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03129aam a2200433Ki 4500 001 39AF29141DA211EBB246B60B2BECA4DB 003 SILO 005 20201103010012 008 201017s2020 mauab e 001 0 eng d 010 $a 2020932874 020 $a 026204448X 020 $a 9780262044486 035 $a (OCoLC)1200577631 040 $a LE# $b eng $e rda $c LE# $d SILO 100 1 $a Taylor, Marianne, $d 1972- 245 14 $a The story of life in 10 1/2 species / $c Marianne Taylor. 246 3 $a Story of life in ten and a half species 246 3 $a Story of life in 10.5 species 246 3 $a Story of life in ten and one half species 246 3 $a Story of life in ten 1/2 species 246 3 $a Story of life in 10 and a half species 246 3 $a Story of life in 10 and one half species 264 1 $a Cambridge, Massachusetts : $b The MIT Press, $c 2020. 300 $a 256 pages : $b color illustrations, maps ; $c 24 cm 500 $a Includes index. 500 $a First published in 2020 by UniPress Books Ltd. 500 $a "If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on Earth, which would they be?" -- cover 505 0 $a Fern -- Virus -- Nautilus -- Stick insect -- Sponge -- Human -- Giraffe -- Dusky seaside sparrow -- Soft-shelled turtle -- Darwin's finches -- Artificial life. 520 $a If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 10 and a Half Species. Each life forms explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision. Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world; investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human--"a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view of life"-- could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside sparrow may be revived through "re-evolution," or cloning; explains the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The "half" species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to understand and model life, AI is central to our future--although from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth in the long run. 700 1 $a Woodcock, John, $d 1953- $e illustrator. 941 $a 7 952 $l FXPH314 $d 20220909063148.0 952 $l USUX851 $d 20220202015711.0 952 $l WSPF215 $d 20201204011804.0 952 $l GBPF771 $d 20201202012043.0 952 $l BAPH771 $d 20201125010026.0 952 $l TDPH826 $d 20201103010946.0 952 $l TCPG826 $d 20201103010325.0 956 $a http://locator.silo.lib.ia.us/search.cgi?index_0=id&term_0=39AF29141DA211EBB246B60B2BECA4DBInitiate Another SILO Locator Search