Washoe County Library System

Animals adapt to their surroundings for survival. Learn how they survive in conditions that humans never would. Are you ready for the competition? From the persevering emperor penguins of the South Pole to the brave bacteria inside bubbling volcanoes, from the hardy reptiles of the driest deserts to the squash-proof creatures of the deepest seabeds, animals have adapted to survive in conditions that would kill a human faster than you can say "coffin."...

Every year, millions of people forgo traditional gyms and push the limits of human endurance by doing boot camp style workouts in seemingly raw conditions. These extreme athletes train in Cross Fit boxes, compete in Tough Mudders and challenge themselves in Spartan races. They share a unifying ideology: the comforts of the modern age have made us weak and the key to human power is to recreate the original environmental conditions of our ancestors...

Distilling complex science in clear and lively prose, David Toomey illuminates the research of the biological avant-garde and describes the workings of weird organisms in riveting detail. [He] reveals how our current knowledge of life forms may account for only a tiny fraction of what's really out there.--Jacket flap.

"Learn all about the hottest and coldest places on Earth and find out what it takes for life to survive in these extreme locations"--