The amoeba in the room : lives of the microbes

239 Pages·2014·1.8 MB·English

by  Money, Nicholas P

3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, ox2 6dp,
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© Nicholas P. Money 2014
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First Edition published in 2014
Impression: 1
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013947880
ISBN 978–0–19–966593–8
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To the memory of Kate Piggott,
my dear grandmother and first biology teacher

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal
—King James Bible, Revelation 22.1
The revelations of the microscope are perhaps not exceeded in importance by
those of the telescope. While exciting our curiosity, our wonder and admir-
ation, they have proved of infinite service in advancing our knowledge of
things around us. The present work, founded on such revelations, I have
attempted to prepare in a manner to render it easy of comprehension, with the
view of promoting and encouraging a taste for microscopic investigation.
—Joseph Leidy, U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories Report (1879)

Contents
Acknowledgments x
Preface xi
1 Eden 1
2 Lenses 32
3 Leviathan 57
4 Dirt and Water 85
5 Air 112
6 Naked Ape 131
7 Vulcan’s Forge and Dante’s Hell 153
8 New Jerusalem 176
Notes 191
Color Plate Credits 214
Index 215
ix