Superlative: The Biology of Extremes

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 74 ratings

Price: 17.5

Last update: 07-31-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Fast delivery. Quality packaging
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
Quality pckaging. Fast delivery
Bama Fan
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book!
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019
This book provides a lot of information that relate to a broad spectrum of random topics as they relate to the extremes of different living organisms. There is information about elephants, dolphins, cheetahs but also information about plants, insects and a lot of other things as well. Some of the info I was aware of, but there were quite a few tidbits that I've never hears. It is very wide in its coverage, but not very deep on any one topic, which provides an overview for a superlative amount of examples. I'd recommend for the lay person or someone with a general interest in science.
Matt C.
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun book loaded with facts you'll want to share with your friends and family
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2019
This book is not light on the science and it is not light on the fun. Matthew D. LaPlante's enthusiasm shines throughout each interesting section with headers such as "How a little blind shrew is helping us see the world in new ways" and "How whale poop and a terror attack are helping us understand stress."

This is an easy book to pick up and put down for those who have limited time to read each day, but a hard one to forget once you give it a try. "Superlative" would be a great gift for aspiring scientists, those fascinated by the natural world and people who can't get enough of the zoo, among many others.

Who hasn't wondered about the biggest living creatures or the strongest?
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Science for the Science-Averse
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2019
I'm not really a biology person, save for the occasional trip to the zoo. But this book is somehow...more fun than the zoo? That seems weird to admit, but it's true. "Superlative" is a fascinating read, full of the coolest tidbits and conveyed in such a low-key manner that you feel like you're sitting across the table from the author, drinking coffee and having the world's most interesting chat. On more than one occasion, I've caught myself repeating something that I read in the book in the midst of a conversation - suddenly, I've become a biology person. Curse you, Matthew LaPlante (and thanks).
Linda S LaPlante
5.0 out of 5 stars Did you know that....?
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2019
Such an interesting book. It is the kind of book that you read a section or two or five at a time, then go share with someone else what you have learned. I especially enjoy sharing the superlative facts with my 10 year old grandson who has chosen library books so that he can learn more on the topics.
LaPlante’s book has given me endless conversation starters.
UpstateASB
4.0 out of 5 stars Biggest, smartest, fastest, deadliest
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2019
The outliers:  biggest, smallest, deadliest, smartest, strongest, oldest, fastest.  A sort of Guinness Book of Records for grown-up nerds, huh?  Same fascination factor, for sure, but with purpose and science to boot.  What can we learn from these extremes of nature?  How did they come to be?  What are the challenges to their survival?  How can they benefit us?

For example, in “Why Almost Everything We Know About Giraffes Is Wrong”, we learn that prevailing theories say giraffes developed their unique bodies and long necks in order to graze from tree tops.  But did they?  They seem to bend down to eat from grasses and shrubs as much, if not more, than in trees.  So why those long necks with those pretty little heads at the top?

And there’s “Why Elephant Cells Are Like Empathetic Zombies”.  Elephants grow so rapidly that cells tend to mutate, and so it seems that elephants would develop cancers at an astounding rate – but they don’t.  In elephants, mutating cells appear to “develop a conscience” and die.  Now wouldn’t it be great if our pre-cancerous cells offed themselves?  Yeah, that’s the ticket, and we’d have elephants to thank, so back off, poachers!

I’ve only sampled Matthew LaPlante’s good book, but I’ll be back, and it’s perfect for enjoying this way if you like.  Of course, for many, it’ll be like potato chips.  Hard to stop with one or two.  Whatever your style, munchies or the full buffet, the line starts here.

Full Disclosure:  A review copy of this book was provided to me by BenBella Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me this opportunity.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Animal extremes in a natural world.
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2020
The book was read for our book club. It was a fascinating page turner. Matthew La Plante was masterful in using animal extremes in helping us understand the natural world and our place in consideration of conservation for many reasons. Was a favorite in our book club.
dallen
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and easy to read
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021
I loved this book. It was full of truly fascinating information. This book was so interesting that I just couldn't stop reading it. I look forward to reading more books by LaPlante.

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