Nature Fast and Nature Slow: How Life Works, from Fractions of a Second to Billions of Years [Hardcover]

This book is a vision of biology set within the entire timescale of the universe. It is about the timing of life, from microsecond movements to evolutionary changes over millions of years. Human consciousness is riveted to seconds, but a split-second time delay in perception means that we are unaware of anything until it has already happened. We live in the very recent past. Over longer timescales, this book examines the lifespans of the oldest organisms, prospects for human life extension, the evolution of whales and turtles, and the explosive beginning of life four billion years ago.

With its poetry, social commentary, and humor, this book will appeal to everyone interested in the natural world.Nicholas P. Moneyis professor of biology and Western Program Director at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is the author of popular science books on fungi and other microorganisms, includingThe Amoeba in the Room: Lives of the MicrobesandMushrooms: A Natural and Cultural History, and, most recently,The Selfish Ape: Human Nature and Our Path to Extinction, the last two also published by Reaktion Books.