| Description |
256 pages : color illustrations, maps, diagrams, photographs ; 24 cm |
| Note(S) |
Includes index. |
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First published in 2020 by UniPress Books Ltd. |
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"If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on Earth, which would they be?" -- cover. |
| Contents |
Fern -- Virus -- Nautilus -- Stick insect -- Sponge -- Human -- Giraffe -- Dusky seaside sparrow -- Soft-shelled turtle -- Darwin's finches -- Artificial life. |
| Summary |
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 10 and a Half Species. Each life forms 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; 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. |
| Subject(S) |
Life -- Origin.
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Evolution (Biology)
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Natural history.
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Species.
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Biodiversity.
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Biology -- Classification.
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Informational works.
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| Added Name(S) |
Woodcock, John, 1953- illustrator.
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| Added Title |
Story of life in ten and a half species |
| ISBN |
9780262044486 (hardcover) |
|
026204448X (hardcover) |
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