Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: What Is Life? by Lynn Margulis, Dorion Sagan, Niles Eldredge ISBN: 0-520-22021-8 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 07 August, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.14 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Beyond biology
Comment: I was as enthralled as other reviewers with the amazing facts in this book. My favorite: bacteria don't age; they can die from accidental causes but "programmed death" started with eukaryotes. The authors show that death is necessary for organisms (like us) that practice meiotic cell division.
But this book is far more than a random collection of facts. Margulis and her collaborators do an amazing job of assembling an understandable model of life using parts carefully selected from a vast body of biological knowledge. While a one-sentence definition is still elusive, the reader builds up a picture of life's most pertinent characteristics, as exhibited by the truly astounding diversity of living things on this planet. By the time I finished, I was satisfied that the authors had answered the question.
You don't need to be a biologist to understand and enjoy this book. Its beauty is that the greatest scientific thinking on the most complex topics has been presented in common english, with necessary scientific terms explained as they are introduced. If you are intrigued by the question of life, I doubt there's a more complete, accurate, understandable, and enjoyable answer available than this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: What a Great Book
Comment: This book is written with great intelligence and subtlety. I'm an engineer, and it has been about thirty years since my last biology class. I'm not even sure what compelled me to update my knowledge in this field. I suppose the title "What is Life?", got my attention, as I found this title to be somewhat audacious. Let's face it, "What is Life?", is the supreme question, and any author who ventures in this direction is walking a tight-rope of controversy.
I can honestly say I learned a lot from this book, as I've underlined just about every page. It has so many fascinating insights about the evolution of bacteria into living organisms. As the authors acknowledge, scientists today do not yet understand all the fundamental biological questions - but it sure seems they are headed in the right direction.
Quoting from p. 218, "The facts of life, the stories of evolution, have the power to unite all people". Although I doubt that we can ever "unite all people", I believe that this book will be appreciated by readers who are looking for modern and rational explanations to some existential questions, within the context of biology.
Rating: 4
Summary: Dr. Margulis - You Go, Girl!
Comment: "What Is Life?" is an illuminating & expansive reconstruction of the bacterial evolution of life on Earth. Combining rigorous science, mythology, history, poetry, stories, sketches, wit, captivating writing, & arresting photography, Margulis & Sagan examine Professor Margulis' theory of endosymbiosis.
Needless to say, Dr. Margulis has left me speechless. I cannot post here an adequate review of this book because I can't find the words to express what this book has done to my beliefs.
Others have done it much better. For the best review, read Piero Scaruffi's 1999 review titled "Lynn Margulis, Dorion Sagan: What is Life? (Simon & Schuster, 1995)." Scaruffi does Dr. Margulis justice. Like many other readers, on the other hand, he is unfair to Dorion Sagan as his mother's co-writer. Nothing conveys to the ordinary reader the wonder & vast scope of the world of science better than stimulating prose. With it, I am able to "get" very quickly otherwise confounding stuff. Thanks to Sagan, I am able to learn all over again long-forgotten facts like the structure & function of DNA & RNA. I like Sagan's off-hand style & acidic wit. His eccentricity makes his science books fun to read.
Dr. Lynn Margulis - Maverick Microbiologist Extraordinaire!
Dorion Sagan - You Rock!
 |
Title: Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Evolution from Our Microbial Ancestors by Lynn Margulis, Dorion Sagan, Lewis Thomas ISBN: 0520210646 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: May, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: Acquiring Genomes: A Theory of the Origins of Species by Lynn Margulis, Dorion Sagan, Ernst Mayr ISBN: 0465043917 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 18 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
 |
Title: Symbiotic Planet : A New Look at Evolution (Science Masters Series) by Lynn Margulis ISBN: 0465072720 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: March, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: Five Kingdoms : An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth (Third Edition) by Lynn Margulis, Karlene V. Schwartz ISBN: 0805072527 Publisher: W H Freeman & Co. Pub. Date: 15 December, 1997 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
 |
Title: Early Life by Lynn Margulis, Michael F. Dolan, AAOS ISBN: 0763714631 Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Pub Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $37.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
