An exploration of the key aspects of life on Earth - now and in the
future - through the study of 10 and a half species. If an alien
visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life
on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking
premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 101/2 Chapters.
Each life form explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the
sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the
almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and
therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself
is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly
dominates that vision. Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers
the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life
beyond our world. She investigates the virus in an attempt to
determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human - 'a
distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view
of life' - could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the
giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside
sparrow may be revived through 're-evolution', or cloning; explains
the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The
'half' species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to
understand and model life, AI is central to our future - although
from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth
in the long run.
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