ApexNews
Return to Main
Book

Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life

2024

Synopsis

For a long time, scientists have wondered how life has emerged from inanimate chemistry, and whether Earth is the only place where it exists. Charles Darwin speculated about life on Earth beginning in a warm little pond. Some of his contemporaries believed that life existed on Mars. It once seemed inevitable that the truth would be known by now.

It is not. For more than a century, the origins and extent of life have remained shrouded in mystery. But, as Mario Livio and Jack Szostak reveal in Is Earth Exceptional?, the veil is finally lifting. The authors describe how life’s building blocks—from RNA to amino acids and cells—could have emerged from the chaos of Earth’s early existence. They then apply the knowledge gathered from cutting-edge research across the sciences to the search for life in the cosmos: both life as we know it and life as we don’t.

Why and where life exists are two of the biggest unsolved problems in science. Is Earth Exceptional? is the ultimate exploration of the question of whether life is a freak accident or a chemical imperative.

Suggested Reading

The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines

Think of your most valuable skill, the thing you can reliably do under pressure to deliver results. How did you learn it? Whatever your job – plumber, attorney, teacher, surgeon – decades of research show that you achieved mastery by working with someone who knew more than you did. Formal learning—...

Purchase on Amazon View Details

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman is a haunting and lyrical novel that blends elements of fantasy, horror, and coming-of-age storytelling, centered around an unnamed narrator who returns to his childhood hometown in Sussex, England, for a funeral. As he revisits the places of his youth...

View Details

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you accept our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.