A Is for Amoeba : The Story of Life in a Single Cell / Nicholas P. Money.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Money, Nicholas P., Author.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ Princeton University Press, [2026]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A lively and engaging biography of amoebas that reveals why these tiny amorphous splotches with a spot in the middle have more to teach us than we ever imagined Many of us are introduced to the amoeba in science class at school but know very little about the amazing life of this versatile, shape-shifting cell. A Is for Amoeba is packed with surprising stories that give readers a richer appreciation of these astonishing microbes, revealing what amoebas have to tell us about the natural world and ourselves. Along the way, this entertaining and informative book shows how amoebas influenced figures like Friedrich Nietzsche, who saw in them an expression of the will to power, and Sigmund Freud, who likened the movements of amoebas to the human ego. Nicholas Money describes how amoebas are athletic predators with the rudiments of consciousness and how their sophisticated responses to injury help to explain the origins of pain and suffering in animals. Amoebas have the biggest genomes of any organisms, embodying monumental chronicles of their evolution and survival, and by splitting in half and making copies of themselves, they have mastered a form of genderless immortality. Money explains how white blood cells and metastatic cancer cells in the human body behave like amoebas, curing and causing a range of illnesses, and discusses how research using artificial amoebas has profound implications for AI, robotics, and bioengineering. He also looks at the outsized role of amoebas in pop culture, from movies like The Blob to the cartoons of Gary Larson. A delightful portrait of an iconic microbe, A Is for Amoeba reveals why, from its graceful movements to its astounding problem-solving skills, the amoeba is the perfect guide to the business of being alive on Earth.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface: Assertions

1 Animations

2 Archetypes

3 Amalgams

4 Androgynes

5 Awareness

6 Affiliates

7 Aggregations

8 Assassins

9 Assistants

10 Artificial Amoebas

Glossary

Notes

List of Illustrations

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed June 25 2026)

ISBN:

9780691267012