Animal, plant, fungus—just what kind of living thing is a slime mold? How do these slimy blobs move from place to place? And how do slime molds help clean up rotting leaves and other dead stuff in backyards and forests? In this brand-new title, learn the answers to these questions and more—and prepare to get slimed! This new Science Slam! title will introduce readers to the secret, oozy world of slime molds. The book is expertly crafted to meet early elementary and science curriculum standards, as well as introduce children to bizarre and interesting facts. Innovative, grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes will hold readers’ interests with a viselike grip. And, best of all, the activities are gooey and fun!
This densely-packed book introduces the fascinating world of myxomycetes, the acellular slime moulds. It describes their intriguing life cycle and important ecological roles as decomposers, nutrient recyclers and food for numerous invertebrates. And it reveals their exquisite evocative forms through microscope and camera, along with time lapse images that capture the dramatic changes in colour and shape as the fruiting bodies mature.The past ten years has seen a burgeoning interest in slime moulds by photographers, students and enthusiasts who are captivated by their singular beauty. This popular and informative book-now in its fourth edition-is an aid to their identification, an illustrated glossary, and an account of a passion for slime moulds that has led to the discovery of a wealth of species inhabiting a tall wet eucalypt forest in central north Tasmania.
This lavishly-illustrated companion to the feature documentary The Creeping Garden is a layperson's entry point into the strangely fascinating world of myxomycetes, or plasmodial slime moulds. Neither animal, plant nor fungi, these alien-looking single-celled organisms are all around us in the natural world, shifting in form throughout distinct phases in their life cycle, for the most part invisible to the naked eye, but strangely beautiful in their foraging or reproductive stages. They creep around forests and grasslands across the globe almost imperceptibly, with an agency all of their own that some have described as intelligent. Overlooked for years by natural historians and the general public at large, only recently have small groups of scientists, artists and visionaries begun to find within their intriguing behavioural patterns extraordinary metaphors that seem to belong to the world of science fiction, inspiring practical applications such as powerful computing devices, transport network designs, robot controllers and even music... The Creeping Garden takes a closer look at this mysterious life form and the diverse and curious array of research it has inspired. Providing an insight into the modus operandi of the film's makers and the perceptual world of the organism, it brings the reader into a unique and irrational encounter in which time and space are magnified and intelligence redefined.
Taking its cue from the horror film fanzines of yesteryear... Horror and fantasy cinema from around the world with a distinctive retro sensibility, Creeping Flesh focuses on obscure and vilified horror movies, the discovery of "lost" films, BBC telefantasy, and an appreciation of American and British exploitation. Book jacket.
How does a slug use its slime to travel from place to place? Why does a slug’s sticky slime help keep it safe from hungry birds and toads? And why is it so tricky to wash a slug’s gooey slime from your fingers? In this brand-new title, learn the answers to these questions and more—and prepare to get slimed! This new Science Slam! title will introduce readers to the slippery, slimy world of slugs! The book is expertly crafted to meet early elementary and science curriculum standards, as well as introduce children to bizarre and interesting facts. Innovative, grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes will hold readers’ interests with a viselike grip. And, best of all, the activities are gooey and fun!
How does a hagfish use clouds of milky slime to stay safe from fierce predators? And is it true that this eel-like fish can produce up to five gallons of slime when under attack? In this brand-new title, learn the answers to these questions and more—and prepare to get slimed! This new Science Slam! title will introduce readers to the slimy and disgusting world of hagfish. The book is expertly crafted to meet early elementary and science curriculum standards, as well as introduce children to bizarre and interesting facts. Innovative, grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes will hold readers’ interests with a viselike grip. And, best of all, the activities are gooey and fun!
Why does a colorful parrotfish spend the night in a bubble of slime? And how does the fish produce its slimy sleeping bag? In this brand-new title, learn the answers to these questions and more—and prepare to get slimed! This new Science Slam! title will introduce readers to the fascinating, slimy world of parrotfish. The book is expertly crafted to meet early elementary and science curriculum standards, as well as introduce children to bizarre and interesting facts. Innovative, grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes will hold readers’ interests with a viselike grip. And, best of all, the activities are gooey and fun!
A Beloved Classic Returns to Print Here, for a new generation of readers, is the exciing (and witty) tale of Piswyck, a young nobleman not quite ready for the world of magic and derring-do: his Particolored Unicorn (it has bad habits: it farts, and worse, it speaks in iambic pentameter), and their quest to rescue the beautiful Miranda, who has been carried off to Far Bermuda by her wicked Uncle Smagdarone (the Great?) and is held captive there in the magically-moved castle of Mad King Ludwig (Neuschwanstein), which said wicked wizard has surrounded with an impenetrable wall of man-eating gelatin. There are trolls, hang glider battles, great green sharks, gymnastics in swordplay, Black Elves, a giant chartreuse septapus named Ralph, and a war in which the most important weapon is perhaps the umbrella. Humor, lots of action, and a truly amazing cast of characters. “The Particolored Unicorn most certainly does run through a full spectrum of adventure.” --Esther Friesner, author of Harlot’s Ruse. “Jon DeCles...wrote this delightful humorous romp of a post-apocalyptic fantasy that I shelve right next to The Last Unicorn. His style is light and irreverent while allowing his characters to be serious or angry. I wish he'd write a sequel.” --The Library of Gothos “I ran across this book on my mother's shelves, and devoured it in a single sitting. It both is, and is not, a quintessential 'find the princess, reclaim your lost kingdom' sort of story. Some of its undeniable humor comes from how little it takes itself seriously (which doesn't mean it's internally inconsistent or stupidly self-referential - think Scream or Spaceballs, not Scary Movie). Off-the-wall realities of its fictional world are presented completely deadpan (unicorns produced by magical genetic engineering; an Evil Wizard -- the protagonist's fiancee's uncle -- who transported Neuschwanstein to Bermuda and lives in it, surrounded by a protective moat of carnivorous pink jelly) in a way I find most appealing; almost a British sort of sense of humor is at work here. If you like Pratchett, Asprin, or Holt, give this book a try.” --eloisebd, on Amazon
