Rating: 
Summary: On microbes: the real rulers of the planet.
Review: Microcosmos is a natural history of the unseen beings upon whom we depend every moment for survival: the microbes. Margulis, who is currently Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Massachusetts, did undergraduate work in biology and received her PhD in Genetics. She worked with James Lovelock on developing the Gaia theory, which posits that the earth can be regarded as a sort of super-organism. In Microcosmos we see all aspects of her education and sensibilities -- a close attention to scientific detail and a "big picture" approach to how living entities coexist.In the introduction she lays out her philosophy about life on earth, for which she was roundly criticized by many reductionist scientists. In the past, she writes, all life on Earth was traditionally studied as being merely a prelude to the appearance of humans. Now, overwhelming evidence suggests that microbes (one-celled organisms) not only inhabit every known living thing on earth, they are also indispensable to the survival of all living things. They, not human beings, are the most important beings on the planet. Furthermore, in opposition to one of the most accepted tenets of Neo-Darwinism, Margulis states that life did not colonize the planet by competition so much as by networking. Cooperation between one-celled creatures led, over billions of years, to the evolution of beings such as ourselves, who possess the capability for self-conscious awareness. Our human consciousness, of which we are so proud, "may have been born of the concerted capacities of millions of microbes that evolved symbiotically to become the human brain." Strong words! Yet, Margulis sets forth compelling evidence in the remainder of her book to support her bio-philosophical ideas. Along the way, we learn many amazing things. For instance, we get a perspective on what upstart newcomers we are: the continents we inhabit now appeared in their present locations only in the last tenth of a percent of Earth's history. We learn that bacteria invented genetic engineering. Thus, when ultraviolet light damaged early microbes' DNA, the creatures produced repair enzymes to remove the damaged portions and copy new replacement DNA. This is a natural form of gene splicing. Sometimes, the DNA used in gene splicing was borrowed from neighboring bacteria of different strains, thus affording these critters a prodigious adaptability. This borrowing still goes on today. Through intermediaries, two very different bacteria can share genetic information. Why is this important? Because it allows the distribution of genetic information in the microcosm with a speed "approaching that of modern telecommunications--if the complexity and biological value of the information being transferred is factored in." This speed makes bacteria the biosphere's first responders in dealing with planetary changes. In responding to change, bacteria end up altering and shaping their environments. Few people realize that the entire earth's atmosphere, which we depend on for our life's breath, was created, and is maintained, by microbes. This is a good thing to remember next time you feel like spraying down your bathroom or kitchen with anti-microbial spray. Our fear of bacteria is misplaced. Yes, some are harmful to us, but most are beneficial. Indeed they are a lot more helpful to us than we are to the rest of the planet! This book isn't an easy read, but it will broaden one's outlook on our place in the natural world. Even if bacteria are not in the end responsible for the intricacies of our human brain and consciousness, we still owe them many debts. This book unveils the smallness of humans before the vast and minute workings of nature, and encourages a sense of humility before the greater Life that surrounds us.
Rating:
Summary: On microbes: the real rulers of the planet.
Review: Microcosmos is a natural history of the unseen beings upon whom we depend every moment for survival: the microbes. Margulis, who is currently Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Massachusetts, did undergraduate work in biology and received her PhD in Genetics. She worked with James Lovelock on developing the Gaia theory, which posits that the earth can be regarded as a sort of super-organism. In Microcosmos we see all aspects of her education and sensibilities -- a close attention to scientific detail and a "big picture" approach to how living entities coexist. In the introduction she lays out her philosophy about life on earth, for which she was roundly criticized by many reductionist scientists. In the past, she writes, all life on Earth was traditionally studied as being merely a prelude to the appearance of humans. Now, overwhelming evidence suggests that microbes (one-celled organisms) not only inhabit every known living thing on earth, they are also indispensable to the survival of all living things. They, not human beings, are the most important beings on the planet. Furthermore, in opposition to one of the most accepted tenets of Neo-Darwinism, Margulis states that life did not colonize the planet by competition so much as by networking. Cooperation between one-celled creatures led, over billions of years, to the evolution of beings such as ourselves, who possess the capability for self-conscious awareness. Our human consciousness, of which we are so proud, "may have been born of the concerted capacities of millions of microbes that evolved symbiotically to become the human brain." Strong words! Yet, Margulis sets forth compelling evidence in the remainder of her book to support her bio-philosophical ideas. Along the way, we learn many amazing things. For instance, we get a perspective on what upstart newcomers we are: the continents we inhabit now appeared in their present locations only in the last tenth of a percent of Earth's history. We learn that bacteria invented genetic engineering. Thus, when ultraviolet light damaged early microbes' DNA, the creatures produced repair enzymes to remove the damaged portions and copy new replacement DNA. This is a natural form of gene splicing. Sometimes, the DNA used in gene splicing was borrowed from neighboring bacteria of different strains, thus affording these critters a prodigious adaptability. This borrowing still goes on today. Through intermediaries, two very different bacteria can share genetic information. Why is this important? Because it allows the distribution of genetic information in the microcosm with a speed "approaching that of modern telecommunications--if the complexity and biological value of the information being transferred is factored in." This speed makes bacteria the biosphere's first responders in dealing with planetary changes. In responding to change, bacteria end up altering and shaping their environments. Few people realize that the entire earth's atmosphere, which we depend on for our life's breath, was created, and is maintained, by microbes. This is a good thing to remember next time you feel like spraying down your bathroom or kitchen with anti-microbial spray. Our fear of bacteria is misplaced. Yes, some are harmful to us, but most are beneficial. Indeed they are a lot more helpful to us than we are to the rest of the planet! This book isn't an easy read, but it will broaden one's outlook on our place in the natural world. Even if bacteria are not in the end responsible for the intricacies of our human brain and consciousness, we still owe them many debts. This book unveils the smallness of humans before the vast and minute workings of nature, and encourages a sense of humility before the greater Life that surrounds us.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a good read if you skip the last 80 pages.
Review: The first 9 chapters (of 11) were very satisyfying. They offered a clear explanation of the development of early life on this planet (bacteria and prokaryotes), the environment these would have been adapting to and their effect upon that environment as their numbers increased. I enjoyed the discussion of changes in the earth's atmosphere ("The Oxygen Holocaust"). The book went on to discuss the ways in which it seems that eukaryotes may have evolved as prokaryotes developed symbiotic relationships in response to environmenal stresses. I found the last two chapters of the book much less effective. The employed a good deal of arguing by analogy to make predictions about human evolution and in defense of the gaia hypothesis. Some of their claims about human evolution were just inaccurate (for example, that humans are the only carnivorous primates). Other sections were disappointingly sexist. In all, these chapters were too speculative to be really satisfying. In other words: it's a good read if you skip the last 80 pages.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book, very informative
Review: This book is an excellent scientific account of how life originated on earth. It tells how the earth's environment came to host organic molecules, leading up to bacterial communities and on to higher organisms. Chapter by chapter, this book outlines the progression of life from it's origin 3.9 billion years ago up to present day. Very well written, and easy to understand, I found it to be very enjoyable. Microcosmos is a fine reference book for nonfiction, index and all, and I think it should be in everyone's private library.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful look at how life began....
Review: This book was quite eye opening. It takes billions of years of evolution and tracks it at the microscopic level (hence the title). After reading it, you have to take another look at all the different forms of life here on our planet. I am very glad I bought this book and look forward to reading more from both of these authors.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful look at how life began....
Review: This book was quite eye opening. It takes billions of years of evolution and tracks it at the microscopic level (hence the title). After reading it, you have to take another look at all the different forms of life here on our planet. I am very glad I bought this book and look forward to reading more from both of these authors.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to read, nice to follow
Review: This is a great book to understand. IT's not like a textbook where you have to look up the words in the glossary and try to understand what it's trying to say.
Rating:
Summary: Good book with one big flaw
Review: This is a useful and interesting book. It has a major flaw because Margulis does not appreciate just how different the Archaea are from regular eubacteria. This leads to her picturing one eubacterium invading another leading to the origin of mitochondria. It now appears that mitochondria stem from the Rickettsia which only invade eucaryotes. The absence of cell walls in various Archaea make them prime candidates as the host organism in symbiosis, and this should have been featured in the book with Archaea as the origin of the cytoplasm. But you can't classify Archaea with a light microscope and that's what old-fashioned microbiologists want to do. The differences lie in the realm of biochemistry and molecular biology and often aren't visible to the eye.
Rating:
Summary: The best biology book I ever read!
Review: This is an outstanding and very readable book on the world of microbes. Beautifully written and filled with insights, it should be required reading for biology students. I couldn't put it down and I hated biology in high school! I takes you from the beginnings of our planet to the present time, showing the reader the crucial role of microbes in the creation and maintenance of all life. This book will also be of interest to any serious student of the Gaia hypothesis. Read it and you will never think of cells, bacteria and viruses the same way again. You will come away with a humbling and enlightened view on man's place in a world created, dominated, and maintained by microbes. For those of you who don't know, Lyn Margulis is the ex wife of the late Carl Sagan (prior to Ayn Druian) and Ms. Margulis is Dorian Sagan's mother.Together, they make an excellent writing team.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Good
Review: This is one of the best histories of life on earth that I have ever read. I highly recommend it. It covers much of the often ignored very early history of life (3.8 billion years ago to the appearance of animals) in better deatil than I have found in any other book written at the popular level. In particular, the importance of the eukaryotic/prokaryotic symbiosis is emphasized as well as the development of photosynthesis that released free oxygen into the earth's atmosphere 2-2.5 billion years ago. The information on the Eidiacara organisms is a little thin, and some of that later chapters are very speculative, but still I recommend the book. It's one of the very few books that I could say that I had a hard time putting it down.
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