

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Microbiological Aspects of Biofilms and Drinking Water (Microbiology of Extreme and Unusual Environments)
Steven Lane Percival , James Taggari Walker , and Paul R. Hunter
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 084930590X

Book Description

The development of biofilms and their role in public health - particularly drinking water - is often overlooked. Ideal for anyone interested in water related issues, Microbiological Aspects of Biofilms and Drinking Water presents an overview of the public health effects associated with drinking water. It highlights the microbiological aspects relating to the development of biofilms. The first four chapters focus on the state of the water supply. The authors review methods for studying the epidemiological spread of waterborne infections and those used in surveillance and control of pathogenic microbes. He includes the methods used for the detection of pathogens of public health importance in drinking water. In the subsequent chapters the authors pay close attention to biofilm development within drinking water systems, underlining the public health threat. They cover the microbes important to public health and include the methods used to detect biofilms. In conclusion they review the methods involved in biofilm control - both conventional and biocidal treatments. Overall, Microbiological Aspects of Biofilms and Drinking Water provides a snapshot of public health and the water supply. It covers the future of drinking water and its associated health hazards and provides a deeper understanding of biofilms and how they provide a safe haven for pathogens and water related diseases.

Microbiology and Biogeochemistry of Hypersaline Environments (Microbiology of Extreme and Unusual Environments)

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Microbiology and Biogeochemistry of Hypersaline Environments (Microbiology of Extreme and Unusual Environments)
Aharon Oren
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849383633

Book Description

This book details the biology and biogeochemistry of various halophilic microorganisms that live in high density saline environments worldwide. Topics include the biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology of these organisms; new methods to type them; and osmotic adaption. Information presented serves not only as an up-to-date picture of hypersaline microbiology, but also stimulates further in-depth exploration of hypersaline environments and the microorganisms that inhabit them. Marketing Class Code: 1N03

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