Micro Life - Miracles of the Miniature World Revealed

Explore the everyday miracle of the microscopic world

With spectacular macro photography and microscope images, this book reveals a hidden, living world full of intricate structures beyond the naked eye. Included are the tiniest insects and spiders; but looking deeper, you will discover truly microscopic creatures-even bacteria and viruses. Earth is home to more microbes, and more different types of microbes, than any other living organism. Bacteria on Earth outweigh humans by 1,100 to 1; and without them, all world ecosystems would collapse. This book reveals this vital, unseen realm, but it includes large life-forms too, in extreme close-up, so that you can wonder at the beauty of a pollen grain, a butterfly egg, the spore of a fungus, and the nerve cell of a human.

The spectacular imagery in Micro Life exploits cutting-edge technology, such as focus-stacked macro photographs, as well as micrographs (microscope images) including scanning electron micrographs. Illustrations nearby explain the science-from the workings of an insect's eye to how a plant "breathes" through its leaves. The biology builds into a reference on how life works-and how all organisms, however small, solve the basic problems of movement, reproduction, energy, communication, and defense.

Micro Life is a beautiful and surprising look at the natural world.

About the author

DK

Summary

Explore the miracles of the microscopic world.

Find out all about the unique and beautiful kingdoms of life at a microscopic scale and how every organism meets the challenges of survival no matter its size. The perfect book for people who enjoy photography, nature and biology.

Inside the pages of this exciting educational nature book, you’ll find:

   • Microscopic life-forms (often neglected), and their life-forms in extreme close-ups, revealing details such as nerve cells and hair follicles.
   • Artworks support the beautiful images, providing a deeper insight into structure and function and building a picture of how living organisms work at a microscopic level. 
   • Comprehensive coverage of the natural world, including all the main groups of living things.
   • Explores overlooked groups that have a huge role in the natural world: insects, which make up 80% of the world’s animal species, and bacteria — of which there are more in a human mouth than there are people in the world.
   • The book is organized according to the main functions of life: movement, reproduction, energy and feeding, sensing the surroundings, defense, etc. 
   • Optional 80-page section containing a catalog of the major kingdoms of life.

The beauty of nature under a microscope

Explore the inhabitants of an invisible world in incredible detail with this book, which contains macro photography and spectacular microscope imagery. You'll have so much information about the hidden world of intricate structures beyond the naked eye. From the tiniest spiders and insects to even microscopic creatures like bacteria and viruses, this book contains it all!

See the beauty of a pollen grain, a butterfly egg, the spore of a fungus and a human’s nerve cell in extreme close up. The amazing imagery in Micro Life contains focus-stacked macro photographs and micrographs (microscope images), including scanning electron micrographs. Illustrations in this book explain the science — from the workings of an insect’s eye to how a plant "breathes" through its leaves. 

Micro Life is an unexpectedly breathtaking look at the natural world. Find out how life works and how organisms solve the fundamental problems of movement, reproduction, energy, communication and defense. This book belongs on the bookshelves of schools, libraries and homes for those interested in photography, nature or biology.

Product details

• Authors: Dk, Smithsonian Institution
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 02.11.2021
• EAN: 9780744039566
• ISBN: 978-0-7440-3956-6
• Dimensions: 260 mm x 305 mm x 30 mm
• Series: DK Secret World Encyclopedias
• Subject: Guides > Nature