Every living thing : man's obsessive quest to catalog life : from nanobacteria to new monkeys

Biologists and laypeople alike have repeatedly claimed victory over life. A thousand years ago we thought we knew almost everything; a hundred years ago, too. But even today, Rob Dunn argues, discoveries we can't yet imagine still await. In a series of vivid portraits of single-minded scientists, Dunn traces the history of human discovery, from the establishment of classification in the eighteenth century to today's attempts to find life in space. The narrative telescopes from a scientist's attempt to find one single thing (a rare ant-emulating beetle species) to another scientist's attempt to find everything in a small patch of jungle in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. With poetry and humor, Dunn reminds readers how tough and exhilarating it is to study the natural world, and why it matters. If you have any interest in life beyond your own, you should read this book. Paul R. Ehrlich, author of The Dominant Animal Biologist Rob Dunns Every Little Thing is the story of mans obsessive quest to catalog life, from nanobacteria to new monkeys. In the tradition of E.O. Wilson, this engaging and fascinating work of popular science follows humanitys unending quest to discover every living thing in our natural worldfrom the unimaginably small in the most inhospitable of places on earth to the unimaginably far away in the unexplored canals on Mars. Title Page 3 Dedication Page 4 Contents 5 Preface 7 Introduction 9 Part One 13 Chapter One 15 Chapter Two 35 Chapter Three 52 Part Two 69 Chapter Four 71 Chapter Five 99 Chapter Six 123 Part Three 143 Chapter Seven 145 Chapter Eight 161 Chapter Nine 177 Chapter Ten 193 Part Four 203 Chapter Eleven 205 Chapter Twelve 221 Chapter Thirteen 236 Chapter Fourteen 258 Endnotes 269 Index 277 Acknowledgments 285 About the Author 287 Credits 288 Copyright Notice 289 About the Publisher 290 Traces The History Of Human Discovery, From The Establishment Of Classification In The Eighteenth Century To Today's Attempts To Find Life In Space. Beginnings -- Fogging (the Tree Of Life) -- Roots -- Other Worlds. Rob R. Dunn ; Preface By E.o. Wilson. Smithsonian Books. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 257-264) And Index.