The Genesis Quest

Marshall has rounded up all the past and current thinking about this profound and puzzling question - how did life begin? - into a neat, enthralling and highly digestible package. * Philip Ball, author of How To Grow a Human *Prepare yourself for a dazzling intellectual journey: the science is fascinating, the cast of characters all-too-human, and the philosophical insights deep. Written in clear and entertaining prose, like a Sherlock Holmes story, this is the best book I know for general readers about the quest to solve one of our most enduring mysteries: how and where, in a seemingly purposeless universe, life began on planet earth. * Oren Harman, author of Evolutions: Fifteen Myths that Explain Our World *The Genesis Quest recounts remarkable episodes in the history of attempts to scientifically understand the origin of life. Combining exceptionally clear expositions of what is scientifically at stake, distinctive humor, and a roving eye for the telling anecdote, this is anything but a tedious scientific genealogy. Marshall has a flair and talent for explaining each individual experiment and its intellectual context. The Genesis Quest offers a well-done romp through some fascinating and complicated terrain. * Luis A. Campos, author of Radium and the Secret of Life *The book’s distinctive style comes from well-researched analysis of the behaviour and lifestyles of the various scientists who have contributed to this fascinating and uniquely difficult question… an extremely stimulating read and I recommend it most strongly to scientists and laymen alike. * The Biologist *A fascinating and challenging story. * New York Review of Books *This is an incredibly absorbing and insightful book about the most important scientific question of our age. * Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters *

MICHAEL MARSHALL is a science writer interested in life sciences and the environment. He has a BA and MPhil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in science communication from Imperial College, London. He has worked as a staff journalist at New Scientist and the BBC. Since 2017 he has been a freelance writer, published by outlets including BBC Future, the Observer, Nature, New Scientist, and the Telegraph. In 2019 he was shortlisted for News Item of the Year by the Association of British Science Writers. He lives in Devon with his wife and daughter.