The tiny, lungless Thorius salamander from southern Mexico, thinner than a match and smaller than a quarter. The lushly white-coated Saki, an arboreal monkey from the Brazilian rainforests. The olinguito, a native of the Andes, which looks part mongoose, part teddy bear. These fantastic species are all new to science-at least newly named and identified; but they weren't discovered in the wild, instead, they were unearthed in the drawers and cavernous...

Things That Are takes jellyfish, fainting goats, and imperturbable caterpillars as just a few of its many inspirations. In a series of essays that progress from the tiniest earth dwellers to the most far-flung celestial bodies-considering the similarity of gods to donkeys, the inexorability of love and vines, the relations of exploding stars to exploding sea cucumbers-Amy Leach rekindles a vital communion with the wild world, dormant for far too long....

"Picture this: after a long week, you finally have the house to yourself. As you settle into the couch, something stirs--a mouse darts out from under a cupboard, a fly zips past the window--and you suddenly realize that you're not alone after all. Indeed, our homes are buzzing with life, but aside from the pursuit of better pest control, we've had only the barest understanding of it. That is why Rob Dunn and his team decided to take a closer look....