Earth and Life: A Four Billion Year Conversation

"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