‘Paul Nurse is about as distinguished a scientist as there could be. He is also a great communicator. This book explains, in a way that is both clear and elegant, how the processes of life unfold, and does as much as science can to answer the question posed by the title. It’s also profoundly important, at a time when the world is connected so closely that any new illness can sweep from nation to nation with immense speed, that all of us — including politicians — should be as well-informed as possible. This book provides the sort of clarity and understanding that could save many thousands of lives. I learned a great deal, and I enjoyed the process enormously.’
Sir Philip Pullman
‘A masterful overview of biology that draws together big ideas, luminous details and personal insights. You emerge with a more profound sense of wonder about the diversity, complexity and interconnectedness of living organisms. It’s the biggest question in biology. And this book represents the best answer I’ve ever seen. Paul Nurse is a rare life-form — a Nobel-winning scientist and a brilliant communicator.’
Alice Roberts
‘In this vibrant, lively book, Sir Paul Nurse, discoverer of some of the crucial genes that control the division of cells, takes a deep dive into biology by illuminating five of the essential characteristics of “life”. The writing is so spirited and knowledgeable — and the five sections so full of wondrous revelations — that I could not put it down. This is a book that will inspire a generation of biologists.’
Siddhartha Mukherjee
‘A beautifully written exploration of perhaps the most important question in science. I felt I was being given rare access to a truly deep understanding of a complex and profound subject. This is the best introduction to modern biology I’ve read.’
Brian Cox
‘A nearly perfect guide to the wonder and complexity of existence.’
Bill Bryson
‘Nurse provides a concise, lucid response to an age-old question. His writing is not just informed by long experience, but also wise, visionary, and personal. I read the book in one sitting, and felt exhilarated by the end, as though I'd run for miles — from the author’s own garden into the interior of the cell, back in time to humankind’s most distant ancestors, and through the laboratory of a dedicated scientist at work on what he most loves to do.’
Dava Sobel
‘As well as providing the basics about each concept, [Nurse] tells us about the people responsible for the major breakthroughs in biology and chemistry … In an accessible, readable way, he considers how knowledge can help us change the world for the better and what life really is. Because all living things are ultimately related to each other, he concludes: “We need to care about it, we need to care for it. And to do that, we need to understand it.”’
Brian Maye, The Irish Times
‘This “little” book — almost pocket size — and written by one of the greatest living biomedical scientists — deals with a fundamental question of many dimensions. Naturally, it takes a personal approach but has a healthy enjoyable amount of historical context. It is very easy to read and should appeal to a broad readership from teenage enthusiasts to professional biologists … Sir Paul elucidates one of the most fundamental questions of biology and defends a series of messages of survival value to mankind … This book is constructed on solid foundations and rests on the shoulders of giants.’
Mustafa B.A. Djamgoz, PhD, Bioelectricity
‘Nobel Prize—winning geneticist Nurse takes a look at what makes up life in this eloquent introduction to biology … Nurse has a knack for presenting biological ideas in precise, accessible language. Anyone wondering how life works would do well to pick this up.’
Publishers Weekly
‘[S]erves as an easy-to-understand introduction to cellular biology. Nurse illuminates the expected … and ventures into the surprising … An amiable book about scientific discovery and wonder, controlling chaos in biological systems, and the underlying connectedness of all life on Earth.’
Booklist
‘Manage[s] to pack a surprising amount of content into an informative, readable bite-sized chunk, easily consumed on a commute or at bedtime … it's a beautiful, succinct introduction to those five fascinating components.’
Brian Clegg, Popular Science
‘Nobel Prize-winning biologist Paul Nurse’s exploration of this eternal question is nothing if not clear-eyed and elegantly communicated. An urgent book for our times.’
Happy Magazine
‘As might be expected for someone who won a Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2001 for discovering how cells control growth and division, Nurse’s ideas are rooted in the nuances of life as seen within a cell … it’s spectacular to see the concepts come together as Nurse describes the chemistry of life and how organisms manage information within their cells and from the outside world. He brings cells to life in a way that a textbook drawing can’t … Nurse shares his wonder as he contemplates evolution and our “deep relatedness to other living things”.’
Erin Garcia de Jesús, ScienceNews
‘This short book deserves the widest possible readership … Here [Nurse] gives a marvellously lucid exposition of highly complex subject matter, in a way that makes difficult ideas accessible to non-expert, while I believe that even the expert will gain from the clarity of overall perspective, as well as from the many illustrations of the scientific process in action, drawn from the author’s own career and elsewhere.’
Paul Braterman, 3 Quarks Daily
‘In a succinct synthesis barely over a hundred pages long, Nobel Prize winner Paul Nurse expounds what a lifetime of work has taught him about his field. A lyrical, yet cogent ode to arguably the most important science of all, the book eschews textbook details and aims to instruct at the highest conceptual level … Nurse peppers his overview with modestly framed anecdotes from his storied career. Final rejoinders round up the journey of What Is Life, and here he finds room to mention our current pandemic.’
Andres Kabel, ReadListenWatch
