The Equations of Life How Physics Shapes Evolution

"Fascinating. A profound exploration of the deep nexus between physics and biology."
– Andreas Wagner, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Zurich and author of Arrival of the Fittest

"Enlightening and entertaining [...] Whether on this third rock from the Sun or another planet in a far-distant galaxy, creatures should share forms and behaviours shaped by the forces of natural selection and the fundamental laws of physics that reign throughout the universe."
– Lee Billings, author of Five Billion Years of Solitude

"An invaluable guide [...] Life is generally described as a matter of contingency: what we find in nature is the result of countless historical accidents. In The Equations of Life, Charles Cockell provides an important counterbalance to that picture."
– Philip Ball, author of Critical Mass

"A lucid, provocative argument that the dazzling variety of organisms produced by 4 billion years of evolution may seem unbounded, but all follow universal laws."
– Kirkus

"Fascinating [...] Cockell offers surprising insights"
– Sean Carroll, author of The Particle at the End of the Universe

"Magisterial and collegial, this may be the biology book of the year"
– Booklist

"An intriguing and enthralling adventure into the physics of life that is all around us and inside us. Cockell provides a reminder of the seeming rarity of all this beauty but also an invitation to look up to the skies and ask 'where else might something like this be?"
– Robin Ince – Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Infinite Monkey Cage

"Riveting [...] Cockell is not only a fine scientist but a fine writer too."
– Sir Martin Rees – Astronomer Royal and former President of the Royal Society