num_pages: 247
description: How did life begin? This is one of the great eternal questions. All cultures have a creation story, but modern science has the best one of all – a near-complete account of how our planet went from a barren lump of rock to one covered in a rich diversity of plants, animals and microbes. This issue of New Scientist: The Collection takes you on a journey through life’s origins and the watershed moments in its history. From spectacular fossils to evolutionary theory, it tells the epic story of the only living planet we know of in the Universe. And where there’s life, there’s death. The fossil record reveals that most species that existed have gone extinct. Why? And what would happen to the planet if all life suddenly died? Prepare to go on a journey of a lifetime.
language: English
title: New Scientist: The Collection, Vol. 3.2: Origin, Evolution, Extinction
publisher: Reed Business Information Ltd