Earth and Life

“This book’s significance is, in my opinion, threefold. First, it raises public consciousness about the coevolution and coupled processes of Earth and life-forms. Second, it outlines some big questions in geobiology that need further research. And third, the book highlights Earth’s precious and privileged place as a living planet and debunks the notion that we can easily colonize Mars… . Earth and Life presents a geoscience that is both vivid and vital for today’s conversations about humanity’s relationship with Earth.”—Rasoul Sorkhabi, Science
“A stimulating primer on how interactions between the planet’s physical environment and living beings have shaped the world throughout time… . Knoll does an impressive job of lucidly explaining both geological and biological processes, providing necessary background without being pedantic. Readers will be informed and entertained.” * Publishers Weekly *
“A welcome look at the Earth as a single system of countless moving parts.” * Kirkus Reviews *
”[A] delightful work… . Knoll’s long experience as a teacher – most recently, as the Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard University – is evident in every page of the book, both in his delight in the subject matter and his desire to share his joy with others. As well as being informative, it is also introspective, humorous, and at times personal. Earth and Life is well worth reading for anyone who wants to know how we got here – and what might come next.”—Jan Lee, Earth.org
“Knoll introduces the reader to the field of geobiology, a melting pot of disciplines, through his personal and professional experiences… . Therefore, composing a coherent narrative about life and Earth’s four-billion-year conversation requires imagination, skill, tenacity and comfort with a lack of certitude. The best historians recognize that they are storytellers, embracing fresh evidence as it becomes available and revising their interpretations accordingly. Knoll is one of them… . He exposes the reader to the drama of the discipline: the intrepid qualities of geobiologists, their differences in opinion, their passionate debates.”—Dianne K. Newman, Nature
”[An] eminently readable book… . this book is a must-read for those undergraduates taking astronomy or astrophysics degrees with a module on exobiology… . with regards to scientists into SF, and SF aficionados into science (both being SF² Concatenation’s core readership) this pushes a good number of the right buttons.”—Jonathan Cowie, Concatenation
“Andrew Knoll has written a captivating book, which traces the multi-billion-year history of life on our planet… . The book discusses cutting edge science in such an easy way that the reader feels like they are having a friendly conversation with one of the world’s most eminent experts on the evolution of life. I found myself hungry for more, questions that I had formed being answered and yet still leaving me with a desire to continue learning. If you have any interest in how life has evolved on our planet, then this book is most highly recommended.”—Gordan Neighbour, Geoscientist

Andrew H. Knoll is the Fisher Research Professor of Natural History and Earth and Planetary Sciences, Emeritus, at Harvard University. His books include A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters and Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth (Princeton). Recipient of the International Prize for Biology and the Crafoord Prize in Geosciences, he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.