A is for Amoeba, but A is also for admiration, appreciation and applause. Who could imagine that a book about the allegedly lowly amoeba could be both educational and entertaining, fun to read yet packing a storehouse of knowledge.
If there is such a person as an amoebaphile I have become one! And if I have coined a word, so much the better!
Nicholas Money writes with his characteristic wry humour, while simultaneously conferring the benefit of his impressive credentials as a biologist of note. He even provides juicy bits about the array of deviant scientists who have contributed to amoeba research over the centuries. It is all done in a manner that makes the book a joy to read.
I had not thought much about amoebas in many a year and I suspect that is true for you too. After all, who dwells on a microscopic blob, invisible without the aid of powerful optics, that doesn't even have a sex life and clones itself in perpetuity?
In fact amoebas influence our lives in more ways that we might imagine, having the largest genome of any organism. They have the potential for both great good and devastating harm in the treatment of human illnesses. Researchers are trying to replicate the beneficial actions of amoebas in the quest for cures to types of cancer that still resist all treatments so far devised. With AI and robotics in the ascendancy, artificial amoebas may hold the key to defeating intractable illnesses that cause great suffering to humans.
If the narrative of a microbe can grip the reader, this is the book to do it. I found it hugely satisfying.
A is for Amoeba: The Story of Life in a Single Cell - Princeton University Press
Nicholas P. Money
Hardcover - US$27.95 - ISBN: 9780691266985
240 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25cm)
10 black-and-white illustrations
Publication date: 11 August, 2026
...possibilities abound!
ReplyDeleteI know this sounds weird, but Amoebas fascinate me. This sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteI think about them! I also wish I had a somewhat decent microscope because it is tiny living things that I find fascinating.
ReplyDeleteA good microscope would be a fine acquisition for all of us.
DeleteThere are many interesting books you review, David. I don't know much about amoebas, so I would probably have liked the book.
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Marit
It's an amazing topic. I shall have to show this to my husband, it's a subject that interests him greatly.
ReplyDeleteIf amoebas interest him he will love this book, Denise.
DeleteThis sounds quite fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely would like to read this book!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could ask your local library to acquire it, Kirk.
DeleteIt's a topic that I know nothing about but you certainly make it sound intriguing. Interesting review. Thanks
ReplyDelete