Instant Biology: From Single Cells to Human Beings, and Beyond

Whether you're bewildered by the vast number of organisms inhabiting our planet or just crave a clear and comprehensive explanation of the endoplasmic reticulum, Instant Biology will guide you through the science that brings the very act of living (and dying) to life.

From an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway to a look at Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity of existence, Instant Biology lays bare the facts of life. But Boyce Rensberger goes beyond the birds and the bees to delight in the details that make science fun, like the stubborn micro-species of mite that insist on living in your eyelashes.

With Instant Biology you'll learn:

Everything you always wanted to know about sex and the single cell.
How the fuzzy pizza crust under the bed is diligently working its way to the top of the food chain.
Which is larger: the interior surface of your lungs or a badminton court.
How a species of soil and pond dwellers can dry out, shrivel up, then return from the dead.

Boyce Rensberger is the editor of "Horizon: The Learning Section," a monthly supplement to the Washington Post.  He previously has written for The New York Times, Science 81-84 and "3-2-1 Contact," a PBS TV science program for children.  He has written three books, all of which explain science to the lay reader.