Allies and enemies : how the world depends on bacteria

Maczulak, Anne E. (Anne Elizabeth) 1954- (Author).

Summary: Bacteria: they are invisible, mysterious, deadly, self-sufficient and absolutely essential for all life. The author, a microbiologist who has hunted and worked with an extraordinary array of bacteria, offers a powerful new perspective on Earth's oldest creatures. They are the Earth's bacteria, and they have been here for four billion years. They are our partners, like it or not, even though some of them will happily kill us. This book tells the story of this amazing, intimate partnership.

Record details

ISBN: 9780137015467 (hardback : alk. paper)
ISBN: 0137015461 (hardback : alk. paper)
Physical Description: print
x, 210 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Publisher: Upper Saddle River, N.J. : FT Press, ©2011.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Why the World Needs Bacteria. -- Tricks in bacterial survival -- Bacterial communities -- Under the microscope -- The size of life -- The bacteria of the human body -- The origins of our bacteria -- One planet -- Bacteria in History. -- The ancients -- The legacy of bacterial pathogens -- The plague -- Microbioligists save the day -- Unheralded heroes of bacteriology -- On the front -- Humans Defeat Germs!? (But Not for Long). -- What is an antibiotic? -- Inventing drugs is like making sausage -- Mutant wars -- Bacteria share their DNA -- The opportunists -- Bacteria in Popular Culture. -- Bacteria and art -- Bacteria in the performing arts -- Friends and enemies -- Do bacteria devour art? -- An Entire Industry From a Single Cell. -- E. Coli -- The power of cloning -- A chain reaction -- Bacteria on the street -- Anthrax -- Why we will always need bacteria -- The Invisible Universe. -- Versatility begets diversity -- Cyanobacteria -- Bacterial protein factories -- How to build an ecosystem -- Feedback and ecosystem maintenance -- Macrobiology -- Climate, Bacteria, and a Barrel of Oil. -- The story of oil -- Bacteria power -- How is a cow like a cockroach? -- Microscopic power plants -- The waste problem -- Bacteria on Mars -- Shaping the planet -- How Microbiologists Grow Bacteria. -- Serial dilution -- Counting bacteria -- Logarithms -- Anaerobic microbiology -- Aseptic technique.