Tales From The Underground

A Natural History Of Subterranean Life

By: David Wolfe

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Paperback | 2 May 2002 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
240 Pages

Age
1 - 17

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 12.7 x 1.27

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There are over one billion organisms in a pinch of soil, yet we know much more about deep space than about the universe below. In Tales from the Underground, Cornell ecologist David Wolfe takes us on a tour through current scientific knowledge of the subterranean world. We follow the progress of discovery from Charles Darwin's experiments with earthworms, to Lewis and Clark's first encounter with prairie dogs, to the use of new genetic tools that are revealing an astonishingly rich ecosystem beneath our feet. Wolfe plunges us deep into the earth's rocky crust, where life may have begun-a world devoid of oxygen and light but safe from asteroid bombardment. Primitive microbes found there are turning our notion of the evolutionary tree of life on its head: amazingly, they represent perhaps a full third of earth's genetic diversity. As Wolfe explains, creatures of the soil can work for us, by providing important pharmaceuticals and recycling the essential elements of life, or against us, by spreading disease and contributing to global climate change. The future of our species may well depend on how we manage our living soil resources. Tales from the Underground will forever alter our appreciation of the natural world around-and beneath-us.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Science Biology, Life Sciences Life Sciences in General Ecological Science Sociology & Anthropology Nature & The Natural World Earth Sciences, Geography, Environment, Planning Earth Sciences Science in General

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Ancient Life
Origins	p. 17
The Habitable Zone	p. 35
Shaking the Tree of Life	p. 53
Life Support for Planet Earth
Out of Thin Air	p. 75
Nexus of the Underground	p. 93
When the Humble Explain the Great	p. 107
Germ Warfare	p. 123
The Human Factor
Endangered Diggers of the Deep	p. 143
The Good Earth	p. 165
Epilogue	p. 187
Notes and References	p. 189
Index	p. 207
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Tales From The Underground

A Natural History Of Subterranean Life

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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