The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies

The Superorganism promises to be one of the most important scientific works published in this decade. Coming eighteen years after the publication of The Ants, this new volume expands our knowledge of the social insects (among them, ants, bees, wasps, and termites) and is based on remarkable research conducted mostly within the last two decades. These superorganisms--a tightly knit colony of individuals, formed by altruistic cooperation, complex communication, and division of labor--represent one of the basic stages of biological organization, midway between the organism and the entire species. The study of the superorganism, as the authors demonstrate, has led to important advances in our understanding of how the transitions between such levels have occurred in evolution and how life as a whole has progressed from simple to complex forms. Ultimately, this book provides a deep look into a part of the living world hitherto glimpsed by only a very few.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 11/17/2008
ISBN: 9780393067040
Pages: 544
Weight: 3.52lbs
Size: 10.34h x 7.98w x 1.44d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 08/15/2008 pg. 54
Scientific American 11/01/2008 pg. 106
Outside 11/01/2008 pg. 38
Discover 11/01/2008 pg. 72
Library Journal 10/15/2008 pg. 91
New York Review of Books 02/26/2009 pg. 23
Booklist 11/15/2008 pg. 9
New York Times Book Review 11/23/2008 pg. 10
New York Times Book Review 11/30/2008 pg. 18
Science 11/28/2008 pg. 1327
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/07/2008 pg. 11
LJ Best Sci-Tech Books 03/01/2009 pg. 30
Science Books & Films 03/01/2009 pg. 62
Choice 08/01/2009