Describes the impact of life on the Earth's rocky surfaces presenting an integrated view of how our planet evolved. Modeled on the Environmental Evolution course developed by Lynn Margulis and colleagues, it provides a unique synthesis of atmospheric, biological, and geological hypotheses that explain the present condition of the biosphere.
Thomas G. Mahnken is Acting Director of the Strategic Studies Program at the Johns Hopkins University'sPaul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
This remarkable small volume gives the fortunate reader a summary introduction to the intellectual history and recent research developments concerning the origins of life on planet Earth as well as the origins of Earth itself. --National Geographic Research & Exploration Praise for the first edition "... clearly written, well illustrated and a pleasure to read." --Quarterly Review of Biology