Life Itself (Touchstone Books (Paperback)) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Paper) (September 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671255630
• ISBN-13: 978-0671255633
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #922,020 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ARE WE ALIENS?, April 5, 2000

By	Vidyanand Nanjundiah (Konstanz, Germany) - See all my reviews

Many theories have been proposed for the origin of life on earth. All are highly speculative. Some are silly and others, more interesting, are perhaps even capable of being tested. In a class of its own, and at first glance a cop-out, is the hypothesis that life did not originate on earth at all, but was 'seeded' from outer space. First put forward seriously by the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius about 100 years ago and generally known as 'panspermia', the hypothesis is explored with wit and style in this book by Francis Crick. What it achieves is that it solves the embarrassing problem of how, within a few billion years after the earth cooled, extraordinary complex forms of self-reproducing entities appeared on earth. The price paid for this achievement is, of course, is that it begs the question entirely of how reproduction and metabolism could arise in the first place. Overall, I would rate the book as informative and thought-provoking. I recommend reading this book along with 'Origins' by Shapiro: that reviews, also wittily, the case for and against various theories for the origin of life ON earth.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A grad student discovers the structure of DNA, October 14, 2001

By A Customer

While many advances have been made in molecular biology/genomics since it's release in 1981, Life Itself gives any reader a unique, entertaining overview and perspective on the problem of how we got here. In short, an excellent and thought provoking book that even I (your average molecular biology student) can understand and recomend to your average creationist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It explains nearly everything, October 14, 2006

By	Ralph-Michael (Seoul, South Korea) - See all my reviews

This book is brilliant. Its perspective on time, matter, the universe, our lives, and aliens is all interesting and clear. What's funny about Francis Crick is that he's insanely clear while insanely deep and intelligent. He comes up with great metaphors for complex and abstract thoughts that make them simple and fun to read. This book will blow your mind and make you think. I am not totally sold on this book's wisdom, but it sure beats the religious takes on how we got here. "And god said, 'Let there be Crick!'"