Wonders of Life. Andrew Cohen

      

      HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      Collins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

      First published in 2013

      Text © Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen 2013

      Photographs, with the exception of those detailed in the picture credits section © BBC

      Infographics, diagrams, design & layout © HarperCollins Publishers 2013

      By arrangement with the BBC

      The BBC logo is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence.

      BBC logo © BBC 1996

      The authors assert their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

      Source ISBN: 9780007452675

      Ebook Edition © 2013 ISBN: 9780007452682

      Version: 2018-06-18

      All reasonable efforts have been made by the publishers to trace the copyright owners of the material quoted in this book and of any images reproduced in this book. In the event that the publishers are notified of any mistakes or omissions by copyright owners after publication of this book, the publishers will endeavour to rectify the position accordingly for any subsequent printing.

      Publishing Director: Myles Archibald

      Senior Editor: Julia Koppitz

      Cover Design: HarperCollins Publishers

      Book interior Design and Art Direction: Zoë Bather, Studio8 Design

      Infographics: Nathalie Lees

      Production: Stuart Masheter

      Colour reproduction by FMG

      For George Albert Eagle, a Wonder of Life

      Brian Cox

      To my beautiful Anna, it’s a precious thing, even more so when you share it.

      Thank you for our first ten years and for all your endless love, support and guidance.

      Andrew Cohen

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright

       Dedication

       INTRODUCTION

       WONDERS OF LIFE

      CHAPTER 1

      HOME

       Evolution of Life

Return of the King

A Very Special Home

Simple but Complex

The History of the Exploration of Water

Water, Water Everywhere…

       Water: the Essential Ingredient

Walking on Water

Treetops to Teardrops: The Magic of Hydrogen Bonds

INTO THE LIGHT

A Train Journey Through Time

A Child Star

A Unique and Colourful World

The Origin of Life’s Colours

From the Smallest Beginnings…

Eating the Sun

A Breath of Fresh Air

Breath of Life

Four-legged Life Story

      CHAPTER 2

      WHAT IS LIFE?