SCIENCES

Underbug: An Obsessive Tale of Termites and Technology

by Lisa Margonelli
Farrar. Aug. 2018. 320p. illus. notes. index. ISBN 9780374282073. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780374712389. SCI
COPY ISBN
Science writer Margonelli (Oil on the Brain) again looks beneath the earth's surface, this time making the case for termites as a fascinating social insect worthy of attention and examination in the search for biofuels. Termites do, after all, outweigh the human population by a factor of ten and consume $40 billion worth of material annually. Margonelli travels the world to meet with scientists studying the creatures and their colonies. One mound housing 11 pounds of termites eats as much grass as a 900-pound cow. Through the course of the book, termite mounds (and associated fungi) are compared in turn to brains, superorganisms, political systems, and even planets. The researchers and their thought processes star alongside the insects in this account.
VERDICT Popular science fans will enjoy this new perspective on a common insect. Recommended for most collections.
Reviewed by Teresa R. Faust, Coll. of Central Florida, Ocala , Aug 01, 2018
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