Chrysalis by Kim Todd

Chrysalis by Kim Todd

Fascinating reading about a little-known, independent woman.--Science
Today, an entomologist in a laboratory can gaze at a butterfly pupa with a microscope so powerful that the swirling cells on the pupa s skin look like a galaxy. She can activate a single gene or knock it out. What she can t do is discover how the insect behaves in its natural habitat which means she doesn t know what steps to take to preserve it from extinction, nor how any particular gene may interact with the environment.
Three hundred years ago, a fifty-two year-old German woman set sail on a solo scientific expedition to study insect metamorphosis. She could not have imagined the routine magic that scientists perform today but her absolute insistence on studying insects in their natural habitats was so far ahead of its time that it is only now coming back into favor. Chrysalis restores Maria Sibylla Merian to her rightful place in the history of science, taking us from golden-age Amsterdam to the Surinam tropics to modern laboratories where Merian s insights fuel new approaches to both ecology and genetics.
What makes Chrysalis such a pleasure is that our awe is guided by Merian's discoveries. Her life was dedicated to understanding and depicting the science of transformation, yet she never lost her enchantment with what few of us could deny is also miraculous.--Orion

This lovely and thoughtful book sets Maria Merian's work in its natural context, restoring its true meaning and the reputation she deserves.--Andrea Barrett, author ofThe Voyage of the Narwhal

Kim Todd's previous book, Tinkering with Eden, received the PEN/Jerard Fund Award and the Sigurd F. Olsen Nature Writing Award. Her essays and articles have appeared in Sierra, Orion, Backpacker, and Grist, among other places. She lives in Missoula, Montana.

Todd, Kim: - Winner of the PEN/Jerard Award, Kim Todd holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.F.A. from the University of Montana. She lives in San Francisco, California.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780151011087
ISBN 10	0151011087
Title	Chrysalis
Author	Kim Todd
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Harcourt Publishers,U.S.
Year published	2007-01-08
Number of pages	336
Prizes	Commended for Montana Book Award 2007
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.