The story of life in 10 1/2 species
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Contributors
Woodcock, John, 1953- illustrator.
Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2020.
ISBN
9780262044486, 026204448X
Physical Desc
256 pages : color illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Status
Adult Nonfiction (3rd floor)
NF 578.012 TAYLOR 2020
1 available

Description

Loading Description...

Also in this Series

Checking series information...

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Adult Nonfiction (3rd floor)NF 578.012 TAYLOR 2020On Shelf

More Like This

Loading more titles like this title...

More Details

Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2020.
Format
Book
Language
English
ISBN
9780262044486, 026204448X

Notes

General Note
Includes index.
General Note
First published in 2020 by UniPress Books Ltd.
General Note
"If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on Earth, which would they be?" -- cover
Description
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.
Action
cc,2020-10-26,JV

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Taylor, M., & Woodcock, J. (2020). The story of life in 10 1/2 species . The MIT Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Taylor, Marianne, 1972- and John Woodcock. 2020. The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species. The MIT Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Taylor, Marianne, 1972- and John Woodcock. The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species The MIT Press, 2020.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Taylor, Marianne, and John Woodcock. The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species The MIT Press, 2020.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.