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Cover of SUPER NATURAL
4.27

Based on 11 Goodreads ratings

SUPER NATURAL

by recycling their waste products. Turtles in Canada pass months on the bottom of frozen ponds without breathing. Wood frogs in Alaska freeze solid throughout the winter. Beetles and ground squirrels in Alaska survive these months but never freeze. Using antifreeze proteins and cryoprotectants, they “supercool”—their body fluids remain liquid despite temperatures far below zero. Under Antarctic ice, fish and other sea life thrive under subzero conditions. Few natural history writers fail to warn that global warming threatens a mass extinction in these waters, and Riley too sounds the alarm. Saving “extremophiles” for later pages, he delivers vivid descriptions of spectacularly normal or amazingly grotesque creatures that live in boiling hot springs, poisonous mine wastes, the stratosphere, deep inside the earth’s crust, or miles down at the bottom of the ocean. It turns out that life itself may have originally been an extremophile that appeared almost four billion years ago on a planet without oxygen and survived on heat and toxic chemicals generated deep in the ocean as the earth’s tectonic plates pulled apart, freeing superheated magma below to mix with seawater above."

Book Details

Publisher:Of
Published:2024-01-01
Pages:368
Format:paperback
Language:English
ISBN:9781324079

Reading Info

Age Range:12-18

About This Book

This vibrant exploration of the natural world reveals the extraordinary science behind everyday phenomena, transforming ordinary observations into captivating discoveries. Young readers will uncover ...

Our Review

This vibrant exploration of the natural world reveals the extraordinary science behind everyday phenomena, transforming ordinary observations into captivating discoveries. Young readers will uncover the hidden physics in a falling leaf, the intricate biology of a blooming flower, and the surprising chemistry of baking bread. The book masterfully connects scientific principles to the world children experience daily, making complex concepts accessible and immediately relevant. Each page invites curiosity about the forces and processes operating just beneath the surface of our daily lives.

What sets this science book apart is its emphasis on the "super" in natural—it doesn't just explain how things work but reveals why they're remarkable. The approach is particularly effective for visual learners and reluctant scientists who might not realize they're surrounded by fascinating physics and biology. Parents will appreciate how it fosters observational skills and critical thinking, while kids will love the "aha" moments as ordinary experiences become extraordinary revelations. This is the kind of STEM education that sticks, creating young naturalists who see the world with fresh, wondering eyes.

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