Life as No One Knows It

The Physics of Life's Emergence

By: Sara Imari Walker

Narrated by: Sara Imari Walker

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.

Critic reviews

"Provocative and intriguing." —The Wall Street Journal

"A fresh take on the age-old questions 'Are we alone?' and 'Where did we come from?'" —American Scientist

"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

"This is vital information.” —Los Angeles Times

"A virtuoso intellectual performance. . . full of wit, mischief and bursts of insolent brevity." —The Telegraph (UK)

“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

“Reading Life as No One Knows It is like engaging in a mind-bending conversation about the biggest questions of all.” —Tim Urban, creator of Wait But Why

“A masterfully crafted and engaging account of Assembly Theory. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in fundamental physics, the origins of life, and pursuing a better understanding of the structure underlying all of the universe’s creations.” —Annaka Harris, author of Conscious

Superficial

The objective of the book is not very clear. Furthermore, it lacks depth. It sounds like a forced collection of trivial scientific facts coming from a broad area of physics, not clearly related to the subject suggested by the title, and not well justified speculations, all presented superficially. The voice, cadence and lack of luster of the reader makes the experience even worse.

very interesting

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

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.

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.

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.