Chemical Communication: The Language of Pheromones (Scientific American Library) [Hardcover]

William C. Agosta (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co; 2nd edition (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716750368
• ISBN-13: 978-0716750369
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pheromes - more than communication, November 25, 2000

By 

Howard Schneider (Thornhill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chemical Communication: The Language of Pheromones (Scientific American Library) (Hardcover)

Easy to read overview of pheromones, a variety of chemical molecules that help sperm cells find (ie, move in the direction of) egg cells, male animals find females and vice versa, as a signal for a male fish to deposit his sperm over recently released eggs, as an alarm signal for an entire group of animals, as a signal for a male hamster to mate with a female, as a territorial mark, etc, etc. This reference provides the general reader with some background in a variety of physiological and zoological areas. Although not fully explored, the existence of pheromone-guided actions, provides an effective mechanism for creatures, both ancient and modern, with limited nervous systems to exhibit a variety of complex behaviors.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific American - good book, May 21, 2010

By 

Alexander Cochran "SpoonerandForker" (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chemical Communication: The Language of Pheromones (Scientific American Library) (Hardcover)

This book is another example of Scientific American making technology accessable to people in other fields. Good broad coverage of a fascinating and complex subject that explains some of the ramificaions of science and its effect on our daily lives. Since the book was published there have been additional discoveries but the underlying explanitions are still relevant and exciting.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chemical Ecology: the sense God gave an ant, November 24, 2003

By 

Elspeth Shell-moyer "luna358" (Bronxville, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chemical Communication: The Language of Pheromones (Scientific American Library) (Hardcover)

Chemical Ecology is a relatively new science that blends chemistry, biology and behavioral science in order to understand chemical interactions of things in nature. Agosta provides readers with a broad overview of chemistry in nature in a fascinating format that requires only interest in science to appreciate and only basic knowledge of chemistry and biology to understand. Like Agosta's recent book, Thieves, Decievers and Killers, this book strives to give a broad look at the world of chemical interaction. Unlike it, however, Chemical Communication offers a more technical approach utilizing many interesting diagrams, photos and drawings of chemical structures, while maintaining narrative like readability.