In this fun, fact-packed science book for kids, young readers will discover the bacteria, viruses, and other germs and microbes that keep our bodies and our world running, as well as how and when they can be harmful and the precautions we can take to prevent them from becoming so. Meet a glowing squid, traveling fungus spores, and much more. The Bacteria Book walks the line between "ew, gross!" and "oh, cool!," exploring why we need bacteria and introducing readers to its microbial mates—viruses, fungi, algae, archaea, and protozoa. The Bacteria Book is a fun and informative introduction to a STEM subject that brings kids up-close to the big world of tiny science. With remarkable photography, kooky character illustrations, and lots of fun facts, this book uses real-life examples of microbiology in action to show how tiny microbes affect us in big ways.

Bacteria form a fundamental branch of life. They are the oldest forms of life as we know it, and they are still the most prolific living organisms. They inhabit every part of the Earth's surface, its ocean depths, and even terrains such as boiling hot springs. They are most familiar as agents of disease, but benign bacteria are critical to the recycling of elements and all ecology, as well as to human health. In this Very Short Introduction, Sebastian Amyes explores the nature of bacteria, their origin and evolution, bacteria in the environment, and bacteria and disease. In looking at our efforts to manage co-evolving bacteria, he also considers the challenges of resistance to antibiotics. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

"This book introduces bacteria and basic microbiological concepts to readers without previous background in the subject. Each chapter concentrates on a particular topic and can be read in isolation or as part of the whole, and wherever possible points are illustrated through real-world examples and short stories. Although bacterial scientific names are used and translated when possible, in general scientific jargon is avoided in order to make the material as accessible as possible for the lay reader"--

Understanding antibiotic chemotherapy at the ecological level is necessary for more permanent advances in development and in the usage of antibiotic agents. This book traces the history of bacteria, from the development of life on earth to the evolution of diversity. It is this diversity that led, almost automatically to the development of pathogens as well as antibiotics. If we are to create long term antibiotics we must design them with this history in mind.

A practical guide to wastewater bacteria and the roles they perform in wastewater treatment Communicating material in a practical manner for operators and technicians who regulate and troubleshoot their wastewater treatment processes, Wastewater Bacteria discusses the effective control and proper operation of aerobic (activated sludge) and anaerobic (anaerobic digesters) biological treatment units to ensure that an adequate, active, and appropriate population of bacteria is present in each treatment unit. It is a hands-on guide to understanding the biology and biological conditions that occur at each treatment unit. Avoiding unnecessary technical jargon and chemical equations, Wastewater Bacteria, the fifth book in the Wastewater Microbiology Series, explores and explains: * Bacteria and the wastewater environment * Enzymes and sludge production * Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur bacteria * Floc formation and filamentous organisms * Nitrification and denitrification * Sulfate reduction, fermentation, and methane production * Toxicity * Foam and malodor production The goal of Wastewater Bacteria is to enable plant operators to achieve the twofold basic objectives of wastewater treatment-to degrade organic wastes to a level where a significant, dissolved oxygen demand is not exerted upon receiving waters and to remove nutrients to levels where photosynthetic organisms in receiving waters are limited in their growth. This straightforward manual equips plant technicians to meet these objectives with essential information to understand the biological processes and organisms involved in wastewater treatment.

In this manual, protocols for the transformation of about 40 strains of bacteria are described, with the emphasis placed on the individual critical procedural steps, since the practical details mainly depend on the bacterial strain under investigation. This presentation together with the theoretical introductionary chapters, allows users to modify and adapt each protocol to their own experiments. Bacterial strains with relevance in the food industry, biotechnology, medical and veterinary fields, agroindustry and environmental sciences are covered.