Customer Reviews

Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have ever wondered EXACTLY why and how humans get altitude sickness, what happens to the body when exposed to extreme heat or cold, why scuba divers sometime get the "bends," or what would happen to an astronaut if the Space Station developed a leak, this book is for you. Frances M. Ashcroft explains in complete detail - the detail that is so often lacking in the popular, dumbed-down modern media - why the body at high altitudes can't get the oxygen it needs, what happens to skin cells when you burn yourself or get frostbite, how nitrogen dissolves in your blood when diving deep in water, or how your blood would boil if exposed to the emptiness of space.

And she doesn't stop with humans. She examines the extremes of the animal world for creatures able to withstand and thrive in boiling cauldrons, the extreme depths of the oceans, or the extreme cold of Antarctica.

She presents not just a world of creatures living in incredible environments, but precise descriptions of how this is all accomplished. This makes for Really Amazing reading!

I have always been fascinated with this topic, and this book opened my eyes to all kinds of interesting aspects of adaptation of animals (especially humans) to extreme conditions. Particularly interesting to me were the chapters on altitude and depth. Examples and sidebars were well chosen and well explained. I have used information from the book in lectures to students of physiology. Highly recommended.

This book appealed to my inner nerd, and helped me understand from a physiological standpoint what is happening during when the body is put to the extreme test. It doesn't talk about when people are placed in extreme situations, which was the part I found pretty deceptive. But Dr. Ashcroft is an anatomy professor - that should have been my big clue. Still, a good read if you've got an interest in anatomy and physiology.

This much-heralded book is a treasure chest of facts and anecdotes on (mostly human or other mammalian) life under extreme conditions. It's a good mix of physics, physiology, and the adventurous tales of people "who have been there". The extremes treated in this book range from the deepest depth of the ocean to the highest elevations that can be reached on foot or by balloon, from the causes and dangers of overheating to what tissues frostbites destroy. It also includes a chapter on astronauts' problems in space, as well as one on how microbes survive in atmospheres of otherwise lethal toxic gases, in hot springs, acid and caustic lakes or springs, and in deep rocks. This is a book for the general reader and the physics and physiology are accordingly described in an easily understandable manner. It is also a good starting point for someone intending to delve deeper into the matter (a 'further reading' list is appended). The text is agreeable to read (except for the irritating use of singular subject and plural verb form) and the printing errors are easy to spot. A shame is that the illustrations were not printed on glossy paper; they loose much of their charm on the rough surface of the pages.

An amazing book for people who are into the possibility of extraterrestrial life and also those who fear that the demise of our own ecosystem will lead to an end to life on our planet as we know it. The best thing you can tell someone who insist life cannot exist outside our biosphere is "vent fish", these fish that live 5000 feet deep on the ocean floor where there is no light and the only source of food is the sulfur blowing from volcanic vents. This book is all about life in the harshest of places. This line from the introduction: "Environmental extremes are not the prerogative of the adventurous few - with the help of technology, all of us can tolerate severe conditions with equanimity." reminds me of the movie "True Stories" where John Goodman asked God to do something about all these malls and parking lots, so God created people who love malls and parking lots!!! Life At The Extremes might be a how-to guide to this uncertain future we are blindly racing into... It's a must read for environmentalists and ufologists alike. Remy C.

I must admit that I was fooled by the description of this book on the dusk jacket. What I thought I was buying was a book that detailed what happened to individual people in extreme conditions, in space, tops of mountains etc. What the book provided me was a description of what happens to the human body in these extreme conditions. Overall the information was interesting, but this is not a book that would fall into the action / adventure category. You do not get the drama or tension of actual people being put in harms way. The book is well written, even in the parts that are medical descriptions. If you are interested in what happens to someone in extreme conditions or as a reference book next time you are reading an action / adventure book then this is the book for you.

This book contains a variety of interesting bits of trivia and it is written with a voice that keeps the reader interested. Scientific facts and principles are presented in a manner accessible to a general audience, but they are not so overly simplified that a scientist becomes bored.
The only serious shortcoming is that sometimes the biological background of the author demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in understanding physics. While these errors did not really subtract from the main points being made, physicists and engineers may occasionally become irritated.

This is an incredible collection of knowledge. Share this with everyone! The amount of information you never thought to think about is amazing! Who knew that the amount of time spent in microgravity is proportional to the amount of muscle and bone loss in an individual. Science Fiction be damned!! I think I will "pass" on the kidney and bone integrity deficiencies. What an eye opener!

This is essentially a collection of interesting & curious facts about humans' & other animals' survival under extreme environmental conditions. I didn't get much out of it, probably because I was expecting something more substantial. Some of the explanations offered seemed questionable, or at least were not backed up by references to the literature. Then again, this isn't that kind of a book.