The Earth: A Biography of Life

A unique perspective on how our living planet has evolved and adapted, from early organisms to life in the current Anthropocene.

It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first living organisms sparking into life in hydrothermal deep-sea vents to the dizzying diversity of life today. The evolution of life is a sweeping epic of a tale, with twists and turns, surprising heroes and unlikely survivors.

The Earth beautifully distils this complex story into a meaningful scale. In taking a closer look at 47 carefully selected organisms over fifteen periods in our planetary history, this book tells the whole story of life on Earth, and the interconnectedness that unites us through our ecosystems and planetary history.

Prepare to be confounded by the ingenuity of evolutionary biologies, humbled by our own brief part in this epic history, and disquieted by our disproportionate impact on the world we call home.

About the Author

Dr Elsa Panciroli is a Scottish palaeontologist and writer fascinated by the natural history of our planet. She studies Jurassic fossils from the Isle of Skye, and is especially interested in the origins and evolution of mammals. She is currently a research fellow at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History, and associate researcher at National Museums Scotland. She gives regular public talks for all ages, and has written about science for The Guardian and BBC Science Focus among others, as well as appearing on podcasts, radio and television. She is the author of Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution.