What makes Earth so special? Find out why our little planet is the perfect place for life to flourish in Life As We Know It.
Life As We Know It goes back four billion years to a time when the earth was barely inhabitable, exploring the amazing story of how everything came to be despite the nearly impossible, hostile conditions that existed.
Discover the six building blocks for all living things, unzip the DNA ladder, learn about the six different kingdom classifications, and more. Find out how 8.7 million species of plants and animals came from one single cell, and see how codependent Earth's delicate ecosystem is, with every organism and every living thing essential to sustain life.
Broken up into manageable chapters from the smallest cells to the huge "Are we really alone in the Universe?" question, this refreshed paperback edition of Life As We Know It explains complex scientific ideas with highly visual pages that have clear text for middle-grade students. Spanning the beginning of the universe to modern day, Life As We Know It celebrates everything we know--and even what we don't know--about life.
Author(s): DK
Series: Big Questions
Publisher: DK Children
Year: 2016
CONTENTS
The meaning of LIFE
What is life?
How life began
The building blocks of life
Down to basics
Inside a cell
Green energy
Requirements for life
The VARIETY of life
Six kingdoms
So many species
Evolution of life
Growing up green
Things that come up in the night
All creatures great
…and small
Teeny tiny world
Living TOGETHER
World of plenty
Part of the system
Life zones
Unusual alliances
Eat and be eaten
The clean-up crew
Keeping the balance
Secrets of SURVIVAL
Home sweet home
Defending your turf
Part of the gang
Life in the colony
The need to breed
Dress for success
Deadly weapons
Taking advantage
The long walk
Life beneath the waves
Scattering the seed
The OTHER SIDE of life
The ultimate animal?
You are not alone
Life at the extremes
Weird but wonderful
Out of this world
Glossary
Index
