Book Description
BACK IN PRINT WITH A REVISED PREFACE
Microcosmos brings together the remarkable discoveries of microbiology of the past two decades and the pioneering research of Dr. Margulis to create a vivid new picture of the world that is crucial to our understanding of the future of the planet. Addressed to general readers, the book provides a beautifully written view of evolution as a process based on interdependency and thei nterconnectedness of all life on the planet.
Customer Reviews:
Thought provoking, easy to read........2006-11-29
Microcosmos explores a history of life on Earth from the planet's formation to the rise of humankind. The formation of the first organic, self-organized and self-replicating molecules is followed by the arrangement of molecules into membranes and the first cells. The symbiotic inclusion of one organism into another to form such structures as mitochondria and plastids is discussed as is the convergence of several cells into one cooperating multicellular organism. This is followed by a step by step progression in the development of characters comprising the animals and plants we are familiar with today, including ourselves.
Several theories are presented, such as the suggestion that the cilia in our respiratory tract and the rods and cones in our eyes are symbiotic spirochetes whose DNA are so intertwined with our own that these cells appear to be of human origin. Being that this book is twnety years old now, it would be interesting to read a follow-up to compare the authors' suggestions to what has been found since.
The language is high school level and above. It provides an excellent overview of life on Earth and reads quickly.
vague and lacking substance.......2004-01-17
disclaimer: I am not a native speaker (but quite used to read englich).
I found the book quite vague and lacking in details, some images would have helped further. I did not expect an undergraduate book with many chemical formulas, but many ideas seemed only sketched. I can not say that anything is really wrong but I was left with the impression that the claims were not really substantiated.
I am now reading "the origins of life" (Smith and Szathmáry) which -- while even shorter and somewhat dense -- I like much more. It is more precise and the authors clearly tell, what is substantiated "knowledge" and what is speculation. They even avoid using under-defined jargon like "complexity" with a refreshing acknowledgment of their own limitation in giving a clear definition.
On microbes: the real rulers of the planet........2003-06-21
Microcosmos is a natural history of the unseen beings upon whom we depend every moment for survival: the microbes. Margulis, who is currently Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Massachusetts, did undergraduate work in biology and received her PhD in Genetics. She worked with James Lovelock on developing the Gaia theory, which posits that the earth can be regarded as a sort of super-organism. In Microcosmos we see all aspects of her education and sensibilities -- a close attention to scientific detail and a "big picture" approach to how living entities coexist.
In the introduction she lays out her philosophy about life on earth, for which she was roundly criticized by many reductionist scientists. In the past, she writes, all life on Earth was traditionally studied as being merely a prelude to the appearance of humans. Now, overwhelming evidence suggests that microbes (one-celled organisms) not only inhabit every known living thing on earth, they are also indispensable to the survival of all living things. They, not human beings, are the most important beings on the planet.
Furthermore, in opposition to one of the most accepted tenets of Neo-Darwinism, Margulis states that life did not colonize the planet by competition so much as by networking. Cooperation between one-celled creatures led, over billions of years, to the evolution of beings such as ourselves, who possess the capability for self-conscious awareness. Our human consciousness, of which we are so proud, "may have been born of the concerted capacities of millions of microbes that evolved symbiotically to become the human brain."
Strong words! Yet, Margulis sets forth compelling evidence in the remainder of her book to support her bio-philosophical ideas. Along the way, we learn many amazing things. For instance, we get a perspective on what upstart newcomers we are: the continents we inhabit now appeared in their present locations only in the last tenth of a percent of Earth's history. We learn that bacteria invented genetic engineering. Thus, when ultraviolet light damaged early microbes' DNA, the creatures produced repair enzymes to remove the damaged portions and copy new replacement DNA. This is a natural form of gene splicing.
Sometimes, the DNA used in gene splicing was borrowed from neighboring bacteria of different strains, thus affording these critters a prodigious adaptability. This borrowing still goes on today. Through intermediaries, two very different bacteria can share genetic information. Why is this important? Because it allows the distribution of genetic information in the microcosm with a speed "approaching that of modern telecommunications--if the complexity and biological value of the information being transferred is factored in." This speed makes bacteria the biosphere's first responders in dealing with planetary changes.
In responding to change, bacteria end up altering and shaping their environments. Few people realize that the entire earth's atmosphere, which we depend on for our life's breath, was created, and is maintained, by microbes. This is a good thing to remember next time you feel like spraying down your bathroom or kitchen with anti-microbial spray. Our fear of bacteria is misplaced. Yes, some are harmful to us, but most are beneficial. Indeed they are a lot more helpful to us than we are to the rest of the planet!
This book isn't an easy read, but it will broaden one's outlook on our place in the natural world. Even if bacteria are not in the end responsible for the intricacies of our human brain and consciousness, we still owe them many debts. This book unveils the smallness of humans before the vast and minute workings of nature, and encourages a sense of humility before the greater Life that surrounds us.
On microbes: the real rulers of the planet........2003-05-31
Microcosmos is a natural history of the unseen beings upon whom we depend every moment for survival: the microbes. Margulis, who is currently Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Massachusetts, did undergraduate work in biology and received her PhD in Genetics. She worked with James Lovelock on developing the Gaia theory, which posits that the earth can be regarded as a sort of super-organism. In Microcosmos we see all aspects of her education and sensibilities -- a close attention to scientific detail and a "big picture" approach to how living entities coexist.
In the introduction she lays out her philosophy about life on earth, for which she was roundly criticized by many reductionist scientists. In the past, she writes, all life on Earth was traditionally studied as being merely a prelude to the appearance of humans. Now, overwhelming evidence suggests that microbes (one-celled organisms) not only inhabit every known living thing on earth, they are also indispensable to the survival of all living things. They, not human beings, are the most important beings on the planet.
Furthermore, in opposition to one of the most accepted tenets of Neo-Darwinism, Margulis states that life did not colonize the planet by competition so much as by networking. Cooperation between one-celled creatures led, over billions of years, to the evolution of beings such as ourselves, who possess the capability for self-conscious awareness. Our human consciousness, of which we are so proud, "may have been born of the concerted capacities of millions of microbes that evolved symbiotically to become the human brain."
Strong words! Yet, Margulis sets forth compelling evidence in the remainder of her book to support her bio-philosophical ideas. Along the way, we learn many amazing things. For instance, we get a perspective on what upstart newcomers we are: the continents we inhabit now appeared in their present locations only in the last tenth of a percent of Earth's history. We learn that bacteria invented genetic engineering. Thus, when ultraviolet light damaged early microbes' DNA, the creatures produced repair enzymes to remove the damaged portions and copy new replacement DNA. This is a natural form of gene splicing.
Sometimes, the DNA used in gene splicing was borrowed from neighboring bacteria of different strains, thus affording these critters a prodigious adaptability. This borrowing still goes on today. Through intermediaries, two very different bacteria can share genetic information. Why is this important? Because it allows the distribution of genetic information in the microcosm with a speed "approaching that of modern telecommunications--if the complexity and biological value of the information being transferred is factored in." This speed makes bacteria the biosphere's first responders in dealing with planetary changes.
In responding to change, bacteria end up altering and shaping their environments. Few people realize that the entire earth's atmosphere, which we depend on for our life's breath, was created, and is maintained, by microbes. This is a good thing to remember next time you feel like spraying down your bathroom or kitchen with anti-microbial spray. Our fear of bacteria is misplaced. Yes, some are harmful to us, but most are beneficial. Indeed they are a lot more helpful to us than we are to the rest of the planet!
This book isn't an easy read, but it will broaden one's outlook on our place in the natural world. Even if bacteria are not in the end responsible for the intricacies of our human brain and consciousness, we still owe them many debts. This book unveils the smallness of humans before the vast and minute workings of nature, and encourages a sense of humility before the greater Life that surrounds us.
A wonderful look at how life began...........2003-04-23
This book was quite eye opening. It takes billions of years of evolution and tracks it at the microscopic level (hence the title). After reading it, you have to take another look at all the different forms of life here on our planet. I am very glad I bought this book and look forward to reading more from both of these authors.
Average customer rating:
- astounding pictures
- A Magnificent Display of Insect Macro Photography
- extraordinary, one-of-a kind creature photography
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Microcosmos: The Invisible World of Insects
Claude Nuridsany ,
Marie Perennon , and
Marie Perennou
Manufacturer: Stewart Tabori & Chang
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Microcosmos
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Photographing Nature
ASIN: 1556705557 |
Amazon.com
A companion volume to the Miramax documentary of the same name, Microcosmos is "a natural fairy tale," an insect's-eye view of the world. The text tends toward the poetic and metaphorical, likening the ripening of a cocoon to computer assembly language, examining the flight patterns of mosquitoes, veering into discussions of why it is that flowers are beautiful. (The French authors have a wonderful answer: "Flowers are beautiful quite simply to seduce insects.") The book's greatest strength is in its superb photographs, which capture the minutest details of an insect's wanderings.
Customer Reviews:
astounding pictures.......2002-04-09
This book is well worth the money! Even if you haven't seen the movie that originated the book, you'll be fascinated by the small world of insects. As a 3D artist, I strongly recommend this book for its rich and wonderful reference pictures of insects at different stages of their lives. The diversity of their shapes, the richness of their textures. After the 2nd or 3rd page, you'll find yourself empathizing with these little creatures!
A Magnificent Display of Insect Macro Photography.......2001-12-31
I saw this book in a bookstore but did not buy as it was overpriced (more than US$38) !!
But, it is indeed a good book showing insects and other creepy crawlies in action and close proxity. How the photographers did it was a remarkable achievement and certainly deserve to win awards for this work.
Anyone who likes good photos of insects will undoubtedly love this book.
Although this book is out of print, Warner Home Video has produced a VCD by the authors of the same title, and it is perhaps even more stunningly beautiful and awesome.
If you can, get the book and the VCD.
extraordinary, one-of-a kind creature photography.......1999-08-27
a must have for macro photographers--even for fine art photographers. beautifully depicted insects in detail never seen before. the world of insects shown as an amazing fantasy land.
Average customer rating:
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History of the Byzantine Jews: A Microcosmos in the Thousand Year Empire
Elli Kohen
Manufacturer: University Press of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0761836241 |
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La vicinia di S. Pancrazio a Bergamo: Un microcosmo di vita politico-sociale (1283-1318) (Contributi allo studio del territorio bergamasco)
Gloria Caminiti
Manufacturer: Provincia di Bergamo
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ASIN: 8886536135 |
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El Investigador Verde / The Green Investigator (El Investigador Verde)
Anita Ganeri
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ASIN: 9501109348 |
Amazon.com
We owe 1902's The Hound of the Baskervilles to Arthur Conan Doyle's good friend Fletcher "Bobbles" Robinson, who took him to visit some scary English moors and prehistoric ruins, and told him marvelous local legends about escaped prisoners and a 17th-century aristocrat who fell afoul of the family dog. Doyle transmogrified the legend: generations ago, a hound of hell tore out the throat of devilish Hugo Baskerville on the moonlit moor. Poor, accursed Baskerville Hall now has another mysterious death: that of Sir Charles Baskerville. Could the culprit somehow be mixed up with secretive servant Barrymore, history-obsessed Dr. Frankland, butterfly-chasing Stapleton, or Selden, the Notting Hill murderer at large? Someone's been signaling with candles from the mansion's windows. Nor can supernatural forces be ruled out. Can Dr. Watson--left alone by Sherlock Holmes to sleuth in fear for much of the novel--save the next Baskerville, Sir Henry, from the hound's fangs?
Many Holmes fans prefer Doyle's complete short stories, but their clockwork logic doesn't match the author's boast about this novel: it's "a real Creeper!" What distinguishes this particular Hound is its fulfillment of Doyle's great debt to Edgar Allan Poe--it's full of ancient woe, low moans, a Grimpen Mire that sucks ponies to Dostoyevskian deaths, and locals digging up Neolithic skulls without next-of-kins' consent. "The longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one's soul," Watson realizes. "Rank reeds and lush, slimy water-plants sent an odour of decay ... while a false step plunged us more than once thigh-deep into the dark, quivering mire, which shook for yards in soft undulations around our feet ... it was as if some malignant hand was tugging us down into those obscene depths." Read on--but, reader, watch your step! --Tim Appelo
Book Description
Perhaps the most popular of all Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles combines the traditional detective tale with elements of horror. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the wild Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, the blame is placed on a family curse-and it is up to Holmes and Watson to solve the mystery of the legend. Rationalism is pitted against the supernatural and good against evil, as Sherlock Holmes tries to defeat a foe almost his equal.
Introduction and notes by Christopher Fraying.
Download Description
The most famous case of Sherlock Holmes.
Customer Reviews:
A Detective Classic That Fizzles as Literature.......2007-10-06
"The Hound of the Baskervilles," originally published in 1902, is an engrossing "who-dun-it" murder mystery, featuring observant detective Sherlock Holmes and his comparatively humble partner Dr. Watson at their best. Labelled "a classic among classics" by mystery aficionados, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's masterfully written tale poses the problem--who killed Sir Charles Baskerville?--and offers well-placed clues en route to uncovering the resolution. Set a few hours by train from London on the eerie Devonshire moor, where commoners affirm occasional sightings of a huge black hound-shaped beast, the story offers a suspenseful blend of science and the supernatural, with infallible Holmesian logic predictably winning out by story's end.
My only reservation about the book is that it is perhaps a little too formulaic in composition. Among the murder suspects are many: the butler Barrymore and his wife, the neighboring Dr. Mortimer, the argumentative lawyer Frankland with his telescope, the energetic butterfly catcher Stapleton and his sister, the typist Laura Lyons in the adjacent village, the escaped convict Selden, a mysterious black-bearded man seen in London, and, of course, the elusive hound who murmurs and roars on the moor. Watson's thorough narration and detailed letters to Holmes carefully lead us step-by-step through many of the possibilities; however, in my opinion, the overall plotline is more methodical and prematurely revealing than it needs to be. Already by two-thirds of the way through the story, when Holmes, who is supposed to be in London, surprisingly appears on the moor as "the man on the tor," we learn who the murderer must be, and the remaining one-third of the book is devoted to detective-style collection of evidence and explanation and recap of the mystery. That's fine as a study for detectives-in-training, but might the book have had a chance of rising higher as a great work of literature if the author had put more effort into concealing Holmes' conclusion until later in the story, thereby creating a more sustained degree of suspense and intrigue?
For the benefit of anyone who has not yet read the book, I do not want to give too much away, but as a hint in solving the murder mystery I will say that it helps to "follow the money" as you read. After childless Sir Charles, who had made his fortune in overseas speculation, mysteriously dies, next-of-kin nephew Sir Henry returns to England to take control of the estate. Assuming there is some financial motivation for the crime, as there usually is, who among the suspects, especially in light of their past circumstances and misfortune, could profit most from seeing both Charles and Henry dead? Clue: no, the butler didn't do it!
A triumph of atmosphere.......2007-09-17
The setting is the star of Arthur Conan Doyle's atmospheric "The Hound of the Baskervilles," his most popular Sherlock Holmes story. With its barren fog-shrouded wastes, Neolithic ruins, and the treacherous Grimpen Mire, the bleak moor Doyle describes in such delicious detail is the ideal background for a creepy Gothic mystery. Does a cursed hellhound stalk the last heir to the Baskerville fortune? Only Sherlock Holmes can answer that, but for a good portion of the novel Watson is left to investigate on his own. The absence of the hyper-rational detective allows the supernatural mystique of this puzzle develop without distraction before the master detective steps in to dispel the mystery. This is an uncommonly fun read.
The Best Sherlock Holmes -- And That's Sayin' Plenty!.......2007-09-12
I have read and enjoyed many a good Sherlock Holmes story (e.g. "The Red-Headed League" is a winner), but at the very top of the book stack I would place "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Who could ever forget the atmosphere that Arthur Conan Doyle evokes by his use of those misty moors!
In teaching English (Literature) to a class of 7th & 8th grade boys, I was at first a bit hesitant to introduce this novel as our text. Would a group of squirrelly junior high boys find anything of interest in a book written in 1901? Answer: I needn't have worried. They loved it (and so did I)! The fog from the moors drifted right into our classroom.
First-rate mystery tale with one of the most famous fictional characters ever created. ENJOY! (But keep an eye out for a frightful luminescent hound next time you're walking home at night - just in case).
Super Reader.......2007-08-02
I have lost track of how many times I have read this, or how many different adaptations I have watched, or listened to. I still enjoy it every single time. A true classic. Suspense, horror and sneakiness abound, particularly between the major characters. What is going on? It keeps you captivated all along, should not be too many people that don't like this. Large black ghost hounds, your Jane Austen type gentlemen in trouble, dodgy locals, and the brilliance of Holmes.
Coyle Energetically Ignites His Story [132].......2007-07-08
Some proclaim Doyle's greatest work to be "The Hound of the Baskervilles." And, it may be just that.
Set on a British estate, mixing science fictional accounts with old wive's tales and mythology, it is not a standard tale of urban sleuthing. This involves Holmes outside of London, and working with the "plebians" or "ordinary people" in his mission to save "Sir Henry" from encountering the same fate as his uncle Sir Charles Baskerville.
There are tales of adultery, slanting lies and rendevous at late hours of the night in the moor which flanks the estate of Sir Henry. The evenings overlooking the moor are often disturbed by the noisy backdrop of a hound howling, but not the sound of a hound ever heard by anyone before.
The moor is dangerously dotted with mires in which a step could mean one's end. Muddy and deep, the step into such places becomes a trap for the unwary. Hence, the moor includes dangers beyond its sounds, it is a place where young and old should avoid unless they know which places are safe and which are not.
An entomologist named Stapleton knows the moor inside and out. He befriends Sir Henry and Watson. He cannot meet Sherlock Holmes who must stay in London for other cases. This story follows the day-to-day discoveries of Watson, more than others.
In the end, the intertwining of evil that haunts the people in the tiny hamlet becomes staggering and one must wonder - could a village of such small size really have so many people within it keeping such deadly secrets without one of the others (if not all of the others) knowing? Probably not. But, who cares.
And, I lastly note that Doyle certainly was more than a mystery writer. His prose rivals Forster or Waugh. For instance, he wrote:"We looked back on it now; the slanting rays of a low sun turning the streams into threads of gold and glowing on the red earth new turned by the plough and the broad tangle of the woodlands.. . Now and then we passed a moorland cottage, walled and roofed with stone, with no creeper to break its harsh outline. Suddenly we looked down into a cuplike depression, patched with stunted oaks and firs which had been twisted and bent by the fury of years of storm."
With prose like that, you only conclude: This is more than a mystery novel.
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