A radical new theory of how life moved from the sea to the harsh environment of the land, a continuing process that is at work even now. In the sea, nutrients pass with ease between organisms. But when life invaded land, it was forced to evolve more complex relationships to sustain itself. The authors argue that this complex, landbound form of life, in which all organisms find ways to carry the sea within them, essentially means that all forms of life beyond the sea are interconnected, and moreover, hypersea. An important book which may alter the way we perceive the living world.
"The whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. Symbiosis is not an amusing sideshow; it is the only show in town. Discovering this, we lose track of who is the host and who the parasite. All notions of biological hierarchy are turned upside down [...] Truth or engaging diversion, Hypersea is an illuminating way of looking at the biosphere. New Scientist This book is a significant advance in holistic biological thinking. It gives us a new view of the biosphere, in which symbiosis and cooperation are as important as predation and competition."
– Whole Earth Review
"Why is life on land such a spectacular success? Because, say Dianna and Mark McMenamin, 450 million years ago life created Hypersea, a vast new ocean of interconnected tissues."
– Discover