Book Description

"In another acclaimed Wonders series, Prof. Brian Cox turns his knowledge and enthusiasm to explore the fundamental principles that enabled life to begin and thrive on Earth. In this beautiful and definitive series Prof. Cox tells the 3.7 billion year story of how a few basic ingredients gave birth to the complex and unique phenomenon we call life. Revealing how everything in the universe, from the smallest microbe to the largest cluster of galaxies, is constructed from the same fundamental building blocks and is subject to the same laws of nature. Wonders of Life tells the story of the amazing diversity and adaptability of life through the processes that govern it. Visiting spectacular locations including the flooded Taal Volcano on the Philippine island of Luzon, the Australian outback and the Borneo rainforests, it uncovers the secrets of life in the most unexpected locations and poses the question: could the conditions for life be repeated elsewhere in the universe?" -- Cover.