This Is Life: From the acclaimed author of the international bestseller The Universe in Your Hand
Jun 2026 · Pan Macmillan
Ebook
400
Pages
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Eligible
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About this ebook
'An entertaining, expert guide to the precarious, miraculous and wondrous journey to where we are now' – Dara Ó Briain
'What a fun book! Like having a chat with a friendly scientist over a coffee' – Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
What is life? How did it first appear? Where else in the universe might we find it?
In This Is Life, acclaimed science communicator and Stephen Hawking’s former Ph.D. student Christophe Galfard takes you on a wonder-filled journey to look for the origins – and the meaning – of life. From how we know life must have had a beginning, to the extreme evolutionary turns that saw Earth’s species grow shields and weapons to fight wars that lasted millennia, This is Life tells the story of how the visionary discoveries of the past few decades have allowed us to understand what we, humans, and all other living organisms really are.
Through brilliant storytelling and delightful humour, Galfard makes the secrets of the living world accessible to all. This Is Life will transform the way you see the world, and your place in it.
'A gorgeous, glorious romp through the sciences' – David Tong, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge
'What a fun book! Like having a chat with a friendly scientist over a coffee' – Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
What is life? How did it first appear? Where else in the universe might we find it?
In This Is Life, acclaimed science communicator and Stephen Hawking’s former Ph.D. student Christophe Galfard takes you on a wonder-filled journey to look for the origins – and the meaning – of life. From how we know life must have had a beginning, to the extreme evolutionary turns that saw Earth’s species grow shields and weapons to fight wars that lasted millennia, This is Life tells the story of how the visionary discoveries of the past few decades have allowed us to understand what we, humans, and all other living organisms really are.
Through brilliant storytelling and delightful humour, Galfard makes the secrets of the living world accessible to all. This Is Life will transform the way you see the world, and your place in it.
'A gorgeous, glorious romp through the sciences' – David Tong, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge
'An entertaining, expert guide to the precarious, miraculous and wondrous journey to where we are now' – Dara Ó Briain
'What a fun book! Like having a chat with a friendly scientist over a coffee' – Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
What is life? How did it first appe...
About the author
Christophe Galfard holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge, where he was Stephen Hawking’s graduate student from 2000 to 2006, researching the so-called black hole information paradox. With Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking, he co-authored George’s Secret Key to the Universe. His international bestseller, The Universe in Your Hand, has been translated into over twenty languages.
Christophe Galfard holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge, where he was Stephen Hawking’s graduate student from 2000 to 2006, researching the so-called black hole information paradox. With Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking, he co-authored George’s Secret...
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