A comprehensive introduction to biofluorescence and bioluminescence by an expert in the field.
The cold light of living creatures from fireflies to deep-sea fishes has provided science with new tools to track body processes and the progress of disease.
Beginning with a general explanation of luminescence in animals and the discovery of the chemicals luciferase and luciferin that animals use to give off light, researcher Zimmer goes on to introduce some of the animals that use the light they produce to find prey, communicate, and defend themselves. There’s a whole chapter on fireflies as “model organisms” frequently studied as representative of bioluminescent creatures. After a chapter on the use of bioluminescent chemicals in science, the author goes on to consider biofluorescence: the emission of received light at a lower-energy color. Mantis shrimp and crystal jellyfish are the example animals here. The green fluorescent protein genes that make biofluorescence possible can be transferred into other organisms for a wide variety of scientific and medical uses. The author is a working and teaching scientist; his explanations are complex but clear enough for an interested student. Boxed information on related topics and interesting examples appear throughout the text, along with plentiful illustrations, mostly photographs.
A comprehensive introduction to biofluorescence and bioluminescence by an expert in the field. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4677-5784-3
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
A timely discussion of the potential future of pandemics.
An examination of the weaknesses revealed by Covid-19 in the world’s ability to respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Based on our experiences with Covid-19, Allen frankly explores the concerns of scientists and public health experts with respect to future pandemics. Despite the fact that many governments were not prepared to handle Covid-19, the author maintains a hopeful outlook as he explores the ways experts are taking measures to make future responses more effective. Divided into four chapters, the book explores the need for early warning systems to track and predict outbreaks, noting concerns related to privacy with increased government surveillance via connected devices; the need for improved and more widely available testing and treatment options, including at-home testing; and the need for precisely tailored, broad-based, and expanded vaccines as well as improved delivery of vaccinations. In the final chapter, the author explores reasons for the increase in zoonotic viruses crossing from animals to humans, including how such transfer happens. Throughout the book, Allen employs a conversational tone and clarifies many advanced terms and concepts, including through the utilization of sidebars and full-color images. The extensive discussion of ongoing research makes this work appropriate for more sophisticated readers. Unfortunately, the book ends abruptly, leaving readers in want of a summary or conclusion.
A timely discussion of the potential future of pandemics. (source notes, further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-67820-172-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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