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Wonders of Brian Cox (with Andrew Cohen) #3
Wonders of Life: Exploring the Most Extraordinary Phenomenon in the Universe
In Wonders of Life: Exploring the Most Extraordinary Force in the Universe, the definitive companion to the Discovery Science Channel series, Professor Brian Cox takes us on an incredible journey to discover the most complex, diverse, and unique force in the universe: life itself.
Through his voyage of discovery, international bestselling author Brian Cox explains how the astonishing inventiveness of nature came about and uncovers the milestones in the epic journey from the origin of life to our own lives, with beautiful full-color illustrations throughout. From spectacular fountains of superheated water at the bottom of the Atlantic to the deepest rainforest, Cox seeks out the places where the biggest questions about life may be answered: What is life? Why do we need water? Why does life end?
Physicist and professor Brian Cox uncovers the secrets of life in the most unexpected locations and in the most stunning detail in this beautiful full-color volume.
Through his voyage of discovery, international bestselling author Brian Cox explains how the astonishing inventiveness of nature came about and uncovers the milestones in the epic journey from the origin of life to our own lives, with beautiful full-color illustrations throughout. From spectacular fountains of superheated water at the bottom of the Atlantic to the deepest rainforest, Cox seeks out the places where the biggest questions about life may be answered: What is life? Why do we need water? Why does life end?
Physicist and professor Brian Cox uncovers the secrets of life in the most unexpected locations and in the most stunning detail in this beautiful full-color volume.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2013
243 people are currently reading
1724 people want to read
About the author
Brian Cox
103 books2,029 followersNot to be confused with actor [Author: Brian Cox].
Brian Edward Cox, OBE (born 3 March 1968) is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow, PPARC Advanced Fellow and Professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. He is working on the R&D project of the FP420 experiment in an international collaboration to upgrade the ATLAS and the CMS experiment by installing additional, smaller detectors at a distance of 420 metres from the interaction points of the main experiments.
He is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC, boosting the popularity of subjects such as astronomy; so is a science popularizer, and science communicator. He also had some fame in the 1990s as the keyboard player for the pop band D:Ream.
Brian Edward Cox, OBE (born 3 March 1968) is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow, PPARC Advanced Fellow and Professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. He is working on the R&D project of the FP420 experiment in an international collaboration to upgrade the ATLAS and the CMS experiment by installing additional, smaller detectors at a distance of 420 metres from the interaction points of the main experiments.
He is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC, boosting the popularity of subjects such as astronomy; so is a science popularizer, and science communicator. He also had some fame in the 1990s as the keyboard player for the pop band D:Ream.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 13, 2013
Wonders of Life: Exploring the Most Extraordinary Phenomenon in the Universe by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen
"Wonders of Life" is a fantastic book that complements the Discovery Science Channel series. Professor Brian Cox is at it again but this time he takes us on a global journey of the most unexpected locations to explain the origin of life to our lives. This enlightening, full-color 288-page book is composed of the following five chapters: 1. Home, 2. What Is Life?, 3. Size Matters, 4. Expanding Universe, and 5. Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
Positives:
1. Elegant and passionate prose. Innate ability to make science fun and educational for the masses.
2. The fascinating topic of the life sciences in the hands of a master educator.
3. Great use of charts and illustrations to assist the reader. This book is full of awe-inspiring photos. High production value, I can't stress that enough.
4. In science is not always about the right answer but asking the right questions. Cox focuses his journey on Schrodinger's 'How' question.
5. In reverence to one of the greatest theories ever, the theory of evolution.
6. Thought-provoking questions that guide this wonderful book, as an example: "What is the minimal set of ingredients necessary for life to evolve, and how widespread are these ingredients in the Universe beyond Earth?"
7. A look at the history of water. Fascinating!
8. The evolution of the biological process of oxygenic photosynthesis. Who knew biology could be this much fun?
9. The impact of light...enlightening indeed. "A photon's wavelength is directly related to its colour."
10. Full of fun factoids throughout the book. "A single drop of water contains, on average, a million bacteria."
11. What is life? Find out. A good mix of biology, chemistry and physics to explain such an ambitious question. "Each one of us contains about 50 trillion cells, working together to create the complex structures of the human body."
12. Learning about mitochondria.
13. DNA the blueprint of life...
14. Understanding how size is constrained by the laws of nature; from that largest to the smallest but most importantly, why that is so.
15. How living things learned to experience the world. The evolution of the senses (hearing, seeing, touching). "Throughout this book, we have seen that a powerful route to discovering how organisms evolved certain characteristics is to look for commonalities across radically different forms of life."
16. I would be remiss if I did not include my absolutely favorite discovery, "Darwin's bark spider".
17. Understanding the "stuff" of life. The importance of carbon.
18. The Big Bang Singularity.
19. The building blocks of biology.
20. The power of mutations. The power of islands (environment).
Negatives:
1. No links to citations or source material.
2. No formal bibliography.
3. Intended for the masses, if you are looking for in-depth information you must look elsewhere.
In summary, I really enjoyed this book. Professor Cox has a love affair with science that is palpable. The high-production value of the book matches the enthusiasm and splendor of nature. The book's awe-inspiring illustrations can only be enjoyed from the Kindle Fire or the PC. If you are looking for a beautifully illustrated book that explains the wonders of life, this is it! I loved the book and I highly recommend it!
Recommendations: "Life Ascending" by Nick Lane, "Before the Dawn" by Nicholas Wade, "The 10,000 Year Explosion" by Gregory Cochran, "Evolution for Dummies" by Tracy Barr, "Evolution: What the Fossils Say" by Donald R. Prothero, "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Richard Dawkins, "Last Ape Standing" by Chip Walter, "The Making of the Fittest" by Sean B. Carroll, "Only a Theory" by Kenneth R. Miller, "The Red Queen" by Matt Ridley, "The Universe Inside You" by Brian Clegg, "Why Evolution Is True" by Jerry A. Coyne, and "Your Inner Fish" by Neil Shubin.
"Wonders of Life" is a fantastic book that complements the Discovery Science Channel series. Professor Brian Cox is at it again but this time he takes us on a global journey of the most unexpected locations to explain the origin of life to our lives. This enlightening, full-color 288-page book is composed of the following five chapters: 1. Home, 2. What Is Life?, 3. Size Matters, 4. Expanding Universe, and 5. Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
Positives:
1. Elegant and passionate prose. Innate ability to make science fun and educational for the masses.
2. The fascinating topic of the life sciences in the hands of a master educator.
3. Great use of charts and illustrations to assist the reader. This book is full of awe-inspiring photos. High production value, I can't stress that enough.
4. In science is not always about the right answer but asking the right questions. Cox focuses his journey on Schrodinger's 'How' question.
5. In reverence to one of the greatest theories ever, the theory of evolution.
6. Thought-provoking questions that guide this wonderful book, as an example: "What is the minimal set of ingredients necessary for life to evolve, and how widespread are these ingredients in the Universe beyond Earth?"
7. A look at the history of water. Fascinating!
8. The evolution of the biological process of oxygenic photosynthesis. Who knew biology could be this much fun?
9. The impact of light...enlightening indeed. "A photon's wavelength is directly related to its colour."
10. Full of fun factoids throughout the book. "A single drop of water contains, on average, a million bacteria."
11. What is life? Find out. A good mix of biology, chemistry and physics to explain such an ambitious question. "Each one of us contains about 50 trillion cells, working together to create the complex structures of the human body."
12. Learning about mitochondria.
13. DNA the blueprint of life...
14. Understanding how size is constrained by the laws of nature; from that largest to the smallest but most importantly, why that is so.
15. How living things learned to experience the world. The evolution of the senses (hearing, seeing, touching). "Throughout this book, we have seen that a powerful route to discovering how organisms evolved certain characteristics is to look for commonalities across radically different forms of life."
16. I would be remiss if I did not include my absolutely favorite discovery, "Darwin's bark spider".
17. Understanding the "stuff" of life. The importance of carbon.
18. The Big Bang Singularity.
19. The building blocks of biology.
20. The power of mutations. The power of islands (environment).
Negatives:
1. No links to citations or source material.
2. No formal bibliography.
3. Intended for the masses, if you are looking for in-depth information you must look elsewhere.
In summary, I really enjoyed this book. Professor Cox has a love affair with science that is palpable. The high-production value of the book matches the enthusiasm and splendor of nature. The book's awe-inspiring illustrations can only be enjoyed from the Kindle Fire or the PC. If you are looking for a beautifully illustrated book that explains the wonders of life, this is it! I loved the book and I highly recommend it!
Recommendations: "Life Ascending" by Nick Lane, "Before the Dawn" by Nicholas Wade, "The 10,000 Year Explosion" by Gregory Cochran, "Evolution for Dummies" by Tracy Barr, "Evolution: What the Fossils Say" by Donald R. Prothero, "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Richard Dawkins, "Last Ape Standing" by Chip Walter, "The Making of the Fittest" by Sean B. Carroll, "Only a Theory" by Kenneth R. Miller, "The Red Queen" by Matt Ridley, "The Universe Inside You" by Brian Clegg, "Why Evolution Is True" by Jerry A. Coyne, and "Your Inner Fish" by Neil Shubin.
May 21, 2020
Hunger Games returned me to reading fiction and story. Just as Sagan's Cosmos, years earlier, took me away from the fantasy and sci-fi books of my teen years. Cosmos fascinated me. My mind caught fire for the first time in a long time.
We are made of star stuff.
The book took my fragmented knowledge of physics and astronomy, and connected me very personally to concepts that previously seemed beyond my reach. Science made accessible, but not condescending. I was enthralled. I read more books on physics and astronomy. Then philosophy (not as separate from science as I believed...quest for knowledge using different tools). Then history of physics and philosophy. Then history. I found the patterns and connections in my reading very comforting to a highly analytical mind. Cause and effect.
A couple of days ago, my Bookbub e-mailer notified me that Wonders of Life was on sale on iBooks. I knew nothing of the book. The byline touted Brian Cox as the heir to Sagan. I was intrigued and sceptical, but an asking price of 3 USD does not allow scepticism to intimidate the wallet. Now, after reading, I would have gladly paid full price. In fact, I am ordering a hardcover version because the illustrations and photos are amazing, and iBooks cannot do those correctly.
Many of you probably already know Brian Cox. I did not.
Many of you have probably already seen the BBC's Wonders TV series. I did not. I do not watch or stream much TV.
I was ignorant of both author and documentary, and started the book with no preconceptions other than Brian Cox "hailed in some quarters as the next Carl Sagan." Hmmph.
As with Toad (see below), I was more than pleasantly surprised and hooked from the introductory anecdote that Doctor Cox shares of Richard Feynman. Doctor Cox's words:
"The flower is made up of cells, single units with identical genes. Hidden within are a multitude of biochemical machines, each highly specialised to perform complex tasks that keep the cell alive. Some contain chloroplasts, once free-living bacteria, co-opted into capturing light from the Sun and using it to assemble food from carbon dioxide and water. There are mitochondria, factories that pump protons up energy ‘waterfalls’ and insert organic waterwheels into the ensuing cascade to assemble ATP molecules – the universal batteries of life. And there is DNA, a molecule with a code embedded in its structure that carries the instructions to assemble the flower, but also contains fragments of the story of the origin and evolution of all life on Earth, from its beginnings 3.8 billion years ago to the endless forms most beautiful that have transformed a once-sterile world into the grandest possible expression of the laws of nature. This is beauty way beyond the aesthetic that, as Feynman concluded, ‘only adds to the excitement and mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds; I don’t understand how it subtracts.’"
Yes, indeed, quite possibly the next Carl Sagan. Or, better yet, the first Brian Cox with the ability to communicate complex and fascinating concepts in a way that everyone can enjoy without feeling patronised.
The next paragraph in the introduction anticipated another doubt. How does a particle physicist write about biology?
The remainder of the book squelched that doubt. A brilliant book. Biology and physics are not completely separate. Branches of the same tree. The Tree of Knowledge. The Tree of Science.
The author provides more than interesting facts and connections. He conveys a reverential awe of and deep respect for his subject, LIFE.
"Deeper understanding confers that most precious thing - wonder."
He borrows a thought-provoking question from Erwin Schrodinger (of cat lover fame...or notoriety) and moves the question from religious and philosophical territory on to a scientific foundation:
"What is Life? How can the events in space and time, which take place within the spatial boundary of a living organism, be accounted for by physics and chemistry?"
He then explores both factual and mythical Frankenstein exploits, the laws of thermodynamics, fuel cells and jellyfish allowing the reader to breathlessly (or carefully) follow to the reader's own conclusions.
I devoured this book. Completed it in a single sitting. The book is not long and there are lots of (sublime) graphics. (Again, digital forms of the book will not do justice to the graphics. The first graphic of a Fibonacci spiral detailing the history of the earth and evolution is incredible! I have never seen information on evolution so elegantly and simply displayed. Doctor Cox does not elaborate on the graphic, but one could spend a lot of time trying to digest it all. I did.) But lately, finishing a book, even a graphic novel, in a single go has been unusual for me. Too much stress and noise in my life to clear space for reading. This book was an exception.
An author of fiction uses plot to build suspense and usually ends a chapter with a cliffhanger to keep the reader turning pages. With this book, the reader's mind wants to understand more and more, and continue to make the connections that the author offers. No better page turner than understanding and comprehension. "I get it! I never knew that!" And as the author mentioned, after understanding, Wonder ensues. It is addicting.
Surprisingly, when I closed the book, I felt that same sense of sad goodbye that I have felt reading my favorite novels.
Even more importantly, I felt a deep appreciation for the rarity and gift of life...a connection to life. Life is precious.
A great introduction to Brian Cox for me. I will be reading more, and his books will be placed on the shelf next to Carl Sagan's, who awakened a part of my mind that has provided much satisfaction in my life.
The book’s complementary quote to the earlier quote from Sagan’s Cosmos:
This is because you share a common ancestor [with grass]. You are related. You were once the same.
The soundtrack (or, songs that came to mind as I read)...
Forest Fire
I loved this band as a teenager. They made (independent of whatever mood besets me) my favorite ever music recording which provided the emotional soundscape to an iconic scene in a classic 80s coming-of-(or not...forever young?)-age film. The scene and the song held so much emotional relevance for me. More recently, the 12" single (difficult to find once given up) was gifted to me for Christmas. A priceless and meaningful gift that accompanied a collection of letters from my favorite painter. An amazing first date in his homeland museum.
But I digress. Typical me. :(
In the early 90s, while I was finishing university, I was beginning to understand the word "environment" for the first time.
Many were fighting to save the rain forests of South and Central America long before Cameron's trip to Pandora. We, as a society, worried about depletion of the ozone layer. The (U.S.) Clean Air Act of 1990 greatly limited the use of CFCs. (Just after the Act was amended, a visiting professor at a monthly engineering seminar stated "Mount Pinatubo did more to destroy the ozone layer than everything man has done since the beginning of the industrial age." I raised my hand and asked if that was an excuse for us to also recklessly contribute as a few billion mini-volcanoes. The dean was not happy.)
That is the vein of this song. And although the book never explicitly mentions "environmentalism," few texts have better conveyed the preciousness and rarity of life...ALL life...and how interconnected all life is.
Now, we (at least some of we) speak of "global warming." Some of us (and I am guilty in my tired middle age) know that we will not pay the price for our irresponsibility, or we hope that technology will again save us from the brink of disaster. Whether global warming is a cyclical progression of Mother Earth or caused principally by humanity, Mother will survive. We may not. Life is also fragile.
The Minnow and the Trout (Live)
The video is shaky and microphones in 2008 were not that dynamic, but I enjoyed her banter before singing. Fenicotteri! In the park. :)
The sentiment of this song summarizes the book so perfectly for me.
Please, I know that we're different
We were one cell in the sea in the beginning
And what we're made of was all the same once
We're not that different after all
We are tied in history
Connected like a family
We can learn. We can change. We can be more respectful and aware of all the life around us in all of its fascinating varieties.
We are different, but as the book explains so lucidly; not as different, physiologically, as we might think. Humans and grass.
Life Is Beautiful
The song surely is more about internal emotional structure than biology, but this is the song that came to mind first as I read the book and began to feel the grandeur of life and its complexity. And for this book, the cover art of the song’s album seems more than appropriate.
I saw Toad opening for The Origin in 1992, months before All I Want became hugely popular on college then mainstream radio. My friends and I knew nothing of the band and were not expecting much. With a name like that, a kitsch band at best. A Weird Al Yankovic clone at worst. We were absolutely stunned. The song quality. The musicianship. The energy. The emotion. We each left the venue with Toad's complete discography to date, and their music has been a constant in my life since.
Life is beautiful. When I have eyes to see...
July 5, 2025
2024 52 Book Challenge - September Mini Challenge - 1) Professor Plum
This was a really interesting read, and really helps to explain everything from the TV series. It was however a little bit beyond the basic biology that the standard person might know, and I had to do extra research to understand what was being discussed, albeit, I haven't studied biology in over a decade.
This was a really interesting read, and really helps to explain everything from the TV series. It was however a little bit beyond the basic biology that the standard person might know, and I had to do extra research to understand what was being discussed, albeit, I haven't studied biology in over a decade.
March 8, 2015
No one with even just a passing interest in nature and biology will not find this book and the associated BBC TV series fascinating and splendid. Designed to explain complicated concepts of biochemistry and microbiology to laymen like myself, do not expect full blown technical detail and scientific formulas, those can be found in reference books elsewhere. Rather, this superb, concise book is a jumping off point for further investigation into the major questions it attempts to answer, like what basic chemical and physical properties constitute and govern life forms, how the elements come together to become the building blocks of organisms, how the main senses of hearing, smell and sight evolved, and allometry, or the study of the scale of life, etc.
One of the main threads running through the book is how all life on Earth is deeply related and connected to one another, from the smallest bacteria to plants and whales, so evident in the history written in all our DNA, which is shared by all organisms to some extent. Every form of life is merely various combinations and manifestations of the same basic elements and molecules, all with their origin in the creation of stars and formation of planets. How such highly organized and complex physical structures came to exist out of the chaos of the stars is another big question that the book explores.
To be sure, there are many instances where discussions appear to be cut off midway and explanations not carried through to a satisfactory conclusion, but this is no doubt due to the book being based on a TV series, which has a very limited time to focus on each topic, for fear of losing the attention of fickle viewers. But this also gives the book sufficient variety and attention grabbing visuals and scenes, which work to its advantage. Beautiful photographs of the myriad creatures and exotic locales featured in the film, and helpful explanatory graphics can be found throughout that enhance its appeal and are an added bonus. Both book and series are highly recommended!
One of the main threads running through the book is how all life on Earth is deeply related and connected to one another, from the smallest bacteria to plants and whales, so evident in the history written in all our DNA, which is shared by all organisms to some extent. Every form of life is merely various combinations and manifestations of the same basic elements and molecules, all with their origin in the creation of stars and formation of planets. How such highly organized and complex physical structures came to exist out of the chaos of the stars is another big question that the book explores.
To be sure, there are many instances where discussions appear to be cut off midway and explanations not carried through to a satisfactory conclusion, but this is no doubt due to the book being based on a TV series, which has a very limited time to focus on each topic, for fear of losing the attention of fickle viewers. But this also gives the book sufficient variety and attention grabbing visuals and scenes, which work to its advantage. Beautiful photographs of the myriad creatures and exotic locales featured in the film, and helpful explanatory graphics can be found throughout that enhance its appeal and are an added bonus. Both book and series are highly recommended!
February 27, 2013
I highly recommend Professor Brian Cox’s latest offering, released 24th January 2013 – ‘Wonders of Life’. It is available from Amazon and accompanies the UK TV series of the same name. I just learned that it will not be released in the US until 7th May 2013. It will be worth the wait - and you can pre-order from Amazon now. I read each of the five chapters following watching the TV programme each Sunday evening.
The book not only mirrors the fascinating content of each TV episode but adds much more detail than the one hour TV programme can accommodate. A totally fascinating coverage which includes much more information plus lots of stunning photographs.
Following Cox’s ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ and ‘Wonders of the Universe’, this volume, ‘Wonders of Life’, completes a fascinating trilogy, simply explained and beautifully illustrated. All three TV series are now also available to pre-order as a boxed set on DVD. Everyone should watch all of them and read the accompanying books. They are worth every penny. Understanding our solar system, the origin and destiny of the universe and the story of life on Earth is the most wonderful journey we could ever undertake. Magical!
The good thing is, they have just announced a new series which starts filming in July 2013. Hope there will be another accompanying book!
The book not only mirrors the fascinating content of each TV episode but adds much more detail than the one hour TV programme can accommodate. A totally fascinating coverage which includes much more information plus lots of stunning photographs.
Following Cox’s ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ and ‘Wonders of the Universe’, this volume, ‘Wonders of Life’, completes a fascinating trilogy, simply explained and beautifully illustrated. All three TV series are now also available to pre-order as a boxed set on DVD. Everyone should watch all of them and read the accompanying books. They are worth every penny. Understanding our solar system, the origin and destiny of the universe and the story of life on Earth is the most wonderful journey we could ever undertake. Magical!
The good thing is, they have just announced a new series which starts filming in July 2013. Hope there will be another accompanying book!
November 25, 2021
Evrimin ne olduğunu çok çarpıcı örneklerle anlatan, ilginçliklerle dolu olan Prof.Brian Cox'un bu harika kitabını okumanızı kesinlikle tavsiye ediyorum. İlk fırsatta da belgeselini seyredeceğim.
December 18, 2020
LOVED IT!
Reminded me of the Science book i used to read in school.
I love Brian Cox... honestly think he's a genius, that's why i got the book but you could get all of these information watching the BBC series "Wonders of life"
which is no longer on Netflix :/
Reminded me of the Science book i used to read in school.
I love Brian Cox... honestly think he's a genius, that's why i got the book but you could get all of these information watching the BBC series "Wonders of life"
which is no longer on Netflix :/
July 10, 2017
Brian definitely offers some interesting insights to wonderful world of biology. The book is actually meant to accompany a TV series he did, also called Wonders of Life, so it had a number of pictures of the author in it, all of which I felt were a bit awkward. He also reminded me of the one science teacher who hated me, on a personal level, because he thought I was stupid and a cheat (since I’m terrible at testing, but still get good grades on homework and in labs). So for me, it was a bit hard to read just because I kept hearing the words in the voice of this terrible teacher from my past. The illustrations and pictures of everything else, besides the author, were a great teaching aid to the many topics Brian discussed. I’m very much a visual learner, so having visual references really helped me grasp whatever concept was being explained. He did have a slight “I’m on a personal mission to disprove anything religious about life” tone to some of his lectures, but nothing compared to J. Craig Venter in Life at the Speed of Light.
January 5, 2014
Ah what to spend my Sunday doing after putting away the Christmas decorations. Well I guess the third and final Brian Cox book (from the TV series of the same name) is as good as any place to start.
This one was a bit of a strange read for me. The layout and the design, in fact the whole feel of it was in keeping with the solar system and the universe books but this time it takes a look inwards. It looks at - and yes as the name implies the wonders of life so it now concentrates on the impossibly small instead of the impossibly large, however there are many times when the subject matter manages to find its way back to stellar explanations and descriptions - as you feel that is where the author is most comfortable in his work but still it carries many insight that I was no expecting to find.
This one was a bit of a strange read for me. The layout and the design, in fact the whole feel of it was in keeping with the solar system and the universe books but this time it takes a look inwards. It looks at - and yes as the name implies the wonders of life so it now concentrates on the impossibly small instead of the impossibly large, however there are many times when the subject matter manages to find its way back to stellar explanations and descriptions - as you feel that is where the author is most comfortable in his work but still it carries many insight that I was no expecting to find.
December 28, 2023
Fascinating book. Would highly recommend it even though the chemistry part was beyond my understanding. I have to say a well done to my grammar school teachers for their teaching of science as I was able to follow and understand a lot of it. It was also very readable, thank you Brian Cox.
April 2, 2019
A glossy, weighty tome that covers a vast range of subjects, in bite-sized chunks of a few pages at time. I read the five-chapter book alongside watching the five-episode series which, although they cover a lot of similar ground in a different order, complement each other well enough to warrant watching and reading them both. The book is obviously much, much more detailed, certainly with regards to the biological details of evolution and the various example creatures. Although this is a pretty high-brow book, it's surprisingly accessible and certainly not packed with equations and maths. Anyone could find plenty to learn therein, probably even scientists, and the photos/diagrams are attractive enough to draw in even the least-scholarly child, despite the electron micrographs of e.g. retinas, being a bit icky.
Eagle-eyed geek that I am, I managed to find a few tiny typos and mistakes, such as the positioning on the right of the big diagram on p186-7 and the table/graph on p154-5 not quite correlating. "Pallet" on p48 made me laugh too. Slip-ups aside, this is a wonderful book, well worth £25 considering the time and effort that must've gone into it, and I heartily applaud the Reithian paragraph on the last page too. I just enjoyed Human Universe that little bit more. 4.75/5
Eagle-eyed geek that I am, I managed to find a few tiny typos and mistakes, such as the positioning on the right of the big diagram on p186-7 and the table/graph on p154-5 not quite correlating. "Pallet" on p48 made me laugh too. Slip-ups aside, this is a wonderful book, well worth £25 considering the time and effort that must've gone into it, and I heartily applaud the Reithian paragraph on the last page too. I just enjoyed Human Universe that little bit more. 4.75/5
May 13, 2020
How incredible! Opening your eyes, mind and heart to all the complex creatures of the world. Brian seems to have a knack for taking mind-crunching concepts, and making them accessible, friendly and beautiful. The images in this book, most notably, are illuminating of the concepts, but they also help to keep the concepts vivid and alive in the mind! I feel this book taught me alot while I was reading it, but I also have a hunch that due to the combination of his images and words, I will remember many of these concepts post-read (which is not a common occurance for me, unfortunately). The book is well worth adopting - I can't say for sure, but I am atleast under the illusion this book made me smarter.
August 18, 2022
Pros: lots of lovely pictures, and particularly good diagrams explaining things like the water cycle, and voicing/hearing ranges of many creatures (mice can barely hear us!), evolutionary history branches, and more. A wide-ranging book that covers everything from creatures (bacteria and single/simple-called organisms up to sharks and humans and lemurs), as well as non-life forms like lightning, DNA and more.
Cons: there’s a lot on this book. A LOT. And it’s size is so big as to be unwieldy. This also appears to be the book version of a docuseries, and I found myself wondering if watching the series would give me more context or at least be more engaging.
Cons: there’s a lot on this book. A LOT. And it’s size is so big as to be unwieldy. This also appears to be the book version of a docuseries, and I found myself wondering if watching the series would give me more context or at least be more engaging.
August 29, 2023
This is a book written about the adventures of the author making a film for the BBC. In the process, the reader learns a lot as Brian Cox reviews the places where the filming took place and the people and animals that he encounters. It's a bit disconcerting that Cox is in almost all of the numerous photos throughout the book, but if one remembers that these were probably pulled from the screen footage, I suppose that can be forgiven.
This is a beautiful book and I'd love to see the BBC series but haven't been able to find it on the Web. If anyone has the link to the series, please let me know in the comments. Thanks.
This is a beautiful book and I'd love to see the BBC series but haven't been able to find it on the Web. If anyone has the link to the series, please let me know in the comments. Thanks.
May 8, 2020
An outstanding read
This really helps lift the veil on how life works and has evolved. Essential reading if you care where we came from and about the state of the planet today.
There really is so much to wonder and marvel at, we are so lucky to have the answers that past generations did not.
This really helps lift the veil on how life works and has evolved. Essential reading if you care where we came from and about the state of the planet today.
There really is so much to wonder and marvel at, we are so lucky to have the answers that past generations did not.
September 18, 2021
Wonders-ful!
Books like this one, should be a must-read in schools all over the World!
To inspire, to bring understanding, to instill humility....
The teachings of Diversity in this book (and film) shows that across species, races, genders, EVERYTHING is connected!
That should serve as inspiration to unify instead of diversifying....
Books like this one, should be a must-read in schools all over the World!
To inspire, to bring understanding, to instill humility....
The teachings of Diversity in this book (and film) shows that across species, races, genders, EVERYTHING is connected!
That should serve as inspiration to unify instead of diversifying....
May 4, 2017
My bible.
If more people read this book, they would care a whole lot more about how precious our planet is.
If more people read this book, they would care a whole lot more about how precious our planet is.
June 7, 2020
I have not seen the TV show, but this is a horrible companion piece. Very little thought was put into the medium. The frantic back and forth is exhausting.
January 23, 2025
I liked the crossover of biology and cosmology in this work. It was very interesting learning about different connections and I enjoyed reading it.
August 20, 2025
Incredible
March 27, 2014
"In a sense, this is all there is to the Universe! If no energy is ‘flowing’ – a colloquialism by which we mean ‘being transformed from one form to another’ – then nothing is happening at all. Here is the first step on the road to answering Schrödinger’s question – What is Life? Whatever it is, it is a process by which energy is transformed from one form to another"
Before I begin my book review I think I should introduce the writer first. Professor Brian Cox is one of my favorite scientist, not because he is the smartest but more to how easy it is for him to deliver complex science understanding into something much easier. He is a talented speaker, no matter how complex the matter he is delivering he is still able to enchant people.
I first know Professor Cox from Sunshine. He was one of the advisors for the movie and he is also the one that inspired Cillian. Cillian was sort of copying him when he was playing as Robert Capa in Sunshine.
I have just seen this last series of Wonders about a month ago and I am fortunate to find the ebook version of the accompanying book. For each series of Wonders (Wonders of The Solar System, Wonders of The Universe and Wonders of Life), Prof. Cox always wrote the companion book. It’s nice to be able to see the documentary and read the book afterward because the book fills the holes in the documentary.
Brian Cox is a particle physicist, he is not a biologist, he has other biologists as his advisors while filming the documentary and writing the book. Through this book, Prof. Cox asks these profound questions, “What is Life? Where did it come from? Why does it end?” To answer that question, he explains how biological appearances both the tiny cell to the physical being are control by the law of Physics such as gravity, time , energy, etc. The easiest example is when he highlights why big animals can’t jump and why tree is never going to as tall as 1 km, everything connects to gravity. It really is interesting to read how he shares the wonders of biology through the law of physics.
I can easily see how he admires Darwin and his evolution theory, the book mostly shares about evolution and natural selection. The way he delivers his explanation is easy to understand and creates deep root that whatever I have read in the book, I can still remember it.
Continue reading> http://bokunosekai.wordpress.com/2014...
Before I begin my book review I think I should introduce the writer first. Professor Brian Cox is one of my favorite scientist, not because he is the smartest but more to how easy it is for him to deliver complex science understanding into something much easier. He is a talented speaker, no matter how complex the matter he is delivering he is still able to enchant people.
I first know Professor Cox from Sunshine. He was one of the advisors for the movie and he is also the one that inspired Cillian. Cillian was sort of copying him when he was playing as Robert Capa in Sunshine.
I have just seen this last series of Wonders about a month ago and I am fortunate to find the ebook version of the accompanying book. For each series of Wonders (Wonders of The Solar System, Wonders of The Universe and Wonders of Life), Prof. Cox always wrote the companion book. It’s nice to be able to see the documentary and read the book afterward because the book fills the holes in the documentary.
Brian Cox is a particle physicist, he is not a biologist, he has other biologists as his advisors while filming the documentary and writing the book. Through this book, Prof. Cox asks these profound questions, “What is Life? Where did it come from? Why does it end?” To answer that question, he explains how biological appearances both the tiny cell to the physical being are control by the law of Physics such as gravity, time , energy, etc. The easiest example is when he highlights why big animals can’t jump and why tree is never going to as tall as 1 km, everything connects to gravity. It really is interesting to read how he shares the wonders of biology through the law of physics.
I can easily see how he admires Darwin and his evolution theory, the book mostly shares about evolution and natural selection. The way he delivers his explanation is easy to understand and creates deep root that whatever I have read in the book, I can still remember it.
Continue reading> http://bokunosekai.wordpress.com/2014...
July 2, 2016
A fascinating look at at biology from the perspective of a particle physicist. The wonders of nature are examined in the light of how physical law makes them possible. For example, the size of an animal is limited on the small end by the size of atoms, which are determined by the fundamental constants of the universe. On the high end, animal size is limited by Earth's gravity, and the fact weight increases with the cube of the animal's size, while the strength to hold up that weight only increases with the square of its size. This is all explained in simple and clear language. Plus there are lots of big pretty pictures and descriptions of nature that should please anyone who is not necessarily good with physics. A great read for anyone curious about how life works.
February 5, 2016
I'd borrowed this book from the library in a binge borrowing for a Book Café theme. This was more than addressed by reading all the other books, and I was feeling in dire need of a good fictional story, so I gave myself permission to return this unread. I am pleased that I didn't. Whilst there was plenty of science (looks like a coffee table book, isn't) to get your teeth into, the story of the origins of life is a cracker. And it is quite amusing to see how the nation's pet physicist brings biology round to physics as often as he can.
I liked the elements about the filming and by the time I finished I felt the balance of decorative Professor Cox photos to more illuminating ones was acceptable...and there seemed to be more beaming smiles alongside the gazing into the distance.
I liked the elements about the filming and by the time I finished I felt the balance of decorative Professor Cox photos to more illuminating ones was acceptable...and there seemed to be more beaming smiles alongside the gazing into the distance.
March 9, 2013
This is a beautiful and amazing book. I never realised before that Science could be described as a thing of wonder and that some of the things I was supposed to learn at school, like the properties of electrons and the way that carbon molecules work, literally explain the story behind every living thing on Earth. The ideas are mind-blowing - like the fact that every piece of jewellery I'm wearing is made from atoms formed in the hearts of long dead stars, or that our bodies can be seen as little more than temporary homes for ancient carbon atoms. The line "we are golden, we are stardust" never had so much meaning as it does now.
(Sorry if I've used any Science words wrong in my review)
(Sorry if I've used any Science words wrong in my review)
June 29, 2013
Another tie in book for a BBC series by Brian Cox. This time he is looking at the biological phenomena that is life.
As with his other books on the solar system and the wonders of the universe, the photos are stunning. It is written in a clear and non technical style and in the same short passages with photos, diagrams and other visual explanations.
I think though that he had a little assistance on this, and there is a co author, and biology is not he specialist subject. He does manage to squeeze in picture of stars (where carbon is first formed), and the odd telescope.
Well worth reading, but not quite as good as his others.
As with his other books on the solar system and the wonders of the universe, the photos are stunning. It is written in a clear and non technical style and in the same short passages with photos, diagrams and other visual explanations.
I think though that he had a little assistance on this, and there is a co author, and biology is not he specialist subject. He does manage to squeeze in picture of stars (where carbon is first formed), and the odd telescope.
Well worth reading, but not quite as good as his others.
March 25, 2013
Highly recommended reading - a beautifully written and lavishly illustrated account of how the building blocks of chemistry and the laws of physics combine to create the extraordinary variety of life on our planet. There are elegantly simple explanations of some quite complex biochemistry, and terrific synopses of the inevitability of the emergence and evolution of life given the right conditions - with some quite moving passages detailing Cox's own thoughts on why preserving our unique tree of life, with all its diversity and beauty, is so vital.
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
September 13, 2013
Just as engaging and informative as the previous books in the Wonders-series, this book is slightly more grounded, simply because of the fact that it describes the world as we perceive it. This book will, however, change your perspective on what life is, and deepen the understanding of the interconnectedness of everything in the Universe. It made me feel both insignificant and tremendously important at the same time, and besides the gorgeous photographs and the relatively easily accessible knowledge, that sensation is reason enough to read this book.
January 13, 2014
This is based on the TV series, and would make a great read for any first year uni student studying life sciences. It introduces a number of biological concepts and demonstrates how they relate to each other, as well as to astrophysics. Also a good read for anyone who has studied science in the past.
June 22, 2014
This is my favourite of the "Wonders of" series, perhaps because its subject matter most chimes with my personal enthusiasms. And life on earth deserves Cox's lyrical exposition alongside beautiful BBC photography. Fascinating too to have a slightly different angle (that of the physicist) on this subject matter.
Enjoyed it immensely.
Enjoyed it immensely.
March 8, 2013
Perfect.
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