SCIENCES

Weird Life: The Search for Life That Is Very, Very Different from Our Own

Norton. Feb. 2013. 288p. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780393071580. $25.95. SCI
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OrangeReviewStarNeither too technical for general readers nor dumbed down, Toomey's (dir., professional writing & technical communication, Univ. Massachusetts, Amherst; The New Time Travelers) latest covers the strange, stranger, and strangest of life forms "at the frontiers of biology," such as organisms that can survive extreme temperatures, on stars, or inside our own bodies. Drawing from such noted scientists and popular writers such as Carl Sagan and Dr. Seuss, Toomey manages to make this panoply of life forms at once strange and familiar, and in doing so will entrance his readers.
VERDICT This title would be an excellent supplement to a physical science course and will be perfect for curious readers with humanities or social science backgrounds. It is far superior to the average "quirky science" works.
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