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The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies
W. W. Norton
November 2008
On Sale: November 10, 2008
576 pages
ISBN: 0393067041
EAN: 9780393067040
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of The Ants render the extraordinary lives of the social insects in this visually spectacular volume. The Superorganism promises to be one of the most important scientific works published in this decade. Coming eighteen years after the publication of The Ants, this new volume expands our knowledge of the social insects (among them, ants, bees, wasps, and termites) and is based on remarkable research conducted mostly within the last two decades. These superorganismsβa tightly knit colony of individuals, formed by altruistic cooperation, complex communication, and division of laborβrepresent one of the basic stages of biological organization, midway between the organism and the entire species. The study of the superorganism, as the authors demonstrate, has led to important advances in our understanding of how the transitions between such levels have occurred in evolution and how life as a whole has progressed from simple to complex forms. Ultimately, this book provides a deep look into a part of the living world hitherto glimpsed by only a very few. 110 color and 100 black-and-white illustrations.
 Media BuzzTalk of the Nation - December 5, 2008
Talk of the Nation - December 4, 2008
All Things Considered - November 30, 2008
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