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maxsebastian's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Life’s Edge is the pinnacle of public facing science literature. With beautiful historical retellings, detailed explanations of topics ranging from radiolobes to Schrödinger’s cat, and lovely interludes with modern scientists, Carl Zimmer tackled two of the most fascinating interconnected, intricate, and relevant unanswered questions of the modern era, how did life begin? and what is life? Zimmer is a gifted writer and his passion shines in this digestive and deep read.
ronnimae's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
topherisswell's review
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
While very interesting, informative, and insightful, the book failed to provide a cohesive narrative. While thought-provoking, it read more like a collection of related articles than it did a cohesive examination of the history of the search for a definition for life.
renbooks's review
2.0
I read this book with my science book club and well.... I am whelmed by this. This is a topic I have been extremely interested in since I first read the textbook description of "what is life" in my first college bio classes. I'll start with the good: there were some very interesting chapters in here and case studies that really gave me a lot to think about. It's more obvious than ever after reading this that scientists do not have a good definition for what life is. I think the author did a good job presenting that. The bad: this book was very disorganized. I thought the author did a poor job of articulating why certain boring historical accounts were included. He was not clear about making sure the audience knows what topic he is discussing (and I'm a biologist so I should have known what he was getting at but often didn't). If he was having each chapter display a quality of life from the "standard definitions", he needed to express that better.
Also, a personal pet peeve of mine that I wish people would stop doing: STOP DESCRIBING WHAT THE SCIENTIST IS WEARING OR WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, NOBODY CARES. He literally describes the brand of sunglasses a scientist puts on. That is not relevant to the story. He also describes a scientist as another scientist's wife when that isn't relevant to any part of the narrative, and I take issue with that. The other scientists he mentioned in that section were "grad student, post doc, etc" and this scientist was "other scientist's wife".
Also, a personal pet peeve of mine that I wish people would stop doing: STOP DESCRIBING WHAT THE SCIENTIST IS WEARING OR WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, NOBODY CARES. He literally describes the brand of sunglasses a scientist puts on. That is not relevant to the story. He also describes a scientist as another scientist's wife when that isn't relevant to any part of the narrative, and I take issue with that. The other scientists he mentioned in that section were "grad student, post doc, etc" and this scientist was "other scientist's wife".
professor_x's review against another edition
4.0
What does it mean to be alive? What constitutes life? In Life's Edge Zimmerman provides different examples that may shed some light on these profound questions. Take the hardy tardigrade for example. These microscopic creatures will enter a near-death hibernation called cryptobiosis, and can stay in this state for very long periods. Add a drop of water and they will spring to life. If a human died of dehydration, you can bet that dumping a bucket of water onto the cadaver won't help reinvigorate it.
Take water from a nearby pond and examine it under a microscope. Looking into the viewer, you may be surprised to see an explosion of minute organisms swimming around. These critters must live such fleeting lives. If the pond dries up, they are wiped from existence. I remember Neil DeGrasse Tyson in Cosmos discussing the evanescent life of microorganisms in a single dew drop. The sun rises, life evaporates into thin air.
I will be forever in gratitude to science, for keeping that brittle flower of child-like wonder and curiosity healthy and well watered. I often will find an ant scurrying along a sidewalk, and I will study it, watching it move to and fro. The realization hits me like a brick every time -- it is alive. The birds flying overhead are alive. The earthworms slithering out of the wet soil are alive. In a way, Earth is alive, with its tectonic plates crashing, volcanoes erupting, hurricanes blowing furiously.
We are surrounded by life. It's important to stop and look once in a while. It is food for the soul.
Take water from a nearby pond and examine it under a microscope. Looking into the viewer, you may be surprised to see an explosion of minute organisms swimming around. These critters must live such fleeting lives. If the pond dries up, they are wiped from existence. I remember Neil DeGrasse Tyson in Cosmos discussing the evanescent life of microorganisms in a single dew drop. The sun rises, life evaporates into thin air.
I will be forever in gratitude to science, for keeping that brittle flower of child-like wonder and curiosity healthy and well watered. I often will find an ant scurrying along a sidewalk, and I will study it, watching it move to and fro. The realization hits me like a brick every time -- it is alive. The birds flying overhead are alive. The earthworms slithering out of the wet soil are alive. In a way, Earth is alive, with its tectonic plates crashing, volcanoes erupting, hurricanes blowing furiously.
We are surrounded by life. It's important to stop and look once in a while. It is food for the soul.