Life Finds a Way: What Evolution Teaches Us About Creativity

Description

Every single one of the millions of species alive today is the most recent link in an almost-endless chain of creation going all the way back to the origins of life. The amazing diversity and complexity we see all around us are products of nature's creativity. Drawing on pioneering research conducted over the past ten years, Andreas Wagner lays out the principles of creation that unify all of nature, from the beginnings of the universe to our world. What they reveal about creativity is as surprising as it is different from the simplistic Darwinism that has shaped our views for so long. Now everything changes. These principles are already helping biotechnologists to disarm potent toxins and engineers to devise new kinds of electronic circuits. In the near future, applied to spheres as diverse as the economy and education, they will enable us to do so much more. Life Finds a Way is the essential guide to understanding these breathtaking revelations.

Andreas Wagner is a professor at the University of Zurich's Institute of Evolutionary Biology and an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute for the study complex systems. An award-winning science writer, his most recent book is Arrival of the Fittest, which is also published by Oneworld. He is the author of more than 200 scientific papers published in leading journals, including Nature and Science. He lives in Zurich.

'An impressively brisk intellectual tour through the glory days of early 20th century evolutionary biology.' * Wall Street Journal * 'Wagner has done it again. This is a wonderful, mind-expanding book. Prepare to be surprised, enlightened and awed as Wagner reveals the sources of human and natural creativity.' -- Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement with Science, University of Birmingham 'In this remarkably wide-ranging book, Andreas Wagner shows what nature can teach us about creativity, and his answers hold an important message for the way we educate our children and run our institutions and societies.' -- Philip Ball, author of Beyond Weird 'Andreas Wagner has again cut through to the heart of a vital question. The notion that genomes are set up to explore, through trial and error, in the hope of leaping across the adaptive landscape to new peaks is a fresh concept. Wagner draws out fascinating parallels with the way innovation works in human society.' -- Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything 'Finding surprising convergences between evolving species and an active imagination, Wagner persuasively argues that human inventiveness is a reflection not just of human nature but of nature itself.' -- Anthony Brandt, composer and co-author of The Runaway Species 'Life Finds a Way weaves a coherent and compelling narrative about how nature achieves creativity. Not only that, we also learn how to cultivate creativity in our own lives.' -- George Dyson, author of Turing's Cathedral