Informationen zum Autor Eleanor Spicer Rice, PhD, is an entomologist and the author of seven books, including Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Ants , Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Spiders , and Ants: Workers of the World . She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, sons, dogs, hermit crabs, an assortment of spiders and insects, and a small but valiant flock of homing pigeons. Rob Wilson is an award-winning illustrator and celebrated graphic designer who has created work for the Washington Post , New York magazine, the Wall Street Journal , Mother Jones , and the covers of best-selling books. He is the creator of the icon for the popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale , and his work has been featured in galleries in London and New York City, where he lives. Leseprobe Introduction Get used to it. You're surrounded. And covered. And filled. Unless you and everything around you just had a disinfectant shower, pretty much every square millimeter (that's a really small space; a sesame seed on top of your hamburger bun is one millimeter thick) that surrounds you has hundreds of microbes hanging out, living their best lives, having tiny conversations, arguments, buffets, you name it. Even though we can't see them, microbes impact our lives and our world in big, beautiful, and sometimes creepy ways. Yes, some can make us sick (hi, strep throat!), and others can be associated with lots of ick (poop, for example, is packed with 'em). But without microbes living on, in, and around us, we wouldn't be able to digest our food properly, would smell funny, and could get sick or depressed or experience lots of other terrible things. The little guys aren't just for us big folks. Microbes help loads of life-forms, from houseflies to houseplants, have happy lives. Well, some microbes help with the happy. Others are capable of mind control, gut liquefaction, and all sorts of weird, supercool deeds. Because microbes live pretty much everywhere, you're surrounded by an invisible world of joy and drama. While you're reading this, it's possible some houseflies nearby have been turned into zombies by a fungus, mice have been mind-controlled by a protist into calling cats to come play, and a microbe party in your bottom is producing a monster SBD(?Silent But Deadly. As in, when one breaks wind. As in, a fart.). Let it fly and thank the little guys. Unless you're in class. If that's the case, sorry about that. In this book, you'll get a close-up view of the enchanting, thrilling microbe dramas happening right now. Like, in your yard. Or in your house. Or in you . But first, allow us to introduce you to microbes. A microbe is any living creature that's too small to see. For most of us, anything that's half the width of a human hair (that means less than .5 millimeters) is undetectable by our eyes. That includes most bacteria (there are a couple of bacterial whoppers you can see with the naked eye, but scientists usually include those as microbes, too, just so they won't feel left out), fungi, protozoa, archaea, algae, and some tiny animals. Some scientists say viruses don't count as microbes because they don't meet the official definition of living (viruses don't grow and they don't eat). Other scientists say, Let viruses join the party! In this book, we're going to let a couple of viruses join the party, only because what they do to people is so out there we want you to know about them. Let's break it down so you can see what makes up each kind of microbe. Bacteria are single-celled creatures that come in all shapes and sizes (many variations of small). They keep their DNA tangled up in something called a nucleoid instead of having a nucleus like our bodies' cells have. DNA is a chain of chemicals that holds instructions for all sorts of traits that creatures hav...

Autorentext

Eleanor Spicer Rice, PhD, is an entomologist and the author of seven books, including Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Ants, Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Spiders, *and Ants: Workers of the World*. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, sons, dogs, hermit crabs, an assortment of spiders and insects, and a small but valiant flock of homing pigeons.

Rob Wilson is an award-winning illustrator and celebrated graphic designer who has created work for the Washington Post, New York magazine, *the Wall Street Journal, Mother Jones, and the covers of best-selling books. He is the creator of the icon for the popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale*, and his work has been featured in galleries in London and New York City, where he lives.

Klappentext

Did you know that you're surrounded by microbes? They're on your body, in your body, and on every body! In fact, only about half of our bodies' cells are human cells--the rest are microbes. From the ways they help us digest our food to the ways they control critters and creatures (zombie flies, anyone?), microbes form an unseen jungle around us. Complete with zany, gross facts, hilarious and sometimes disgusting illustrations, and interviews with real researchers, this is your close-up view of the microbe drama unfolding in your world every day.

Leseprobe
Introduction
 
Get used to it. You’re surrounded. And covered. And filled. Unless you and everything around you just had a disinfectant shower, pretty much every square millimeter (that’s a really small space; a sesame seed on top of your hamburger bun is one millimeter thick) that surrounds you has hundreds of microbes hanging out, living their best lives, having tiny conversations, arguments, buffets, you name it.
   Even though we can’t see them, microbes impact our lives and our world in big, beautiful, and sometimes creepy ways. Yes, some can make us sick (hi, strep throat!), and others can be associated with lots of ick (poop, for example, is packed with ’em). But without microbes living on, in, and around us, we wouldn’t be able to digest our food properly, would smell funny, and could get sick or depressed or experience lots of other terrible things.
   The little guys aren’t just for us big folks. Microbes help loads of life-forms, from houseflies to houseplants, have happy lives. Well, some microbes help with the happy. Others are capable of mind control, gut liquefaction, and all sorts of weird, supercool deeds.
   Because microbes live pretty much everywhere, you’re surrounded by an invisible world of joy and drama. While you’re reading this, it’s possible some houseflies nearby have been turned into zombies by a fungus, mice have been mind-controlled by a protist into calling cats to come play, and a microbe party in your bottom is producing a monster SBD( Silent But Deadly. As in, when one breaks wind. As in, a fart.). Let it fly and thank the little guys. Unless you’re in class. If that’s the case, sorry about that.
   In this book, you’ll get a close-up view of the enchanting, thrilling microbe dramas happening right now. Like, in your yard. Or in your house. Or in you. But first, allow us to introduce you to microbes.
   A microbe is any living creature that’s too small to see. For most of us, anything that’s half the width of a human hair (that means less than .5 millimeters) is undetectable by our eyes. That includes most bacteria (there are a couple of bacterial whoppers you can see with the naked eye, but scientists usually include those as microbes, too, just so they won’t feel left out), fungi, protozoa, archaea, algae, and some tiny animals. Some scientists say viruses don’t count as microbes because they don’t meet the official definition of living (viruses don’t grow and they don’t eat). Other scientists say, “Let viruses join the party!” In this book, we’re going to let a coup…