The story of life in 10 1/2 species /
Taylor, Marianne, 1972-
The story of life in 10 1/2 species / Story of life in ten and a half species Story of life in ten and one half species Story of life in ten 1/2 species Marianne Taylor. - Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2020. - 256 p. : ill. (some col.), maps.
Includes index.
Fern -- Virus -- Nautilus -- Stick insect -- Sponge -- Human -- Giraffe -- Dusky seaside sparrow -- Soft-shelled turtle -- Darwin's finches -- Artificial life.
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.
9780262044486 026204448X
Life--Origin.
Evolution (Biology)
Natural history.
Species.
Biodiversity.
Biology--Classification.
QH325 / .T39 2020
The story of life in 10 1/2 species / Story of life in ten and a half species Story of life in ten and one half species Story of life in ten 1/2 species Marianne Taylor. - Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2020. - 256 p. : ill. (some col.), maps.
Includes index.
Fern -- Virus -- Nautilus -- Stick insect -- Sponge -- Human -- Giraffe -- Dusky seaside sparrow -- Soft-shelled turtle -- Darwin's finches -- Artificial life.
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.
9780262044486 026204448X
Life--Origin.
Evolution (Biology)
Natural history.
Species.
Biodiversity.
Biology--Classification.
QH325 / .T39 2020