Life on a Young Planet

NO NOT @ALL

One requires to be strongly interested in the subject and willing to study some chemistry-related topics to understand the topics discussed herein, and how they are related among each other. I have rated the book as if I read it the year it was published. Though quite few years have passed since its publication, the book is still valuable today, since it presents a lenghty, rich, detailed discussion about hypothesis, theories and related flaws. It’s the way each element is discussed and put into context that makes this book enjoyable today. However, as the author states, not much has changed in the field since the first edition was published. This makes the book twice as valuable.Good science books usually show a rich reference section, and “Life on a Young Planet” is such a book. Perhaps no one will search and read any of those papers, but the quality of the opera can be tested by putting Prof. Knoll’s conclusions to the test in this way. This is what science is supposed to be. In a book that tries to convey a picture of life in stark contrast with the story told in the so-called Holy Books, this element is vital. It is actually vital in the scientific world of debates, of which the early-life paleontological world is filled. In addition, I greatly appreciated the good number of pictures that help to give a look at rocks, fossils and digital reconstructions.It is highly informative, that’s for sure. My only hope is that Prof. Knoll will write another such book in the years to come - or, that he updates for the second time this one.

It was the title that attracted my attention at once. Evolutionary biology is one of my interests, but in most books on the topic the pre-Cambrian is the limit.This book by Andrew H. Knoll gives an account of life as it may well have been between the Archaean and the Pre-Cambrian periods. Fossils from these periods are extremely rare, many of them even disputed, but research is based on the discovery of chemicals connected with life, be it based on metabolizing sulphur, or other elements.In spite of the detail, this book is highly accessible to all readers who have a basic knowledge of chemistry and scientific methodology. There admittedly are pages that have to be read more than once to understand details, but the effort is well worth it. Bacteria and eukaryotes, their influence on the environment and each other astonish and fascinate the reader and prove that the unicellular beings in the beginning of evolution have as much wonder to offer as do the dinosaurs.

Well researched. Balanced clear prose.

I cannot agree more with the other 5-star reviews of this book. It was a complete joy to read. Never patronising nor overly technical, it is a mature but accessible summary of probably the most fascinating topic in all biology. What was a bonus was the easy yet realistic portrayal of how scientific ideas develop through individuals and debate, not the outrageous skewed portrayals so often seen in other "popular science" books (let alone our mass media).A beautiful example of how to write a scientific account for the intelligent reader. If only other popularisers of this area could learn something from Andrew Knoll (I am thinking here of Richard Fortey).