THE WASP THAT BRAINWASHED THE CATERPILLAR

From Wired columnist Matt Simon, THE WASP THAT BRAINWASHED THE CATERPILLAR is an absurdist, comical romp through evolution’s weirdest solutions to—appropriately enough—the hazards that evolution itself produces. Each original entry talks about a creature and its amazing adaptation, using Matt’s signature blend of scientific accuracy and humor that his made his Wired column so popular.

The creatures themselves are absolutely mind-blowing: • Zombie ants mind-controlled by a fungus; • Beautiful salamanders that can regenerate any part of their bodies, including their brains; • The mantis shrimp, which fires its club-like appendage so fast that the surrounding water becomes as hot as the surface of the sun; • The Antechinus, whose runaway testosterone levels cause them to have so much sex during their three-week mating season that they bleed internally, go blind, and drop dead; • And many, many more! A fun, informative, and incredibly funny read. Matt Simon is a journalist who writes Wired Science’s “Absurd Creature of the Week” column. He has also edited Wired’s “This Day in Tech blog,” which was compiled into the book Mad Science, and writes a second column called “Fantastically Wrong” that explores the strangest mistakes in folklore and science. He lives in San Francisco.