Strange Survivors: How Organisms Attack and Defend in the Game of Life

The author, One R. Pagan, is a self-admitted, unabashedly outspoken science enthusiast. In this book Strange Survivors, he takes the reader on a literary toboggan ride through some of the wonders of the animal kingdom. He explains with examples and relevant analogies the term life itself and also DNA and what it is not, evolution and possible ways it came to be, why all cells need energy and how they get it, and the endless arms race most organisms engage in. On this foundation we begin by studying electric catfish, eels, rays and how electricity is used by most fish to detect prey or elude predators. He also discusses poisons, venoms, and toxins and how and why they developed and how potent they are. He finishes with speed, agility, and lastly, the value of cooperation for survival. He moves quickly and counters that with an extensive bibliography of books and articles to read, encouraging the reader to find out more, to read the primary sources, and to be curious about pushing the boundaries of biology into new discoveries. Even in the footnotes section, small facts are presented, urging more study. This is the biology professor you always wished you had, knowledgeable, full of unrelated and tangential facts that just spill out of his writing, loving his topic and audience. It is a very enjoyable book to read.