The Outer Reaches of Life

The invisible world of microbes - capable of surviving in the most harsh and inhospitable conditions on earth - reveals the remarkable potential and resilience of life itself. John Postgate's fascinating exploration of these outer reaches of life shows how understanding microbes can provide new clues to the origin and evolution of terrestrial life, and offers glimpses of how life might have established itself elsewhere in the universe.

1. Microbes and terrestrial life; 2. Some like it hot; 3. Cool, man, cool; 4. The big squeeze; 5. A salty tale; 6. Corrosive and slippery places; 7. Life without oxygen; 8. Living on minerals; 9. Exotic menus; 10. Of wraiths and ghosts; 11. The inertness of nitrogen; 12. Getting about; 13. Microsenses; 14. A private space; 15. Company; 16. Immortality and the Big Sleep; 17. Self-adjustment; 18. Life's outer reaches.