# The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Chapters by Marianne Taylor (Hardcover)

An exploration of the key aspects of life on Earth - now and in the future - through the study of 10 and a half species.  
**'Entertaining and intellectually stimulating... The book highlights the wonderfully interconnected nature of our fragile planet. If you want big science at an accessible scale, this is for you' _BBC Wildlife_**  
  
If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's _The Story of Life in 101⁄2 Chapters_. Each life form explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision.  
  
Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world. She investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human - 'a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view of life' - could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside sparrow may be revived through 're-evolution', or cloning; explains the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The 'half' species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to understand and model life, AI is central to our future - although from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth in the long run.

## Details

- **Price:** 18.5 GBP
- **Vendor:** Head of Zeus
- **Type:** Marianne Taylor
- **Tags:** All Books, Nature

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 18.50 GBP | In stock |

## Images

- The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Chapters by Marianne Taylor (Hardcover) cover

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> Updated: 2026-10-17