Life on the Edge

Reviews

Hugely ambitious ... the skill of the writing provides the uplift to keep us aloft as we fly through the strange and spectacular terra incognita of genuinely new science. Physicist Jim Al-Khalili and molecular biologist Johnjoe McFadden explore this extraordinary realm with cogency and wit. A really original science book about a new field of research ... Groundbreaking. This thrilling book is an overview of a field that barely exists ... Al-Khalili has a genius for illustrating complex ideas via imaginative sidetracks. 'Life on the Edge’ gives the clearest account I’ve ever read of the possible ways in which the very small events of the quantum world can affect the world of middle-sized living creatures like us. With great vividness and clarity it shows how our world is tinged, even saturated, with the weirdness of the quantum. This illuminating account of an important new field is a wonderfully educative read. The great virtue of this book is its thesis – it sets out a clear and enthusiastic argument for the importance of quantum biology. The book elegantly opens up a new way of looking at nature. The volume is clearly written, showcases cutting-edge research and provides ample basic science background on topics like genetic inheritance, the origin of life and the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics ... Al-Khalili and McFadden's book provides a valuable service by giving us a fascinating look at what is undoubtedly one of the central philosophical mysteries of science - the emergence of complex properties such as life and consciousness from the reductionist world of atoms and molecules. Coherence is just one of the complex phenomena that Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden set out to teach the reader. They succeed by using delightfully revealing analogies and similes, some borrowed from their prior work, that make slippery concepts sit still for study. Expand reviews