Life on the Edge: Amazing Creatures Thriving in Extreme Environments [Paperback]

Michael Gross (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0738204455 | ISBN-13: 978-0738204451 | Publication Date: January 2001 | Edition: 1

Can life exist in the Antarctic ice, in the deep subsurface, in dilute sulfuric acid, in hot springs-even on Mars? What degree of high or low temperature, pressure, or salt concentration can living cells tolerate? In recent years, scientists have discovered many single-cell creatures that exist in-in fact, are perfectly adapted to-extreme environments that were considered uninhabitable just one or two decades ago. In Life on the Edge, author Michael Gross explores how microorganisms adapt to their hostile environments and how they affect our current definition of the "normal" conditions for life. He also describes the vast implications of these extremophiles and other amazing creatures-from potential breakthroughs in medicine and biotechnology to the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The discovery of "extremophilic" life that thrives in hot, cold, pressurized, desiccated, and acidic environments has necessitated a rethinking of elemental biology and revived expectations about extraterrestrial life existing in the solar system. Gross, a biochemist, explains the adaptiveness of life to stress in terms of the resilience of the cell. It can respond to the huge range of nature's insults, thanks to a first-aid kit that deploys various proteins in response to cold or heat. Gross examines those proteins with the aid of molecular diagrams and examples of organisms from such places as Antarctica and the Dead Sea before proceeding to the fascinating question of life's origins. Quite possibly, extremophilic microbes, named archaebacteria, are the most ancient life-forms. Their RNA protein has revealed some unusual properties that Gross describes as nontechnically as possible. Gross closes with thoughts on the prospect of finding extremophiles on Mars. The book constitutes an accessible introduction to an exciting outpost on the scientific frontier. Gilbert Taylor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A fascinating introduction to the subject [of life in extreme environments]. Challenging in parts--but well worth the effort." -- New Scientist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738204455
• ISBN-13: 978-0738204451
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,790,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This book is very detailed in a molecular + chemical way, October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Life On The Edge (Hardcover)

I had to read this book for a college biology class and it was not an easy read. It is very detailed in explaing the extreme enviorments in which these creatures live, beacause it gets down to the chemical and molecular make-up of everything. You really need a biology dictionary to go with it.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ArchaeaSo What?, April 20, 2003

By 

Worldreels (MANKATO, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Life on the Edge: Amazing Creatures Thriving in Extreme Environments (Paperback)

Gross starts out explaining the chemosynthesis that supports deep sea bacteria, archaea, very well. His extreme life bacteria are interesting, shedding light on life prior to the earth's oxygen atmosphere, but then what? The book becomes repetitive. Yes, some life forms can endure extreme heat, pressure, cold and drought and he explains all of this perfectly. This all lends support to theories of possible bacterial life on other planets and to what was the first forms of life on earth. Beyond that it is only a treatise for graduate students seeking a higher degree. It is a lot of new words-not for the general reader.