Every Living Thing - by Rob Dunn (Paperback)

About the Book

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 Dunn s Every Little Thing is the story of man s 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 humanity s unending quest to discover every living thing in our natural world from the unimaginably small in the most inhospitable of places on earth to the unimaginably far away in the unexplored canals on Mars."

Book Synopsis

"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 Dunn's Every Little Thing is the story of man's 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 humanity's unending quest to discover every living thing in our natural world--from the unimaginably small in the most inhospitable of places on earth to the unimaginably far away in the unexplored canals on Mars.

From the Back Cover

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 us. More is unknown than known, whether about our bodies or the bottom of the sea.

In a series of vivid portraits of scientists as interesting as the mysteries they chase, Dunn introduces the reader to breakthroughs that have changed the world and others that might still. With poetry and humor, Dunn reminds readers how tough and exhilarating it is to study the natural world, and why it matters.

Review Quotes

"If you have any interest in life beyond your own, you should read this book...Between the covers of EVERY LIVING THING you'll learn both about life's amazing diversity and that process of their discovery. Savor this fascinating volume and then help to preserve life's wonders." - Paul R. Ehrlich, author of THE DOMINANT ANIMAL: HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

"This wonderful, beautifully written and necessary book will enhance your love of "every living thing," your knowledge of the people who search out and catalog the diversity of life-- and, yes, your understanding of what it means to be gloriously, curiously alive." - Chet Raymo, author of THE PATH: A One-Mile Walk Through the Universe

"His writing is concise and entertaining. So entertaining that I found myself laughing out loud and following my husband around saying, "Listen to this!" over and over again as I read." - Internet Review of Books

"Dunn's enthusiasm for his subjects comes through in this well-written book. Recommended." - Library Journal

"[Dunn] identifies what is certain to be a major enterprise of biology through the rest of the present century: the exploration of Earth--which, it turns out, is still a little-known planet." - From the Preface by E. O. Wilson

"IF YOU think that cataloguing life is largely a matter of butterfly nets and flower presses, you might be surprised by the range of science covered in Every Living Thing. The usual suspects are here, such as Linnaeus and those who have devoted their lives to ferreting out an inordinate variety of beetles from tropical forests. But the life we can see is just the start: microscopes and DNA sequencing have revealed whole new realms living in extreme environments such as undersea hot springs. Rob Dunn even looks at the search for life elsewhere in the universe, weaving scientists' stories cleverly with those of their science." - New Scientist