“A New History of Life” by P. Ward and J. Kirschvink, June 11, 2015
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This review is from: A New History of Life: The Radical New Discoveries about the Origins and Evolution of Life on Earth (Hardcover)
The authors, Peter Ward, a professor of biology and earth & space sciences, and Joe Kirschvink, a professor of geobiology, get high marks for presenting an account of science at work, with competing interpretations and theories, explanations of just what is measured and how it is interpreted—in other words the gory details of how science actually works. Their topic—the geological, biological, chemical and physical history of the evolution of the earth and life upon it--- is of great interest to everyone. The material presented should be understandable by any serious reader, but a great deal of effort will be required to remember the plethora of categories and dates and causes for this and that from chapter to chapter. A summary chart of the names and times of the periods of geological time and for mass extinctions and their causes, and the major events that happened within each geological period would have been helpful. I made such a chart, which unfortunately does not format on Amazon, to help myself and others who lack this familiarity
I would also fault the authors for cluttering the book with unnecessary details about which scientist working for which university discovered this or believes that. The necessary technical details of how fossils are dated, how the carbon cycles work, etc. are well-described, but could be better highlighted and indexed for the continual reference that will be necessary by reader’s unfamiliar with the subjects. However, the wealth of information contained in the book makes it well worth reading.
The first question to be addressed in a history of life is what do we mean by life? This has been dealt with by philosophers since time in memoriam, but this is a science book and more precise definitions are needed. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics states that over time the state of order of a system in isolation will decay into a state of disorder; i.e. entropy will increase. A living organism harvests energy from the external world and uses it to maintain its order (metabolism) and reproduce. Life could be understood as a series of chemical machines, all packed together and integrated, expending energy to maintain order. For life on earth, the primary source of energy are light photons from the Sun which through photosynthesis convert carbon dioxide and water into complex carbon compounds with many bonds in which energy is stored (another source is the thermal energy from the earth’s core). Life may occur in single cells and in man and in everything in between. It should not be surprising that life started at the single cell level, probably first evolved into a thin layer of green slime and then into more complicated forms, a story well told by the authors. Nor is it surprising that conditions were not propitious for the formation life on the surface of the earth for the first 700 million years after the formation of earth and that the first life probably formed in more hospitable thermal vents in the deep ocean 3850 million years ago. What is surprising is that life may have started, evolved and been wiped out by cataclysmic mass extinctions a number of times over the intervening 3.85 billion years to the present.
Creating and maintaining the conditions amenable to the origination and sustenance of life is the key to the story of life on earth, and these conditions are related to the carbon cycles, both of them. The short-term carbon cycle is dominated by plant life. Carbon dioxide is taken up during photosynthesis in plants, which releases oxygen into the environment, and energy-rich carbon compounds are locked into the plant tissue, which is either eaten by something or transferred to the soil when the plant decays, where the carbon compounds, oxidized with a gain of energy by small organisms, are then recycled through this process again. The long-term (millions of years) carbon cycle involves transfer of carbon to and from rocks. Carbon dioxide is transformed into living tissue which decays or is eaten to form other animals and plants, which eventually form rocks and later fuse into the lava and gas deep in the earth, which is ultimately brought back to the surface by volcanic action and leakage through deep sea vents. The long-term carbon cycle has a huge effect on the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, hence on the greenhouse effect and global temperature. This carbon cycle gone awry has produced total glacierization of the earth more than once and has produced several mass extinctions of species. After each mass extinction, there has been an explosion of new species of life that, together with the survivors of the mass extinction, evolve into incredible complexity over the many millions of years until the next mass extinction. In the atmosphere of the early earth there was little or no oxygen, much more carbon dioxide and about the same nitrogen as today.
This is a fascinating story of life on earth, of how the measurements are made of conditions that existed a million and a billion years ago, how we know the age of fossils so old and the competing and evolving interpretations of what caused it all.
I would also fault the authors for cluttering the book with unnecessary details about which scientist working for which university discovered this or believes that. The necessary technical details of how fossils are dated, how the carbon cycles work, etc. are well-described, but could be better highlighted and indexed for the continual reference that will be necessary by reader’s unfamiliar with the subjects. However, the wealth of information contained in the book makes it well worth reading.
The first question to be addressed in a history of life is what do we mean by life? This has been dealt with by philosophers since time in memoriam, but this is a science book and more precise definitions are needed. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics states that over time the state of order of a system in isolation will decay into a state of disorder; i.e. entropy will increase. A living organism harvests energy from the external world and uses it to maintain its order (metabolism) and reproduce. Life could be understood as a series of chemical machines, all packed together and integrated, expending energy to maintain order. For life on earth, the primary source of energy are light photons from the Sun which through photosynthesis convert carbon dioxide and water into complex carbon compounds with many bonds in which energy is stored (another source is the thermal energy from the earth’s core). Life may occur in single cells and in man and in everything in between. It should not be surprising that life started at the single cell level, probably first evolved into a thin layer of green slime and then into more complicated forms, a story well told by the authors. Nor is it surprising that conditions were not propitious for the formation life on the surface of the earth for the first 700 million years after the formation of earth and that the first life probably formed in more hospitable thermal vents in the deep ocean 3850 million years ago. What is surprising is that life may have started, evolved and been wiped out by cataclysmic mass extinctions a number of times over the intervening 3.85 billion years to the present.
Creating and maintaining the conditions amenable to the origination and sustenance of life is the key to the story of life on earth, and these conditions are related to the carbon cycles, both of them. The short-term carbon cycle is dominated by plant life. Carbon dioxide is taken up during photosynthesis in plants, which releases oxygen into the environment, and energy-rich carbon compounds are locked into the plant tissue, which is either eaten by something or transferred to the soil when the plant decays, where the carbon compounds, oxidized with a gain of energy by small organisms, are then recycled through this process again. The long-term (millions of years) carbon cycle involves transfer of carbon to and from rocks. Carbon dioxide is transformed into living tissue which decays or is eaten to form other animals and plants, which eventually form rocks and later fuse into the lava and gas deep in the earth, which is ultimately brought back to the surface by volcanic action and leakage through deep sea vents. The long-term carbon cycle has a huge effect on the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, hence on the greenhouse effect and global temperature. This carbon cycle gone awry has produced total glacierization of the earth more than once and has produced several mass extinctions of species. After each mass extinction, there has been an explosion of new species of life that, together with the survivors of the mass extinction, evolve into incredible complexity over the many millions of years until the next mass extinction. In the atmosphere of the early earth there was little or no oxygen, much more carbon dioxide and about the same nitrogen as today.
This is a fascinating story of life on earth, of how the measurements are made of conditions that existed a million and a billion years ago, how we know the age of fossils so old and the competing and evolving interpretations of what caused it all.
Packed with great information, but very hard to read, March 12, 2015
This review is from: A New History of Life: The Radical New Discoveries about the Origins and Evolution of Life on Earth (Hardcover)
On the positive side, this book has some fascinating, detailed and up-to-date information about the evolution of life on earth. The authors focus on the environment as opposed to the growth and development of taxonomic hierarchy. Astronomical, geophysical, climatic and biological processes create an environment, and species proliferate to fill niches. In many cases, it is primarily biological processes that drive the climate change that leads to the next round of destruction and innovation. Particular attention is paid to lags in the process, biological innovations that remain rare for millions of years before conditions arise to support their explosive expansions; and niches that went unfilled for millions of years.
Despite covering billions of years, the history of life itself occupies only a quarter or less of the book. The other material is only tangentially related, and is poorly organized and intrusive. I have no idea why there is so much on astrobiology, except that it is a specialty of one of the authors. I understand that there may someday be links between life and climate on one hand, and conditions on non-Earth planets on the other; and also between events on other planets and the origin of life on Earth. But not today. Today it is a mix of highly technical material not germane to what we know about the history of life on Earth, and some pretty wild speculation.
Another focus of a lot of pages is the history of fossil hunting and other field investigation of the history of life, especially with respect to the oldest finds. Relegated to a single chapter, this could be interesting for specialists and historians, and skipped by the rest of us. But it is inserted more or less at random throughout the text. Moreover, there is the wrong amount of insider stroking and clawing, not enough to be archly amusing, but not little enough to be overlooked by people who don't really care.
My final complaint is the presentation is almost willfully off-putting. There is a lot of whining about the problems with geologic era conventions, both in general and in their use in paleobiology. Not only is this tiresome, but the authors refuse to abide by any consistent convention. I would be happy if they said at the beginning that they would use conventional names and perhaps footnote the problems; or if they would use some better scheme and put a translation table in the back. But they do both, and neither, as the mood strikes. I lost count of how many times they explained the different names by US and non-US geology texts. Actually, on this particular issue, I would have welcomed one clear chapter.
Even on something as important and easy as dates, the authors cannot settle on a system. Early in the book they promise to use MYO (not MYA or MYR or Megaannum or million years or billion years or "Precambrian") but then they switch terms at whim.
If you're really interested in this stuff, this is the best source I have found for it, and you'll put up with the flaws. If not, I suggest you wait until someone more disciplined than these authors takes up the same subject.
Despite covering billions of years, the history of life itself occupies only a quarter or less of the book. The other material is only tangentially related, and is poorly organized and intrusive. I have no idea why there is so much on astrobiology, except that it is a specialty of one of the authors. I understand that there may someday be links between life and climate on one hand, and conditions on non-Earth planets on the other; and also between events on other planets and the origin of life on Earth. But not today. Today it is a mix of highly technical material not germane to what we know about the history of life on Earth, and some pretty wild speculation.
Another focus of a lot of pages is the history of fossil hunting and other field investigation of the history of life, especially with respect to the oldest finds. Relegated to a single chapter, this could be interesting for specialists and historians, and skipped by the rest of us. But it is inserted more or less at random throughout the text. Moreover, there is the wrong amount of insider stroking and clawing, not enough to be archly amusing, but not little enough to be overlooked by people who don't really care.
My final complaint is the presentation is almost willfully off-putting. There is a lot of whining about the problems with geologic era conventions, both in general and in their use in paleobiology. Not only is this tiresome, but the authors refuse to abide by any consistent convention. I would be happy if they said at the beginning that they would use conventional names and perhaps footnote the problems; or if they would use some better scheme and put a translation table in the back. But they do both, and neither, as the mood strikes. I lost count of how many times they explained the different names by US and non-US geology texts. Actually, on this particular issue, I would have welcomed one clear chapter.
Even on something as important and easy as dates, the authors cannot settle on a system. Early in the book they promise to use MYO (not MYA or MYR or Megaannum or million years or billion years or "Precambrian") but then they switch terms at whim.
If you're really interested in this stuff, this is the best source I have found for it, and you'll put up with the flaws. If not, I suggest you wait until someone more disciplined than these authors takes up the same subject.
on March 24, 2015
I have read and enjoyed some of Peter Ward's early work. I am very interested in this subject, so was looking forward to settling down to a good read. What a disappointment! The writing is poor, murky, and repetitive. The authors should have spent another couple of years on it, read it aloud, organized it, and hired a good copyeditor who could tell them about a style sheet. They also should have figured out how to refer to each other consistently in the text, in a way that is not distracting. I can only assume that Ward is under pressure to continue to produce, and has lost interest in quality. He needs to check out Rob Dunn's or William Logan's books. I wish I could give it half a star.
on April 1, 2015
Ward and Kirschvink have put all the latest scientific results of the last 10 years or so that are new and different into this book. Claims to have found the very first fossils of life are presented and then discarded due to new evidence. When did bacteria start photosynthesizing? And how can we be sure? And on it goes, as they pass through the geological eras, pausing to point out how our current understanding has changed. I found this fascinating!
I didn't mind a few pages on how life could have started on mars. And I wasn't put off by inconsistent usage or Terms MYO or MYA as another reviewer was. Although I must say, I wasn't much interested in their description of what will happen to our planet, one Billion years into the future. Of course, their attempt to be as up-to-date as possible means that not every idea will stand the test of time. On some issues the authors preferences become obvious. Kirschvink really likes the full-blown snowball earth hypothesis, i.e. the ice ball and not the slush ball version.
But other than that, the only thing that I really want to criticize, is the lack of pictures and drawings. On the other hand eBook readers won't have any problems if they buy the Kindle version.
I didn't mind a few pages on how life could have started on mars. And I wasn't put off by inconsistent usage or Terms MYO or MYA as another reviewer was. Although I must say, I wasn't much interested in their description of what will happen to our planet, one Billion years into the future. Of course, their attempt to be as up-to-date as possible means that not every idea will stand the test of time. On some issues the authors preferences become obvious. Kirschvink really likes the full-blown snowball earth hypothesis, i.e. the ice ball and not the slush ball version.
But other than that, the only thing that I really want to criticize, is the lack of pictures and drawings. On the other hand eBook readers won't have any problems if they buy the Kindle version.
on November 26, 2015
1. Telling Time: In the early history of science, time was problem in making sense of the layered rock formations. They knew that lower rock formations are older than higher rock formations, but, they had no method of determine how old or young these formations were in earth years. When radioactive dating came on board, then a time frame could be placed on these formations which turned out to be from hundreds of millions of earth years to billions of years old. This finally got rid most of the young earth and made sense of the history of the earth.
2. Forming Life 4.6 to 3.5 billion years ago: Most of the rock formation of this period have been destroyed. Scientists have squeezed information out what little rock formations that they could and it is compelling information. Life got started during this time in the form of Prokaryote Cells, but before these Cells developed, life must have been between lifeless forms and basic living chemistry. The RNA World appears to have the best answers for the origin of life during this period. The origin of life had over billion years to get the right and best combination for life to get its start. This is twice as long of the multi-cellular life forms to evolve into existing forms of today.
3. Origin to Oxygenation 3.5 to 1.0 billion years ago: During this period a Prokaryote Cell evolved the ability to take in carbon dioxide and water along with energy of the Sun produce more cells and more important expelled Oxygen as a waste product first into the oceans and finally into the atmosphere raising the Oxygen level. There must have been a struggle for the anaerobic cells (Oxygen hating) to continue to exist as the levels increased. But, evolution finds a way to evolve cells to use Oxygen as oxidation respiration called aerobic cells. It is during this period that the road to Animals began to show up in these rock formations. Cells first formed colonies such as the cyanobacteria making stromatolite formations. Then it appears that cells started specialization into very primitive forms of multi-cellular organisms such as sponges. It must have been during this period that genes started to form for specialization of cells. Again this is the longest period of more than 2.5 billion years to evolve the specialization of cells for the preparation of the next coming period where multi-cellular life exploded on the scene of the history of life.
4. The evolution of multi-cellular vertebrate’s life for the next 600 million years is insignificant small stuff compared to the evolution of Prokaryote and Eukaryote cell organisms. The complexity of the development of the embryo and the function of these cells during the life of the organism has not be fully explained yet. If I was an Intelligent Designer or Creationists advocate, which I am not, I would not attack the last 600 million years of evolving vertebrate life forms which has be fully explained, but the evolution of eukaryote and prokaryote cells. It appears the Intelligent Designers and Creationists are attacking the heavily fortified and strong end of the fort of Evolution. The development of an embryo is absolutely mind boggling in its complexity from cell communications; cell transportation; making and usage of hormones, enzymes, energy and proteins; cell division; just to mention a few. How did this evolve? It would be interesting of find out. The only thing that makes sense in this evolution of the cell is that it took over 2.5 billion years to do it. Must have been a lot of trial and error processes to get it right.
2. Forming Life 4.6 to 3.5 billion years ago: Most of the rock formation of this period have been destroyed. Scientists have squeezed information out what little rock formations that they could and it is compelling information. Life got started during this time in the form of Prokaryote Cells, but before these Cells developed, life must have been between lifeless forms and basic living chemistry. The RNA World appears to have the best answers for the origin of life during this period. The origin of life had over billion years to get the right and best combination for life to get its start. This is twice as long of the multi-cellular life forms to evolve into existing forms of today.
3. Origin to Oxygenation 3.5 to 1.0 billion years ago: During this period a Prokaryote Cell evolved the ability to take in carbon dioxide and water along with energy of the Sun produce more cells and more important expelled Oxygen as a waste product first into the oceans and finally into the atmosphere raising the Oxygen level. There must have been a struggle for the anaerobic cells (Oxygen hating) to continue to exist as the levels increased. But, evolution finds a way to evolve cells to use Oxygen as oxidation respiration called aerobic cells. It is during this period that the road to Animals began to show up in these rock formations. Cells first formed colonies such as the cyanobacteria making stromatolite formations. Then it appears that cells started specialization into very primitive forms of multi-cellular organisms such as sponges. It must have been during this period that genes started to form for specialization of cells. Again this is the longest period of more than 2.5 billion years to evolve the specialization of cells for the preparation of the next coming period where multi-cellular life exploded on the scene of the history of life.
4. The evolution of multi-cellular vertebrate’s life for the next 600 million years is insignificant small stuff compared to the evolution of Prokaryote and Eukaryote cell organisms. The complexity of the development of the embryo and the function of these cells during the life of the organism has not be fully explained yet. If I was an Intelligent Designer or Creationists advocate, which I am not, I would not attack the last 600 million years of evolving vertebrate life forms which has be fully explained, but the evolution of eukaryote and prokaryote cells. It appears the Intelligent Designers and Creationists are attacking the heavily fortified and strong end of the fort of Evolution. The development of an embryo is absolutely mind boggling in its complexity from cell communications; cell transportation; making and usage of hormones, enzymes, energy and proteins; cell division; just to mention a few. How did this evolve? It would be interesting of find out. The only thing that makes sense in this evolution of the cell is that it took over 2.5 billion years to do it. Must have been a lot of trial and error processes to get it right.
on July 26, 2015
This book is very detailed but not so hard to understand. I was honestly unable to put it down. I sat up into the wee hours of the night over the past two nights reading it. Very interesting subject matter about the origin and development of life and the possibility that life could have been seeded initially from another planet such as Mars. The authors obviously have a deep understanding of their subject matter and the book is very well-written so even a layperson can understand it (or at least, most of it). I liked the alternate explanations of extinction events and life development, which repeated over and over within the book but made sense with a basic understanding of CO2, O2, and the effects these and other chemical constituents have on development and death of living things and how these chemicals probably fluctuated and why. The authors have worked in the field and in teaching for many years. The information and references at the end of the book are numerous and include interesting anecdotes. Anyone who wants to learn more about where we came from and the possible future for our planet (in a non-preachy presentation) will enjoy this book.
on December 3, 2015
This is a tour de force of the evolution of life on our planet. It should be required reading for people wanting to know about the effects of global warming. Not that it's a book about that subject, it just demonstrates clearly how fragile life of our kind is. I was fascinated to read about the effects of varying oxygen and carbon levels on the development of life. Also, how cyano-bacteria and other forms of life have had their effects. The books gets into the evolution of everything you can think of and presents good evidence for the statements made and conclusions drawn.
This book is a great overview of the current thinking on the development of life on our planet. It allowed me to start placing some of the global warming arguments in context and clarified my understanding of our little blue ball.
This book is a great overview of the current thinking on the development of life on our planet. It allowed me to start placing some of the global warming arguments in context and clarified my understanding of our little blue ball.
on September 30, 2015
Avant-Garde Politician: Leaders for a New Epoch
I cannot evaluate the novel scientific propositions presented in this book, such as low oxygen levels and very hot climate bringing about the "most consequential of all mass extinctions, the Permian-Triassic mass extinction" (p. 211), about 252 million years ago, in contrast with the widely accepted massive impact or large scale volcanism explanations.
Also, I did not find a comprehensive model of the variables causing the changes between 10 and 30 percentage of oxygen in the air which the authors offer as a main reason for important events in the development of life. Dispersed throughout the book (e.g. pp. 65-89), various causes are mentioned, such as warming of the earth, interaction with flora and micro-fauna, volcanic activities and more. But a systematic treatment of the factors shaping the oxygen percentage would be welcome in future editions of this book.
Leaving aside such issues, this is a fascinating book discussing crucial issues of the development of life on earth, summed up in the statement "if there is any lesson from life's history, it is that chance has been one of the two major players at the game of life, with evolution the other, and chance makes any attempt at prognosticating events and trends in the future history of life a very chancy proposition (p. 345)." This fully applied to the eventual domination of earth by Mammals and then modern humans.
Thus, after the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction around 250 to 245 million years ago (p. 232), "stem reptiles had two competitive advantages: cold-blooded and could extract more oxygen from air (pp. 257-8). Therefore, "Mammals "never really had a chance in this most consequential competition for not only survivability, but for eventual dominance amid the crises and chaos of mass extinction (p. 258)." However, as well recognized by the authors "The lesson from past mass extinctions is that new occurrences would not have evolved as they did unless substantial extinction had opened the door to the possibility of new morphologies" (pp. 314-5).
Moving to implications for contemporary humanity, the warning about "surviving any future Permian-like mass extinction, a prospect far more probable than our species seems to realize (p. 213)" should not be ignored. Furthermore, as stated by Paul Sereno, an expert on dinosaurs quoted in the book, "The ascendancy of dinosaurs on land near the close of the Triassic now appears to have been as accidental and opportunistic as their demise and replacement by therian mammals at the end of the Cretaceous (p. 249)".The ascent of humanity too was, within the this-worldly perspective of the book, accidental, which makes its survival precarious.
The accident killing of the dinosaurs and about 75% of all species about 65 million years ago by the impact of a large asteroid hitting earth and its various aftereffects (304-5), following in the opinion of the authors a period of flood basalt volcanism (305-6) which cleared the world for mammals and ultimately the human species becoming dominant. But this means that the existence and dominance of Homo sapiens is in many ways accidental - and susceptible to being terminated by another accidental catastrophe, as noted above, or also aggregating effects of a series of dangerous processes, including many caused by humanity itself. This is a lesson of the history of life on earth that should be ingrained into the minds of all humans and in particular future-impacting elites with political leaders coming first.
Reading this book, which I found in many respects superior to some bestsellers dealing with related subjects, further reinforced my awareness that the continuous existence of our species in the partly foreseeable future is far from assured and that existential dangers may be nearer than most of us think. Therefore I strongly recommend this book to all concerned about human futures, including political leaders -- the vast majority of whom are dangerously ignorant (as discussed in my recent book) about what really matters beyond the here and now.
Professor Yehezkel Dror
I cannot evaluate the novel scientific propositions presented in this book, such as low oxygen levels and very hot climate bringing about the "most consequential of all mass extinctions, the Permian-Triassic mass extinction" (p. 211), about 252 million years ago, in contrast with the widely accepted massive impact or large scale volcanism explanations.
Also, I did not find a comprehensive model of the variables causing the changes between 10 and 30 percentage of oxygen in the air which the authors offer as a main reason for important events in the development of life. Dispersed throughout the book (e.g. pp. 65-89), various causes are mentioned, such as warming of the earth, interaction with flora and micro-fauna, volcanic activities and more. But a systematic treatment of the factors shaping the oxygen percentage would be welcome in future editions of this book.
Leaving aside such issues, this is a fascinating book discussing crucial issues of the development of life on earth, summed up in the statement "if there is any lesson from life's history, it is that chance has been one of the two major players at the game of life, with evolution the other, and chance makes any attempt at prognosticating events and trends in the future history of life a very chancy proposition (p. 345)." This fully applied to the eventual domination of earth by Mammals and then modern humans.
Thus, after the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction around 250 to 245 million years ago (p. 232), "stem reptiles had two competitive advantages: cold-blooded and could extract more oxygen from air (pp. 257-8). Therefore, "Mammals "never really had a chance in this most consequential competition for not only survivability, but for eventual dominance amid the crises and chaos of mass extinction (p. 258)." However, as well recognized by the authors "The lesson from past mass extinctions is that new occurrences would not have evolved as they did unless substantial extinction had opened the door to the possibility of new morphologies" (pp. 314-5).
Moving to implications for contemporary humanity, the warning about "surviving any future Permian-like mass extinction, a prospect far more probable than our species seems to realize (p. 213)" should not be ignored. Furthermore, as stated by Paul Sereno, an expert on dinosaurs quoted in the book, "The ascendancy of dinosaurs on land near the close of the Triassic now appears to have been as accidental and opportunistic as their demise and replacement by therian mammals at the end of the Cretaceous (p. 249)".The ascent of humanity too was, within the this-worldly perspective of the book, accidental, which makes its survival precarious.
The accident killing of the dinosaurs and about 75% of all species about 65 million years ago by the impact of a large asteroid hitting earth and its various aftereffects (304-5), following in the opinion of the authors a period of flood basalt volcanism (305-6) which cleared the world for mammals and ultimately the human species becoming dominant. But this means that the existence and dominance of Homo sapiens is in many ways accidental - and susceptible to being terminated by another accidental catastrophe, as noted above, or also aggregating effects of a series of dangerous processes, including many caused by humanity itself. This is a lesson of the history of life on earth that should be ingrained into the minds of all humans and in particular future-impacting elites with political leaders coming first.
Reading this book, which I found in many respects superior to some bestsellers dealing with related subjects, further reinforced my awareness that the continuous existence of our species in the partly foreseeable future is far from assured and that existential dangers may be nearer than most of us think. Therefore I strongly recommend this book to all concerned about human futures, including political leaders -- the vast majority of whom are dangerously ignorant (as discussed in my recent book) about what really matters beyond the here and now.
Professor Yehezkel Dror
It would help the reader to know some of the geologic and classification terms for better understanding, but this does not detra
on July 9, 2015
This is a most thorough book on the history of life on earth. It would help the reader to know some of the geologic and classification terms for better understanding, but this does not detract from the overall information given. The only problem I found with the book is the same as every other book I have read on the subject, and that is how the races came into being.. Neanderthals are not adequately accounted for--they were already in Europe before the African migration of 60,000 years ago. The different races are written off as "sexual preference." Other than that, this is a most informative and well written book.
on April 22, 2015
I have come to expect superior writing by Peter Ward, and he did not disappoint me: this book, while jammed with science and facts, is gripping and gave me the welcome impression that I understood everything. Ward, and Kirschvink lead the reader to a journey through the whole history of geology and life,from the dimmest beginnings, and repeated extinctions and extreme conditions of the millions of years of existence. I plan to let the book "brew" in my mind for a few months, and reread it, to get the fullest impact. The book is that good.
on July 13, 2015
Pros: A lot of good information, well-organized. The authors state that they are trying to revise Richard Fortey’s 1997 Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth. So they focus on what looks different to people in the field twenty years later. They are both hot shot professors and are not afraid to disagree with conventional wisdom if they think it is wrong. So we get lots of stuff that is cutting edge--and, no doubt, some of it will turn out to be wrong. This is not a book full of things you have already read before.
Reviewer Aaron Brown states that “the history of life itself occupies only a quarter or less of the book.” He is absolutely wrong. The authors talk about oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, high temperatures and low, volcanoes and comets, ocean currents, etc. but all in relation to the history of life. Everything changed together. You can’t explain why biology changed without bringing in “abiotic” factors. I suppose that’s one of the messages of the book. Along with “things in the past were stranger than we imagined” and “the history of life on earth is not one of benevolent equilibrium” Strong versions of uniformitarianism are criticized, and readers will not encounter the words “Gaia” or “Lovelock”.
The writing is generally good, though there are some sentences that are too involved or that could have used a proof-reader.
Cons: There is a sloppiness to the book, as if the authors were rushing to get it into print. Non-existent or misplaced footnotes. Illustrations that sometimes make you say, “Why is this here?” or “Where is the illustration they are referring to?” Misprints, like an “invisible life” that should be “visible life” (p. 10).
As in so many books, there are descriptions that cry out for illustration, for pictures or drawings. And, as in so many books, lots of those illustrations are just not there. Sometimes I ached for a graph to show the trends and correlations they spent words on (a few are included but not nearly enough).
Reviewer Aaron Brown states that “the history of life itself occupies only a quarter or less of the book.” He is absolutely wrong. The authors talk about oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, high temperatures and low, volcanoes and comets, ocean currents, etc. but all in relation to the history of life. Everything changed together. You can’t explain why biology changed without bringing in “abiotic” factors. I suppose that’s one of the messages of the book. Along with “things in the past were stranger than we imagined” and “the history of life on earth is not one of benevolent equilibrium” Strong versions of uniformitarianism are criticized, and readers will not encounter the words “Gaia” or “Lovelock”.
The writing is generally good, though there are some sentences that are too involved or that could have used a proof-reader.
Cons: There is a sloppiness to the book, as if the authors were rushing to get it into print. Non-existent or misplaced footnotes. Illustrations that sometimes make you say, “Why is this here?” or “Where is the illustration they are referring to?” Misprints, like an “invisible life” that should be “visible life” (p. 10).
As in so many books, there are descriptions that cry out for illustration, for pictures or drawings. And, as in so many books, lots of those illustrations are just not there. Sometimes I ached for a graph to show the trends and correlations they spent words on (a few are included but not nearly enough).
on December 19, 2015
I give this book five stars for content, but three for presentation and organization.
The information fascinating and well-researched, and I would put this on my must-read list for anyone interested in evolutionary biology or Earth science. The authors present the most recent research on some of the biggest questions in biology, such as: How did abiogenesis occur? How did photosynthesis first evolve? Why did animal life suddenly diversify in the Cambrian explosion? What caused the various mass extinctions in Earth's history? The answers reveal complex and fascinating feedbacks and co-evolution among Earth's biological, atmospheric, and oceanic systems.
Unfortunately, it is easy to lose the thread of the authors' big ideas. They run down many rabbit holes and side paths in their narrative, and often fail to pull the pieces together into a coherent whole. I have a thorough background in both biology and geoscience, but I had to read much of this book twice to understand the big picture. Additionally, there more than a few odd stylistic choices, grammatical constructs, and (in the Kindle edition, at least) typos that prove distracting. (Typos include such errors as "millions" for "billions," endoderms" for endotherms," and "topics" for "tropics." This may not be an issue in the print edition.)
Overall, an excellent and interesting book, despite its flaws.
The information fascinating and well-researched, and I would put this on my must-read list for anyone interested in evolutionary biology or Earth science. The authors present the most recent research on some of the biggest questions in biology, such as: How did abiogenesis occur? How did photosynthesis first evolve? Why did animal life suddenly diversify in the Cambrian explosion? What caused the various mass extinctions in Earth's history? The answers reveal complex and fascinating feedbacks and co-evolution among Earth's biological, atmospheric, and oceanic systems.
Unfortunately, it is easy to lose the thread of the authors' big ideas. They run down many rabbit holes and side paths in their narrative, and often fail to pull the pieces together into a coherent whole. I have a thorough background in both biology and geoscience, but I had to read much of this book twice to understand the big picture. Additionally, there more than a few odd stylistic choices, grammatical constructs, and (in the Kindle edition, at least) typos that prove distracting. (Typos include such errors as "millions" for "billions," endoderms" for endotherms," and "topics" for "tropics." This may not be an issue in the print edition.)
Overall, an excellent and interesting book, despite its flaws.
on December 1, 2015
I cannot recommend this book to highly. The authors provide an intelligent history of the life of our planet Earth and give a plausible scenario for its end. Fortunately if we can solve our man made global warming crises this will not happen for 500,000 million years.
on October 5, 2015
This is the best book I have read on this subject! Unlike other books that make deep dives into specific events or ideas, these authors have maintained a macro view of life and its history on Earth. As a result, one has a panoramic view that is simply breathtaking. This book should be required reading for all students of science or all who want to know how the latest discoveries have confirmed or replaced old theories about life. I also found the last chapter in the book about the future of life on Earth to be very timely and thought provoking.
I recommend better editing of the book for future editions. I would also add more charts, graphs and pictures to assist readers in following the discussions.
I recommend better editing of the book for future editions. I would also add more charts, graphs and pictures to assist readers in following the discussions.
on May 18, 2015
This book is an update to "Rare Earth", Ward's previous book on the special characteristics of Earth that make life possible. This book concentrates on the geologic, biologic, atmospheric, and temperature changes in earth's history that allow life, cause extinctions, and (sometimes barely) allow life to survive. It has many solid new discoveries like the O2 and temperature levels in various eras. Sometimes he jumps between eras, but one can follow the grand development. Final chapters discuss the known future hot and low CO2 environment and the extenctions it will cause. Great fun and engagingly written popular science.
on October 28, 2015
The Earth is old. The best data we have indicates that our planet is around 4.5 billion years old. We sense an ancient Earth when we see large geologic formations and contemplate how slowly geological forces act upon our world. The planet has been here for far longer than we have and certainly longer than life has.
But life is pretty old and its history is fascinating. The question of how life originated and evolved is the topic of Peter Ward & Joe Kirschvink’s book A NEW HISTORY OF LIFE. The authors intertwine three themes throughout the work: 1) life has been more affected by catastrophe more than the slow, gradual forces that normally act, 2) life has been shaped largely by the molecules oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, and 3) the evolution of ecosystems has been the most influential in creating the modern “assemblage of life” that we see today. (4-5) The authors do not disappoint in their telling of this tale with those themes in mind. In fact, of the three themes the first two are especially present.
EXTINCTION AFTER EXTINCTION
One of the constant antagonists to life is the frequent extinction events perpetrated by either extraterrestrial boulders or even suicide. From the very beginning life was on a knife’s edge and one extinction event nearly wiped it out from the get-go.
When organisms began producing oxygen the world became a suddenly hostile place. The authors note that there would have been a “snow-ball Earth” at the time when oxygen was relatively plentiful in the atmosphere. But here is the problem with high oxygen levels and cold temperatures: it would have been deadly to much of life at that time. “The Earth with its new oxygen atmosphere was a bizarre place, at least in terms of what was happening, or not happening, to life.” (86) But, as they also note, evolution tends to favor organisms with the ability to thrive in hostile places. Cyanobacteria that were able to process oxygen would have survived in thermal vents or in hot springs. To paraphrase from THE PRINCESS BRIDE, life was only “mostly dead.”
Other frightening extinction events were not caused by oxygen-producing organisms. Some were caused by cold snaps that lasted for ages while others were caused by increases in greenhouse gases. Others still were combinations of increased greenhouse gases and the impact of meteors from outer space. (Goodbye, dinosaurs!) Life isn’t a guarantee and environmental changes and rocks from the sky can wipe it out entirely.
THE ROLE OF OXYGEN
Another prominent player in A NEW HISTORY OF LIFE is oxygen. “High oxygen means good times: large numbers of species, and nothing much new comes along.” But when oxygen is low, species die out at a faster rate than they are replaced, even though the actual number of emerging species is higher than in the high-oxygen times” (159). Not only is the number of species larger when oxygen is high but the species themselves tend to be larger as well. During the Carboniferous the level of oxygen rose, as did the size of reptiles. When oxygen levels decreased, so did the size of the reptiles (207).
WHAT IS LIFE?
One of my favorite parts of this book was the definition of life that the authors borrow from Paul Davis in his book THE FIFTH MIRACLE. Life performs some “main actions” – it metabolizes, it has complexity, it reproduces, it develops, it evolves, and it has autonomy. It is from that definition of life that the authors go into the concept how life originated. The authors mention a series of “nonliving building blocks” for life on Earth that include lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins (39-40).
The simplicity of the earliest life makes you appreciate just how hazardous the journey was from small non-living components to complicated unicellular and multicellular organisms. Life was never inevitable and the road it travelled was hardly paved with gold.
A GOOD START
In all, A NEW HISTORY OF LIFE serves as an excellent introduction into the origin and evolution of life on Earth. The authors do an excellent job at substantiating their arguments with evidence and we are never left wondering how they arrived at a particular conclusion. Without a doubt science is the star of this volume and I look forward to seeing just where science takes us in the next decade and whether Ward and Kirschvink will give us a second edition complete with even more discoveries.
Let’s hope so.
But life is pretty old and its history is fascinating. The question of how life originated and evolved is the topic of Peter Ward & Joe Kirschvink’s book A NEW HISTORY OF LIFE. The authors intertwine three themes throughout the work: 1) life has been more affected by catastrophe more than the slow, gradual forces that normally act, 2) life has been shaped largely by the molecules oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, and 3) the evolution of ecosystems has been the most influential in creating the modern “assemblage of life” that we see today. (4-5) The authors do not disappoint in their telling of this tale with those themes in mind. In fact, of the three themes the first two are especially present.
EXTINCTION AFTER EXTINCTION
One of the constant antagonists to life is the frequent extinction events perpetrated by either extraterrestrial boulders or even suicide. From the very beginning life was on a knife’s edge and one extinction event nearly wiped it out from the get-go.
When organisms began producing oxygen the world became a suddenly hostile place. The authors note that there would have been a “snow-ball Earth” at the time when oxygen was relatively plentiful in the atmosphere. But here is the problem with high oxygen levels and cold temperatures: it would have been deadly to much of life at that time. “The Earth with its new oxygen atmosphere was a bizarre place, at least in terms of what was happening, or not happening, to life.” (86) But, as they also note, evolution tends to favor organisms with the ability to thrive in hostile places. Cyanobacteria that were able to process oxygen would have survived in thermal vents or in hot springs. To paraphrase from THE PRINCESS BRIDE, life was only “mostly dead.”
Other frightening extinction events were not caused by oxygen-producing organisms. Some were caused by cold snaps that lasted for ages while others were caused by increases in greenhouse gases. Others still were combinations of increased greenhouse gases and the impact of meteors from outer space. (Goodbye, dinosaurs!) Life isn’t a guarantee and environmental changes and rocks from the sky can wipe it out entirely.
THE ROLE OF OXYGEN
Another prominent player in A NEW HISTORY OF LIFE is oxygen. “High oxygen means good times: large numbers of species, and nothing much new comes along.” But when oxygen is low, species die out at a faster rate than they are replaced, even though the actual number of emerging species is higher than in the high-oxygen times” (159). Not only is the number of species larger when oxygen is high but the species themselves tend to be larger as well. During the Carboniferous the level of oxygen rose, as did the size of reptiles. When oxygen levels decreased, so did the size of the reptiles (207).
WHAT IS LIFE?
One of my favorite parts of this book was the definition of life that the authors borrow from Paul Davis in his book THE FIFTH MIRACLE. Life performs some “main actions” – it metabolizes, it has complexity, it reproduces, it develops, it evolves, and it has autonomy. It is from that definition of life that the authors go into the concept how life originated. The authors mention a series of “nonliving building blocks” for life on Earth that include lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins (39-40).
The simplicity of the earliest life makes you appreciate just how hazardous the journey was from small non-living components to complicated unicellular and multicellular organisms. Life was never inevitable and the road it travelled was hardly paved with gold.
A GOOD START
In all, A NEW HISTORY OF LIFE serves as an excellent introduction into the origin and evolution of life on Earth. The authors do an excellent job at substantiating their arguments with evidence and we are never left wondering how they arrived at a particular conclusion. Without a doubt science is the star of this volume and I look forward to seeing just where science takes us in the next decade and whether Ward and Kirschvink will give us a second edition complete with even more discoveries.
Let’s hope so.
on June 17, 2015
This is a very interesting and comprehensive book for anyone really interested in the origin of life, and the evolutionary history of major species. But it is not for the faint of heart; the authors freely use scientific names so you may need a dictionary at hand. I found the Kindle the best way to read. Because the book covers many results from the author's own studies, it was sometimes hard to distinguish which results are broadly accepted from those that may still be tentative. But that was a small price to pay because I really enjoyed the comprehensive approach they took to new results that I was not familiar with.
on November 15, 2015
This was one of the best books of the year for me. The two authors got carried away somewhat with the title. The only "new" aspect to
this history was the emphasis on the role of oxygen in the extinction and adaptive radiation throughout the biosphere of new groups. Also,
their take on it wasn't that radical. Nevertheless, the story was written clearly and held my interest throughout, something not every book
on evolutionary biology can accomplish; they often get bogged down in the middle. Great subject, very good book!
this history was the emphasis on the role of oxygen in the extinction and adaptive radiation throughout the biosphere of new groups. Also,
their take on it wasn't that radical. Nevertheless, the story was written clearly and held my interest throughout, something not every book
on evolutionary biology can accomplish; they often get bogged down in the middle. Great subject, very good book!
Will bring you up to date on life beginning and advancement. Also a great Historical Geology refresher
on May 15, 2015
Excellent review of the status of science regarding the beginning and advancement of life; As a retired geologist, I found this book to be well written and enjoyed all of it. However, it you have no science background at all or do not read science non=fiction this would not be the book for you, While the authors do explain most scientific terms used you still may want to google some of the words.
on June 7, 2016
This is a very good book. Note it is not a thorough treatment of the subject. It is an update and a discussion of areas of controversy and new discoveries. It would assume a reader with some familiarity with earth science and the evolution of life. I thought it was very evenhanded and fair in treatment while allowing the authors their own opinions. Amazing how important Australia is to the history of life (in both fossils and scientists) and how wonderful the discoveries from China have been to shedding light on a number of open questions. I remain amazed at how these dedicated investigators creatively extract so much information from often meager remains. Keep digging!
on February 18, 2016
I loved this book! Just fascinated by all that the authors know, and how they are constantly able to question, add information and rethink. I was so taken with this book that I gave it for many on my Christmas gifts.
on May 19, 2015
Thought provoking and very interesting work. I'd really like an illustrated version as sometimes got lost in detail for lack of examples.
At the end I found the conclusion of falling carbon dioxide and heat death of the planet extremely surprising. I had to reread the closing chapter as this seemed to spring from nowhere. Essentially it seems like the current human induced carbon increase can only be temporary. This is alluded to but arguments are not really developed.
Overall a powerful book - very clearly explains the way that life has often polluted the planet and caused severe extinctions. Makes me feel better as humans are just one of a series of problems
At the end I found the conclusion of falling carbon dioxide and heat death of the planet extremely surprising. I had to reread the closing chapter as this seemed to spring from nowhere. Essentially it seems like the current human induced carbon increase can only be temporary. This is alluded to but arguments are not really developed.
Overall a powerful book - very clearly explains the way that life has often polluted the planet and caused severe extinctions. Makes me feel better as humans are just one of a series of problems
on April 26, 2015
Ward is coauthor of Rare Earth and popularized the thesis that life on earth is rare serendipity, so that tells you what approach they'll take here. Another, perhaps better treatment of a similar approach is Revolutions that Made the Earth (Oxford, 2010) by Watson et al.
on July 6, 2015
I find this book very enjoyable to read. The writing is clear and accessible, and perfect for some one like me who understands so little scientific language. A massive amount of material is offered here with plenty of context. Really fun. I recommend it to those who are scientifically challenged in particular. Don't know how it would measure up for serious science students. I think it is for the popular audience.
on October 7, 2015
Very eye-opening discoveries are discussed in this book. As a believer (in G-d) I highly recommend it to open-minded religious and non-religious people.
on December 3, 2015
The trouble with this book is daily chores. Once you start reading, you will not be able to finish any of them.
on September 25, 2015
My book club read this book. Pretty hard-nosed guys. They liked the book, but had a few complaints. It could have used more figures and sometimes the text seemed to not agree with the graphics. There were a few errors in climate matters, but not of any consequence. There was a general feeling that the authors were pushing an agenda of their own. This is not all bad, but they might have made this more clear: exactly how much is this theory accepted in the field? On the other hand, they are very distinguished and accomplished scientists and deserve some leeway.
on July 25, 2015
If you think you know the story of life, think again.
this book will be a revelation as it discloses and summarizes the discoveries of the last three decades concerning this topic. Not all discussed is necessarily true because much is speculative but all is considered as possible and/or likely to be either proven or possible. Well worth the time taken to read it, well worth the time taken to ponder the material presented.
this book will be a revelation as it discloses and summarizes the discoveries of the last three decades concerning this topic. Not all discussed is necessarily true because much is speculative but all is considered as possible and/or likely to be either proven or possible. Well worth the time taken to read it, well worth the time taken to ponder the material presented.
on June 15, 2016
For anyone who thinks deep and genuinely cares about the distant past as it relates to our, mankind's future, this wonderful book is both a challenge and a tome of enlightenment.
on October 23, 2015
on October 6, 2015
Fantastic book with all the new finds about life on this planet and it origins and adaptations to environment.
on March 30, 2016
Well-written, entertaining. Light conversational style.
on February 28, 2016
Clear, detailed, informative and important.
on October 18, 2015
Another Peter Ward sensation....
on November 22, 2015
Good update on latest research on evolution and the events affecting our life on the planet. A pretty easy read, even of non-scientist.
on May 7, 2016
This is so poorly written that I finally realized that I could not trust it for delivering any valid scientific information and gave up reading it. For example, when discussing the Archean period, the authors state that it ended "approximately 2.5 million years ago." Fail! I was memerized when I read whole chunk of text, word for word, that was repeated from earlier in the book. Could the authors have found anyone to do basic editing?
The weird academic backstabbing and bitching about other scientists was also very off putting. The style overall veers between random lecture notes (now we know what OIL RIG stands for!) and tabloid journalism. The authors should have given up and hired a ghost writer.
The weird academic backstabbing and bitching about other scientists was also very off putting. The style overall veers between random lecture notes (now we know what OIL RIG stands for!) and tabloid journalism. The authors should have given up and hired a ghost writer.
on June 26, 2015
great material. thought provoking. makes for some good conversation lines.
on September 25, 2015
Wonderful, comprehensive, easy to read.
on August 19, 2015
Despite the difficult material (anyone for organic chemistry?), very readable. Certainly contents of dramatic interest: hard to imagine Earth in its early history.
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