Preview
  • What Is Life?

  • Five Great Ideas in Biology
  • By: Paul Nurse
  • Narrated by: Paul Nurse
  • Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (97 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What Is Life?

By: Paul Nurse
Narrated by: Paul Nurse
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.99

Buy for $13.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The Nobel Prize-winning scientist's elegant explanation of the fundamental ideas in biology and their uses today.

The renowned biologist Paul Nurse has spent his career revealing how living cells work. In What Is Life?, he takes up the challenge of describing what it means to be alive in a way that every listener can understand.

It is a shared journey of discovery; step-by-step Nurse illuminates five great ideas that underpin biology - the Cell, the Gene, Evolution by Natural Selection, Life as Chemistry, and Life as Information. He introduces the scientists who made the most important advances, and, using his personal experiences in and out of the lab, he shares with us the challenges, the lucky breaks, and the thrilling eureka moments of discovery.

Nurse writes with delight at life's richness and with a sense of the urgent role of biology in our time. To survive the challenges that face us all today - climate change, pandemic, loss of biodiversity and food security - it is vital that we all understand what life is.

©2020 Paul Nurse (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about What Is Life?

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    66
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    57
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    55
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

I thoroughly enjoyed the audible. I will listen to this again. The sections are split clearly for a better understanding of the narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating presentation of our current understanding of what life is.

Very accesible and entertaining account of the principles of life. The author craftily uses his own personal experience and research to tell the story of the five dimensions that constitute life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Stunning Read!

Who we are, how we function and what we can become in the future! I will read
it again and again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Will listen to this again!

Very informative and presented in a very accessible and engaging manner by the lovely Dr. Nurse himself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I greatly enjoyed the information as well as the narration. I enjoyed the personal stories as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Rich evidence of design but still believe in evolution

I admire the technical details of explaining mechanics of life and glad author mentioned the DNA and amazement of human brain and even creation of computer programs.

However with such great design from physics to chemical to bio to intelligence, the conclusion of the book is greatness of natural selection.

I want to leave an open question here is: what is this selection? Who is selecting?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful