The discovery of "extremophilic" life that thrives in hot, cold, pressurized, desiccated, and acidic environments has necessitated a rethinking of elemental biology and revived expectations about extraterrestrial life existing in the solar system. Gross, a biochemist, explains the adaptiveness of life to stress in terms of the resilience of the cell. It can respond to the huge range of nature's insults, thanks to a first-aid kit that deploys various proteins in response to cold or heat. Gross examines those proteins with the aid of molecular diagrams and examples of organisms from such places as Antarctica and the Dead Sea before proceeding to the fascinating question of life's origins. Quite possibly, extremophilic microbes, named archaebacteria, are the most ancient life-forms. Their RNA protein has revealed some unusual properties that Gross describes as nontechnically as possible. Gross closes with thoughts on the prospect of finding extremophiles on Mars. The book constitutes an accessible introduction to an exciting outpost on the scientific frontier.
-- Gilbert Taylor; Booklist
Other reviews
The biochemist Michael Gross has performed a small miracle ("Kunststück"). He deals with the topic of organisms adapted to extreme conditions with a clear overview and at the same time he provides the context important for the understanding. That Gross is an experienced researcher becomes obvious from the clarity with which he presents, for example, heat and cold shock proteins and new tricks from the repair workshop of the cell. He demonstrates how so-called chaperones help protein molecules to acquire the "right" shape and not to interfere with neighboring molecules. Upon exposure to heat or other stress, chaperones are called into action and stabilize the protein molecules highly prone to denaturation. Set apart from the main text, there are portraits of scientists and boxes dealing with current research in molecular biology scattered in. The scope of the text is wide: from the limits of life on Earth, passing life in scorching heat (113C is the record), life at subzero temperatures, in the deep sea, in the Dead Sea and in acids, to the molecular helpers for survival in extreme situations. The travel to the extremists is worth the while.
-- Peter Buechler; DIE ZEIT, 4.7.1997
"His passion is for the biological adaptations that allow life to thrive in unexpected places, from salt-loving bacteria in the Dead Sea to quick-freezing frogs ...
Readers with a science background will find this book a fascinating introduction to the subject, and they can follow up particular aspects using the reading lists and Internet links provided. Others may find the book challenging in parts, despite the glossary, but it is well worth the effort. How else could you experience life on the edge?"
-- John Parkes, University of Bristol; New Scientist; 15.8.1998, p. 44-45