Life's Edge - The Search for What It Means to Be Alive (Paperback)

We all assume we know what life is, but the more scientists learn about the living world - from protocells to brains, from zygotes to pandemic viruses - the harder they find it to define exactly what it is and what it isn't. What is life? In this riveting and thought-provoking book, Carl Zimmer explores the question by journeying to the edges of life in every direction, from viruses to computer intelligence, from its origins on earth to the search for extra-terrestrial life and the strange experiments that have attempted to recreate life from scratch in the lab. The question is not only a scientific issue; it hangs over some of society's most charged conflicts - whether a fertilized egg is a living person, for example, and when we ought to declare a person legally dead. Whether he is handling pythons or searching for hibernating bats, Zimmer investigates life in its most unfamiliar forms. He tries his own hand at evolving life in a test tube with unnerving results, explores our cultural obsession with Dr. Frankestein's monster and how Coleridge came to believe the whole universe was alive. The result is an entirely gripping exploration of one of the most crucial questions of all: the meaning of life.

General

Imprint:	Picador
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	March 2021
Authors:	Carl Zimmer
Dimensions:	233 x 153 x 32mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	368
ISBN-13:	978-1-5290-6942-6
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Impact of science & technology on society Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Popular science Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Bio-ethics Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Evolution Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Ethical issues & debates > General
LSN:	1-5290-6942-4
Barcode:	9781529069426

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!