From the author of the international bestseller The Universe in Your Hand, a riveting and comprehensive guide to everything we know about life, from the impossibly intricate workings of cells to the mind-boggling mechanics of evolution.

'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