Basher Science: Microbiology

Book excerpt: This latest book from the Basher Science series investigates the unseen world of microbes. Basher's distinctive style presents key microbes as characters with their own voice and personality. Microbiology investigates the "teensy tykes" such as algae and bacteria that are all around us in the living world, as well as a range of so-called "minibeasts", but these are not the usual creepy-crawlies that you might think of. These near-invisible creatures range from the zooplankton "good guys" to the unpleasant tapeworm and fluke. Yuk! Microbiology explains the different building blocks of the human body, as well as the nasty bugs that can make us so ill, whether it's catching a common cold or something much more deadly such as tuberculosis, the second biggest killer in the modern world.