Weird Life

The Search for Life That Is Very, Very Different from Our Own

De: David Toomey

Narrado por: Eric Jason Martin

Science that sounds like science fiction.

In recent years, scientists have hypothesized life-forms that can only be called "weird": organisms that live off acid rather than water, microbes that thrive at temperatures and pressure levels so extreme that their cellular structures should break down, perhaps even organisms that reproduce without DNA. Some of these strange life-forms, unrelated to all life we know, might be nearby: on rock surfaces in the American southwest, hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, or even in our own bodies. Some, stranger still, might live in Martian permafrost, swim in the dark oceans of Jupiter's moons, or survive in the exotic ices on comets. Others - the strangest of all - might inhabit the crusts of neutron stars, interstellar nebulae, or even other spatial dimensions.

In Weird Life, David Toomey takes us on a breathtaking tour of a universe of hypothetical life, a universe of life as we do not know it.

©2013 David Toomey (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Pay attention to what you're buying

I didn't pay enough attention to the description to understand that this book's focus is entirely on the potential weird life that may be found in our solar system and beyond in the form of extraterrestrial life. From the description, the sample, and even what I can make our of the cover photo, I was under the impression that this book would be about weird forms off life on our own planet - cave dwellers, hydrothermal vent dwellers, etc. It is not. Oops.

Not what I expected

I bought the book expecting stories on different types of alien life. it ended up being about microbe life and some possible alien life mixed in. I am not interested in microbe life however the book itself turned out to be quite entertaining. Even the reader made it enjoyable and I am glad I ended up buying and listening to the book.

Cool topic, Awesome Narrator

If you could sum up Weird Life in three words, what would they be?

Exploration of Non-standard Living things

What did you like best about this story?

The wide ranging series of science topics that were covered while talking about life.

What about Eric Martin’s performance did you like?

The Narration was amazing, Mr. Martin's voice is very similar to Rod Sterling's so I kept expecting him to say "in the Twilight zone"

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were several time that I laughed out loud, but fascination was more a descriptor for my reaction

Any additional comments?

I keep up on weird topics like SETI and Extremeophiles so I expected this to be a fun but not terribly informative piece. I was wrong! The author covered the latest information and coverd it in a quick but concise manner that kept me amused while informing. Well done.

Very Interesting...

book about forms of life that exist outside the terms of what has come to be the "standard model" of heat, pressure and PH circumstances of survival. Toomey's work here is informative but presented in a way that is easily accessible to the layman, often entertaining, always engaging stuff to make us see deeper into life and its incredible durability.

An interesting look at some amazing science

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Fantastic book, with a great deal of interesting scientific information and topics. It doesn't really go into very much depth, but keeps things moving along at an interesting pace. Listening to it, it is easy to get lost in the interesting world of the bizarre creatures from our planet (and beyond...?), and the narrator does a FANTASTIC job. Overall, the book doesn't get bogged down with overly scientific and professional speech and information, which does mean some topics are not as in depth as I would have liked...however, it does a great job covering a wide range of interests, explains things in a simple to understand manner, and keeps your interest. The narrator adds a lot of life to what could have otherwise been a very dry read, and its a great jumping off point to expand your interest into a variety of other areas.

What did you like best about this story?

The humor and easy to follow/understand explanations of what could have been rather confusing or technical scientific information.

Have you listened to any of Eric Martin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Outstanding narrator, and perfect for these types of audio books.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook reminds me a lot of the History Channel series "The Universe" - the same way complicated ideas and concepts are explained with clever analogies, clear language and humor is echo'd here in this book. If you enjoy one, you will surely enjoy the other.