Life as No One Knows It

The Physics of Life's Emergence

De: Sara Imari Walker

Narrado por: Sara Imari Walker

An intriguing new scientific theory that explains what life is and how it emerges.

What is life? This is among the most difficult open problems in science, right up there with the nature of consciousness and the existence of matter. All the definitions we have fall short. None help us understand how life originates or the full range of possibilities for what life on other planets might look like.

In Life as No One Knows It, physicist and astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker argues that solving the origin of life requires radical new thinking and an experimentally testable theory for what life is. This is an urgent issue for efforts to make life from scratch in laboratories here on Earth and missions searching for life on other planets.

Walker proposes a new paradigm for understanding what physics encompasses and what we recognize as life. She invites us into a world of maverick scientists working without a map, seeking not just answers but better ways to formulate the biggest questions we have about the universe. The book culminates with the bold proposal of a new theory for identifying and classifying life, one that applies not just to biological life on Earth but to any instance of life in the universe. Rigorous, accessible, and vital, Life as No One Knows It celebrates the mystery of life and the explanatory power of physics.

©2024 Sara Imari Walker (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Bracingly original. . . . This has the potential to be a game changer."—Publishers Weekly (★starred review★)

"An honorable addition to a small genre that began with Noble Prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrodinger’s What Is Life? . . . Ingenious."—Kirkus Reviews

“With wit and clarity, Walker outlines a radical new approach to bridge the conceptual gap between non-life and life.”—Paul Davies, author of What’s Eating the Universe and The Demon in the Machine

Very interesting

Great primer on assembly theory. The theory treats life as the proverbial ship of Theseus, constantly reconstituting itself but having identity as a lineage of information for making more things like it. It defines life in terms of assembly number, or how many steps of recursively constructed objects is required to make an object, where a higher assembly number can only come from life.

Candidly, I had a lot of questions. A standard thought experiment in physics is the "Boltzman brain" that imagines a fully formed brain complete with current memory popping into existence. The author says it is not possible, but in an infinite universe, it is not clear why that is the case. Unfortunately, this book had more filler than answers to these questions. It tantalized with the key questions -- what is information? what is causation? -- without necessarily answering them. Still, it gave a lot to think about and research. Recommended.

Too dense for me

Incredibly intelligent woman with a great voice. As much as I tried for weeks forcing myself to listen, i just had to stop. I thought after listening to her on StarTalk I’d be captivated by her argument. Alas it is just to in the weeds for me to enjoy.

Amazing

This is such an interesting concept that not only challenges the growth of our current understanding but provides a very interesting philosophy of how to perceive life. I will certainly listen to this again over time.

Personally, understanding how important the passing of time and the building of information are gives me great comfort. Now knowing how even the mundane things in life are actually so critically important and everlasting is a game changer. I have always felt that on a spiritual level but now can directly connect that to reality.

Fantastic introduction to Assembly Theory

Great book introducing an emerging idea of life and the physics that governs it. Assembly Theory is innovative, fresh, and deeply intriguing. The writing is engaging and the narration quite pleasant. 10/10, will read again, highly recommend.

Superficial

The objective of the book is not very clear. Furthermore, it lacks depth. It sounds like a forced collection of trivial scientific facts coming from a broad area of physics, not clearly related to the subject suggested by the title, and not well justified speculations, all presented superficially. The voice, cadence and lack of luster of the reader makes the experience even worse.

very interesting

Interesting and entertaining, could have been longer. I love it when the author narrates.
I would recommend.

Fascinating thought patterns

Engaging and thought provoking views on the universe. A great way of explaining we don't know what we don't know.

I hope there's more to come.

I've enjoyed following Sara Walker's work since her Big Biology interview several years ago. I love her way of thinking and find her theories thought provoking. I think the book was less illuminating and more confusing than her various podcast appearances. I was hoping for a deep dive into how assembly theory worked. This book felt like an introduction, and the audio reading was fairly monotoned and staccato. In the end, I hope she writes another and keeps at it.

A new approach to Origin of Life research

I found this to be an excellent introduction to a novel approach to origin of life research. It was credible, well thought out, and supported with solid reasoning. My only detraction would be that it was narrated by the author, and not very well. She should have enlisted a professional narrator,

A great listen

Life as No One Knows It by Sara Imari Walker offers a fresh look at how physics might explain the origin of life. It's a fascinating read that makes complex ideas easy to grasp.