A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters
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- Create Date：2021-11-22 03:19:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Henry Gee
- ISBN：B092T8QDYW
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Summary
In the tradition of E。H。 Gombrich， Stephen Hawking， and Alan Weisman—An entertaining and uniquely informed narration of Life's life story。
In the beginning， Earth was an inhospitably alien place—in constant chemical flux， covered with churning seas， crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions。 Amid all this tumult and disaster， life began。 The earliest living things were no more than membranes stretched across microscopic gaps in rocks， where boiling hot jets of mineral-rich water gushed out from cracks in the ocean floor。
Although these membranes were leaky， the environment within them became different from the raging maelstrom beyond。 These havens of order slowly refined the generation of energy， using it to form membrane-bound bubbles that were mostly-faithful copies of their parents—a foamy lather of soap-bubble cells standing as tiny clenched fists， defiant against the lifeless world。 Life on this planet has continued in much the same way for millennia， adapting to literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter and thriving， from these humblest beginnings to the thrilling and unlikely story of ourselves。
In A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth， Henry Gee zips through the last 4。6 billion years with infectious enthusiasm and intellectual rigor。 Drawing on the very latest scientific understanding and writing in a clear， accessible style， he tells an enlightening tale of survival and persistence that illuminates the delicate balance within which life has always existed。
In the beginning， Earth was an inhospitably alien place—in constant chemical flux， covered with churning seas， crafting its landscape through incessant volcanic eruptions。 Amid all this tumult and disaster， life began。 The earliest living things were no more than membranes stretched across microscopic gaps in rocks， where boiling hot jets of mineral-rich water gushed out from cracks in the ocean floor。
Although these membranes were leaky， the environment within them became different from the raging maelstrom beyond。 These havens of order slowly refined the generation of energy， using it to form membrane-bound bubbles that were mostly-faithful copies of their parents—a foamy lather of soap-bubble cells standing as tiny clenched fists， defiant against the lifeless world。 Life on this planet has continued in much the same way for millennia， adapting to literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter and thriving， from these humblest beginnings to the thrilling and unlikely story of ourselves。
In A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth， Henry Gee zips through the last 4。6 billion years with infectious enthusiasm and intellectual rigor。 Drawing on the very latest scientific understanding and writing in a clear， accessible style， he tells an enlightening tale of survival and persistence that illuminates the delicate balance within which life has always existed。
Reviews
Paleoanthro
，
A tour de force of the astonishing history of life on Earth in a highly readable and enjoyable short book！ Gee introduces the reader to the history of life， often brining in the unusual characters we may not see in other evolutionary treatments in a distinct， compact， yet informative manner。 The last few chapters concentrate on the dominate primate on the planet today， rather than on any number of mammals who have survived， but that should not be surprising giving our emphasis on ourselves， as a A tour de force of the astonishing history of life on Earth in a highly readable and enjoyable short book！ Gee introduces the reader to the history of life， often brining in the unusual characters we may not see in other evolutionary treatments in a distinct， compact， yet informative manner。 The last few chapters concentrate on the dominate primate on the planet today， rather than on any number of mammals who have survived， but that should not be surprising giving our emphasis on ourselves， as a species that can reflect upon itself and life on its planet。 Delightful and entertaining， this is well worth your time and one of the few books I recommend reading the notes， as there are gems not to be missed written in the same wit we see throughout the text。 Gee takes some liberties in his story of life on Earth， a tactic he warned against in previous work， but it works to provide a history of life we should all read。 。。。more
The Inquisitive Biologist
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A high-octane biography of our planet， A （Very） Short History of Life On Earth dishes out interesting nuggets apace while reinvigorating your awe of deep time。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2021。。。 A high-octane biography of our planet， A （Very） Short History of Life On Earth dishes out interesting nuggets apace while reinvigorating your awe of deep time。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2021。。。 。。。more
Sarah
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I loved this book。 The chapters were indeed short， but packed full of information。 I majored in Earth Science， so this was a great review of a semester-long course！ I greatly appreciated the footnotes and further reading sections。 I'm going to be delving deeper in to those once I get some free time。 I loved this book。 The chapters were indeed short， but packed full of information。 I majored in Earth Science， so this was a great review of a semester-long course！ I greatly appreciated the footnotes and further reading sections。 I'm going to be delving deeper in to those once I get some free time。 。。。more
Chantal Lyons
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The book itself was quite good， with some lovely turns of phrase。 However。 I listened to the audiobook version and。。。 wow。 Wow。 Who on EARTH thought the 90s sound effects/music was a good idea？？ It's like the recording got mixed up with a children's book。 It seriously affected my enjoyment。 The book itself was quite good， with some lovely turns of phrase。 However。 I listened to the audiobook version and。。。 wow。 Wow。 Who on EARTH thought the 90s sound effects/music was a good idea？？ It's like the recording got mixed up with a children's book。 It seriously affected my enjoyment。 。。。more
Jesse
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The very interesting information contained in this book is completely ruined by frequent loud sound effects in the audiobook version。
Andrea Wenger
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This book gives a fascinating and easily understandable overview of the rise and progress of life on Earth。 It's a must-read for anyone interested in this topic。 The sound effects in the audiobook did not， in my opinion， enhance the experience。 I listen to audiobooks so I can multitask， not because I want a multimedia experience。 The narration itself was excellent。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 This book gives a fascinating and easily understandable overview of the rise and progress of life on Earth。 It's a must-read for anyone interested in this topic。 The sound effects in the audiobook did not， in my opinion， enhance the experience。 I listen to audiobooks so I can multitask， not because I want a multimedia experience。 The narration itself was excellent。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Heather Perkins
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This review is going to have two parts。 I listened to the audiobook version。 The way the book is formatted you move forward through time with the Earth as it starts out in the earliest and then move forward。 Each chapter is nicely grouped and none stand out as being overwhelming or unnecessary。 I loved that as he moved through the evolution Henry Gee didn’t just focus on the animal life， he looked at the plant life as well。 There were interesting facts I didn’t know and none of the science was t This review is going to have two parts。 I listened to the audiobook version。 The way the book is formatted you move forward through time with the Earth as it starts out in the earliest and then move forward。 Each chapter is nicely grouped and none stand out as being overwhelming or unnecessary。 I loved that as he moved through the evolution Henry Gee didn’t just focus on the animal life， he looked at the plant life as well。 There were interesting facts I didn’t know and none of the science was too technical。 There was always an explanation to help the layman to understand subjects they might not have encountered。However， I was listening to the book， and not reading it， and this is where the experience really fell short for me。 There was a constant barrage of sound effects through the reading that distracted and did not add to the book。 During Chapter 7 in a section talking about the difference between how dinosaurs and mammals cooled themselves there was a nonstop wooshing sound that made it difficult to hear the words。 It was also a juxtaposition of such scientific and professional topics with childish production。 There were fart sounds and at one point talking about homo erectus’ estrus there are kissing sounds。 The text of the book is fine from what I could tell， read it and enjoy， the audiobook I would not recommend to anyone。 That is the reason why I gave it 2 stars。 Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the copy of this audiobook。 。。。more
Tawney
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Henry Gee delivers on his commitment to reveal the history of life on earth from the earliest slime to the present with some speculation on the far future 。 He keeps it short by focusing on important developments in the anatomy and abilities of successive forms of life， such as the formation of a backbone。 Of course it wasn't only the living that changed， the planet has never been static。 Changes in landforms， atmosphere and climate have altered life， sometimes nearly wiping it out。 For me one o Henry Gee delivers on his commitment to reveal the history of life on earth from the earliest slime to the present with some speculation on the far future 。 He keeps it short by focusing on important developments in the anatomy and abilities of successive forms of life， such as the formation of a backbone。 Of course it wasn't only the living that changed， the planet has never been static。 Changes in landforms， atmosphere and climate have altered life， sometimes nearly wiping it out。 For me one of the strong points of this book is Gee's illustration of the interconnectedness of all these forces。Yes， there are many Latin names。 These aren't plants and animals with nicknames and since there is no quiz there is no need to memorize them。 Paying attention to the reason Gee is writing about them isn't difficult。 Yes， some line drawings would be wonderful， but then it wouldn't be a （Very） Short History。 and it would cost more， too。You will miss out if you skip the notes。 There are interesting tidbits and trivia。 Gee also explains what some of the controversies on various theories are about。 Glancing at a few of the titles of papers cited gives a hint of the depth of Gee's research。This is an excellent book。Thanks to St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy。 。。。more
Margarethe
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Das Hörbuch ist schwierig zu rezensieren， der Stoff ist toll， auch wenn schon oft gehört， sehr viele Beispiele für den Laien verständlich， aber ich glaube beim Hörbuch fehlen die Abbildungen und die Möglichkeit der Quellenangaben。Was für mich ein Manko war， war die Sprecherin。 Sie las so übereifrig dasWerk， dass es in den Ohren wehtat。Hier würde ich eindeutig das Buch in meinem Tempo vorziehen :-）#netgalley#
Wim Reinalda
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Inderdaad een （zeer） korte en dus （erg） beknopte geschiedenis van hèt leven op aarde。 Maar het verhaal is wel motiverend om meer te weten te komen。 De auteur Henry Gee is redacteur geweest van Nature。 Dat is te zien aan zijn notenapparaat， waarin denk ik driekwart van de referenties bestaan uit Nature-artikelen。 Dus heb ik me maar eens voor een jaar geabonneerd op Nature。。。
Thomas
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Rezension: Herausragende Einführung in die Evolution für Normalsterbliche Es gibt nach der „kurzen Geschichte der Zeit“ bereits eine größere Anzahl anderer „kurzer Geschichten“。 Daher ist der Anspruch schon hoch， wenn man sich in die （überwiegend） erfolgreiche Reihe dieser Bücher stellen möchte。Anhand des Titels einer „sehr kurzen Geschichte des Lebens“ hätte ich mir kein 300 Seiten Buch vorgestellt。 Jedoch kommen hier zwei Faktoren ins Spiel: 1。 Der Autor beschreibt einen Zeitraum von über 4 Mi Rezension: Herausragende Einführung in die Evolution für Normalsterbliche Es gibt nach der „kurzen Geschichte der Zeit“ bereits eine größere Anzahl anderer „kurzer Geschichten“。 Daher ist der Anspruch schon hoch， wenn man sich in die （überwiegend） erfolgreiche Reihe dieser Bücher stellen möchte。Anhand des Titels einer „sehr kurzen Geschichte des Lebens“ hätte ich mir kein 300 Seiten Buch vorgestellt。 Jedoch kommen hier zwei Faktoren ins Spiel: 1。 Der Autor beschreibt einen Zeitraum von über 4 Milliarden Jahre， das braucht dann doch etwas Platz und 2。 Der Autor wendet einen echt großartigen Trick an， um das Ganze wirklich kurz und lesbar zu halten: Er packt ganz viele Details （und Quellenangaben） in die Endnoten。 Und das macht dann etwa 100 Seiten Fußnoten am Ende des Buchs für die， die es genauer wissen wollen。So viel zum Aufbau des Buchs， nun etwas zum Inhalt。 Die Materie ist komplex。 Der Autor schafft es jedoch， die Evolution des Lebens auf unterhaltsame Weise zu transportieren。 Vor den （meisten） Kapitel wird eine Zeitleiste abgebildet – die man auch dringen benötigt – um zu sehen， wo wir uns gerade befinden。 Für Nicht-Geologen wären die verschiedenen Zeitalter sonst zu unübersehbar。 Für mich war es faszinierend zu erfahren， wie und warum sich verschiedene Eigenschaften von Lebewesen durchgesetzt/entwickelt haben und wie eine veränderte Umwelt auch zu veränderten Lebewesen führt。Eindrücklich klar wird， dass die fünf bereits erfolgten Massensterben aufgrund von starken klimatischen Änderungen das Leben grundlegen umgekrempelt haben。 Dies wird an vielen Beispielen gut erläutert。 Das wird durch den Klimawandel derzeit im sechsten Massensterben sind， wird durch die Nennung von guten argumentierten Fakten erläutert。 Meine persönliche Meinung als Leser ist， dass wir nur hoffen können， dass wir als Menschheit das sechste Massensterben überleben werden。 Viele unserer tierischen und pflanzlichen Nahrungsquellen werden es nicht。 Gleiches gilt für die einige Algenarte im Meer， die 40 % der Sauerstoffprozenten weltweit darstellen。Das Buch hat Spaß gemacht und es gibt tatsächlich einen völlig neuen Blick auf die Welt。 Ohne die vorherigen Evolutionsschritte， Katastrophen und Zufälle wäre es nie zu Affen und nie zu Menschen gekommen。 Und ob die Schwämme vor 715 Millionen Jahren irgendwann das Internet erfunden hätte， ist fraglich und das wäre dann echt schade。 Ein Lob gebührt auch dem Übersetzer Alexander Weber， der es geschafft hat， das Buch sauber zu übersetzen。 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐/5 Sterne von mir und eine klare Leseempfehlung an alle Nicht-Biologen/Laien mit naturwissenschaftlichem Interesse。 。。。more
Steve
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Great science writing: fun and informativeI loved this book。 It certainly lives up to its name as it is short， but it isn’t short on great writing。 It also lives up to it’s subtitle about pithy chapters。 There were several passages that were so well written that I would re-read them several times。 I am glad that Henry Gee made room for clever writing in such a concise book。 Although the book is concise， I never felt that Gee skimped on content。 It all flowed very well， with my never having asked Great science writing: fun and informativeI loved this book。 It certainly lives up to its name as it is short， but it isn’t short on great writing。 It also lives up to it’s subtitle about pithy chapters。 There were several passages that were so well written that I would re-read them several times。 I am glad that Henry Gee made room for clever writing in such a concise book。 Although the book is concise， I never felt that Gee skimped on content。 It all flowed very well， with my never having asked how he got from point A to point B。 Even some of the footnotes are worth reading。 My one quibble about the book is the speculative nature of some of the information in chapter 12， but this is a minor point。 This book is well worth reading。 Thank you to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Josh
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I thoroughly enjoyed this brief but expansive history of life on planet earth。 It was engaging and immensely readable， not at all stodgy or stuffy。 I especially liked learning about some of the lesser known mechanisms that played critical roles in evolution， whether it be heat dispersal in dinosaurs that encouraged them to be hollow-boned or the role that oxygenation played in the the earlier epochs or how glaciation impacted the evolution。 One thing I'm unsure of is how much of the details， whi I thoroughly enjoyed this brief but expansive history of life on planet earth。 It was engaging and immensely readable， not at all stodgy or stuffy。 I especially liked learning about some of the lesser known mechanisms that played critical roles in evolution， whether it be heat dispersal in dinosaurs that encouraged them to be hollow-boned or the role that oxygenation played in the the earlier epochs or how glaciation impacted the evolution。 One thing I'm unsure of is how much of the details， which are often presented confidently as fact， are debated and argued over among scientists。 There were times when the author stated clearly that this or that detail is unknown or debated， but in most cases， there wasn't that nuance。 Perhaps this was expanded on in the copious footnotes （which I admittedly did not read）。 Other than that concern， my only other quibble is that I really wish there were illustrations。 The descriptions of the various animals and plants are quite vivid， but I still found myself looking up the various animals mentioned to see artist renderings of them or photographs of their fossils。 This kind of book would benefit greatly by a sprinkling of illustrations， and if there's a future print run， I hope the publishers consider adding that。 。。。more
John Gribbin
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Henry Gee's history of life on Earth is really the story of where we came from -- from the first bacteria right up to date。 As always， he writes with great clarity and conveys masses of information in an accessible way。 My only complaint is that it is too short -- I was left wanting more！ It doesn't quite top The Accidental Species， but to say it is Gee's second-best book is intended as a high compliment。 Henry Gee's history of life on Earth is really the story of where we came from -- from the first bacteria right up to date。 As always， he writes with great clarity and conveys masses of information in an accessible way。 My only complaint is that it is too short -- I was left wanting more！ It doesn't quite top The Accidental Species， but to say it is Gee's second-best book is intended as a high compliment。 。。。more
Kyle
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Very impressive short book on the complete history of life。 So much is covered but perfectly explained - just right to understand and be interesting but not too much to be mind numbing or too little and be incomprehensible。 Gee explains things well and keeps it interesting and moving。 Great book to understand where we are， how we got here and where we are going。 Loved this 'pithy' book。 Very impressive short book on the complete history of life。 So much is covered but perfectly explained - just right to understand and be interesting but not too much to be mind numbing or too little and be incomprehensible。 Gee explains things well and keeps it interesting and moving。 Great book to understand where we are， how we got here and where we are going。 Loved this 'pithy' book。 。。。more
Sarah
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"A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth" was a fascinating read and I really enjoyed learning more about the different life forms that came before us and might come after us。 "A （Very） Short History of Life on Earth" was a fascinating read and I really enjoyed learning more about the different life forms that came before us and might come after us。 。。。more
Brian Clegg
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In writing this book， Henry Gee had a lot to live up to。 His earlier title The Accidental Species was a superbly readable and fascinating description of the evolutionary process leading to Homo sapiens。 It seemed hard to beat - but he has succeeded with what is inevitably going to be described as a tour-de-force。As is promised on the cover， we are taken through nearly 4。6 billion years of life on Earth （actually rather more， as I'll cover below）。 It's a mark of Gee's skill that what could have e In writing this book， Henry Gee had a lot to live up to。 His earlier title The Accidental Species was a superbly readable and fascinating description of the evolutionary process leading to Homo sapiens。 It seemed hard to beat - but he has succeeded with what is inevitably going to be described as a tour-de-force。As is promised on the cover， we are taken through nearly 4。6 billion years of life on Earth （actually rather more， as I'll cover below）。 It's a mark of Gee's skill that what could have ended up feeling like an interminable list of different organisms comes across instead as something of a pager turner。 This is helped by the structuring - within those promised twelve chapters everything is divided up into handy bite-sized chunks。 And although there certainly are very many species mentioned as we pass through the years， rather than feeling overwhelming， Gee's friendly prose and careful timing made the approach come across as natural and organic。 There was a whole lot of information here that was new to me， as we follow the development of life in manifold ways， both in the different ways this happened but also in the way that everything fits together。 This is one of the best things about the book。 Like， I suspect， most people， I had a distinctly vague conception of the relative timing of many bits of the development and evolution of life - Gee gives us the big picture without ever overwhelming the reader or becoming too summary。Another masterful aspect of the structure is the way that the first eight chapters build in a kind of crescendo， then the whole thing widens out with first the development of apes， then hominins， then humans and finally looks forward to the future。 I use a musical term intentionally - this feels like a well-crafted piece of music， pushing us on to the big finish。My favourite chapter of all， even though it's inevitably speculative， was the one titled The Past of the Future， where Gee takes us through what is likely to happen to life on a future Earth， including its our and its eventual extinction - this has a slightly wistful， but inevitable feel to it and is quite remarkable。 This takes us around a billion years ahead from now - so the whole span of the book is more like 5。5 billion years。 Along the way there are plenty of examples of delightful writing。 I loved， for example， the line 'As many bacteria could fit on the head of a pin as there were revellers who went to Woodstock， and with room to spare。' Or the beautiful description of the land-dwelling amphibian Eryops 'which looked like a bullfrog imagining itself as an alligator。 Had it had wheels， it would have been an armoured personnel carrier。 With teeth。'A couple of small negatives。 Some of the science that is decidedly speculative is stated as if it were fact （for example， the Theia hypothesis for the formation of the Earth/Moon system）。 It's probably necessary to keep up the momentum， but I would have liked a proviso in the introduction。 Gee's descriptions are good， but I really missed having illustrations （for example， he refers to the 'strikingly beautiful' Dickinsonia - I wanted to see a drawing of one）。 Okay， I could look it up online， as I did with several examples， but it would have been good to have had them there and then。 If we're going to be fussy， the first timeline seems to suggest the birth of the universe was 11。2 billion years ago， rather than 13。8。 And I'm a little doubtful of the assertion 'Within the next few thousand years Homo sapiens will have vanished。'The argument for our disappearance is based on， amongst other things， a combination of falling birthrate and declining carbon dioxide levels。 This is one of the delights of the chapter that peers in to the future - although all our focus at the moment is on keeping carbon dioxide levels down （and that is essential for now）， long term it is likely to be reducing carbon dioxide rates that does for much of life on Earth。 My doubt here is that there is no mention of anything outside of biology。 Humans have thrived of late because their technology enables them not just to respond to the environment， as is normal in biology， but to modify the environment and add non-biological abilities （such as flying）。 It's entirely possible that humanity will wipe itself out， but I would surprised that if we do survive it won't possible to hold off environmental changes for more than those 'few thousand years'。 To be fair， Gee tempers that later， referring to our future as a 'few thousand to tens of thousands of years' and then a little later still as 'sooner or later'。 Like Neils Bohr and others， I believe that prediction is difficult， especially about the future， and I prefer the less definitive figure。 This one is easy to sum up。 Brilliant book。 Buy it。 。。。more
Dawn A Denton
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When it comes to science and natural history， I need it simple。 This book breaks 4。6 billion years down to the very core of life。 Every page has at least one 'Wow' gem。 You can't read this book without learning loads about our planet and how she has evolved。 When it comes to science and natural history， I need it simple。 This book breaks 4。6 billion years down to the very core of life。 Every page has at least one 'Wow' gem。 You can't read this book without learning loads about our planet and how she has evolved。 。。。more
Virat Sharma
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Since the author is a writer and editor at science journal Nature， I had a high expectation with this one。 Even though there is a lot to be learnt about how the life started and various geological periods that were there， I felt that the book was a bit dry and could have been a bit more engaging。
Xavier Bonilla
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This is a fantastic book。 If you ever wanted to hand someone a short book about the history of our planet， this is the book！ Gee masterfully synthesizes information from each of the earth’s periods。 He describes the natural history of the climate， animals， and various pivotal points。 Excellent book！
Angela McCollister
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Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:I really enjoyed this book。 With the terminology and names it might be a bit of a challenge for some who don't know much about prehistoric creatures。 Fortunately， I've watched a lot of science documentaries so I could picture the creatures when he spoke of them。 Definitely don't miss the footnotes because they are often quite funny and charming。 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:I really enjoyed this book。 With the terminology and names it might be a bit of a challenge for some who don't know much about prehistoric creatures。 Fortunately， I've watched a lot of science documentaries so I could picture the creatures when he spoke of them。 Definitely don't miss the footnotes because they are often quite funny and charming。 。。。more
Tomas Bella
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