Life as No One Knows It

The Physics of Life's Emergence

De: Sara Imari Walker

Narrado por: Sara Imari Walker

Duración: 7 h y 20 m

Resumen del Editor

An intriguing new scientific theory that explains what life is and how it emerges.

What is life? This is among the most difficult open problems in science, right up there with the nature of consciousness and the existence of matter. All the definitions we have fall short. None help us understand how life originates or the full range of possibilities for what life on other planets might look like.

In Life as No One Knows It, physicist and astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker argues that solving the origin of life requires radical new thinking and an experimentally testable theory for what life is. This is an urgent issue for efforts to make life from scratch in laboratories here on Earth and missions searching for life on other planets.

Walker proposes a new paradigm for understanding what physics encompasses and what we recognize as life. She invites us into a world of maverick scientists working without a map, seeking not just answers but better ways to formulate the biggest questions we have about the universe. The book culminates with the bold proposal of a new theory for identifying and classifying life, one that applies not just to biological life on Earth but to any instance of life in the universe. Rigorous, accessible, and vital, Life as No One Knows It celebrates the mystery of life and the explanatory power of physics.

©2024 Sara Imari Walker (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Bracingly original. . . . This has the potential to be a game changer."—Publishers Weekly (★starred review★)

"An honorable addition to a small genre that began with Noble Prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrodinger’s What Is Life? . . . Ingenious."—Kirkus Reviews

“With wit and clarity, Walker outlines a radical new approach to bridge the conceptual gap between non-life and life.”—Paul Davies, author of What’s Eating the Universe and The Demon in the Machine

A great listen

Life as No One Knows It by Sara Imari Walker offers a fresh look at how physics might explain the origin of life. It's a fascinating read that makes complex ideas easy to grasp.

Amazing

This is such an interesting concept that not only challenges the growth of our current understanding but provides a very interesting philosophy of how to perceive life. I will certainly listen to this again over time.

Personally, understanding how important the passing of time and the building of information are gives me great comfort. Now knowing how even the mundane things in life are actually so critically important and everlasting is a game changer. I have always felt that on a spiritual level but now can directly connect that to reality.

very interesting

Interesting and entertaining, could have been longer. I love it when the author narrates.
I would recommend.

I hope there's more to come.

I've enjoyed following Sara Walker's work since her Big Biology interview several years ago. I love her way of thinking and find her theories thought provoking. I think the book was less illuminating and more confusing than her various podcast appearances. I was hoping for a deep dive into how assembly theory worked. This book felt like an introduction, and the audio reading was fairly monotoned and staccato. In the end, I hope she writes another and keeps at it.

Fascinating thought patterns

Engaging and thought provoking views on the universe. A great way of explaining we don't know what we don't know.

Brain candy

Excellent reframing. I found it easily digestible even for the formally uneducated. Especially liked the concept of an items lineage. Very intriguing concepts on AI and its role.

Brilliantly thought provoking

I am just a Layman stone mason who has always been fascinated by these subjects. I have never heard of assembly theory before and I can’t wait to listen to this again . Thank you for doing the narration! You made these complex subjects and ideas very digestible for someone like me.

Great content overall, needs better conclusion

I love the way Sara Walker walks the listener through a complicated subject by digging into the historical background of her topics, really interesting and engaging. I expected to hear a more substantive conclusion than what is currently in the book and at least a mention of catalytic sets if not a deeper dive.

A wordy, obscure explanation of Assembly Theory

Besides her voice giving me the creeps (there is a reason for pros who do this) , her wordy description of the question at hand and the actual description of Assembly Theory made the topic grayer than ever. Too much time spent telling me just how wonderful she is.
An interesting and maybe paradigm-shifting concept, poorly transmitted.