I think most of us believe we know what life is until we think about it hard. After all, we’re alive, but so are many things that don’t share the characteristics of ourselves or even other vertebrates. A fascinating question in this time of Covid19 is whether viruses are alive. Many researchers don’t think so. Then there are slime molds that can move toward food and tardigrades who apparently die from losing all their water, but come back to life when water is restored. This is only a sampling of the many life forms discussed in this book.
The book is basically the story of the author’s odyssey searching for various life forms to see if the question has an answer. From looking at living animals to discussions with scientists who are trying to create life, this is a fascinating journey. The book started slowly for me with stories of life forms that are familiar. However, the further he progressed on his journey, the more unusual the life forms were. I found it hard to put down.
The book is well written and easy to understand even if you aren’t normally into science. I was particularly interested in the techniques that relate to medicine which include using skin cells to grow neurons to study diseases. This book is well worth reading if you’re interested in what life is even if there are no solid answers. I highly recommend it.
I received this book from Dutton for this review.
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