"Biology is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Several aspects of the standard picture of how life works-the idea of the genome as a blueprint, of genes as instructions for building an organism, of proteins as precisely tailored molecular machines, of cells as entities with fixed identities, and more -- have been exposed as incomplete, misleading, or wrong. In How Life Works, Philip Ball explores the new biology, revealing life to be...

"The renowned Nobel Prize-winning scientist's elegant and concise explanation of the fundamental ideas in biology and their uses today. Hailed by Philip Pullman as "a great communicator" who is also "as distinguished a scientist as there could be," Paul Nurse writes with delight at life's richness and a sense of the urgent role of biology in our time. With What Is Life? he delivers a brief but powerful work of popular science in the vein of Carlo...

"We all assume we know what life is, but the more scientists learn about the living world -- from protocells to brains, from zygotes to pandemic viruses -- the harder they find it is to locate life's edge"-- What is life? The power seems obvious until you try to seriously answer it. Zimmer journeys through experiments that have attempted to recreate life; shows how coronaviruses have altered the course of history; and even tries his own had at evolving...

"What defines who we are? For decades, the biological answer has been our genes. In The Master Builder, leading biologist Alfonso Martinez Arias breaks with decades of scientific and popular tradition to make a bold argument: what defines us is our cells. Drawing on new research from his lab and others, Martinez Arias reveals that we are composed of a thrillingly complex, constantly rearranging symphony of cells that know how to count, feel, and ultimately...

Describes what plants and animals need to live, such as air and water, in a text that incorporates phonics instruction.

Four years in the making, and filmed over 3000 days across every continent and in every habitat, see 130 incredible stories from frontiers of the natural world. Discover the glorious variety of life on Earth and the spectacular and extraordinary tactics animals and plants have developed to stay alive. This is evolution in action: individual creatures under extreme pressure to overcome challenges from adversaries and their environment.

What is life? For generations, scientists have struggled to make sense of this fundamental question, for life really does look like magic: even a humble bacterium accomplishes things so dazzling that no human engineer can match it. Huge advances in molecular biology over the past few decades have served only to deepen the mystery. In this penetrating and wide-ranging book, world-renowned physicist and science communicator Paul Davies searches for...

"No generation has yet had to cope with the kind of rapid changes in science and technology that are facing today's teens. This is why "STEM education" is the latest buzz term and science literacy is enjoying a renewed focus. A foundation in basic science is key. With decades of scientific knowledge behind him and a genuine sense of fun in his approach, Jan Paul Schutten rewards curiosity with engaging explanations about some of the most complicated...

Introduces unusual life-forms and the scientists who search for them and traces the discoveries of unfamiliar life forms in extreme areas of the solar system.

"How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? In [this book] ... Sean Carroll tells the stories of the pioneering scientists who sought the answers to such simple yet profoundly important questions, and shows how their discoveries matter for our health and the health of the planet we...