‘Nurse, a Nobel laureate in medicine and director of the Francis Crick Institute, walks readers through five essential components of life, from the cell to evolution by natural selection, in a guide that’s part textbook and part history of ideas.’

‘Paul Nurse is about as distinguished a scientist as there could be. He is also a great communicator. This book explains, in a way that is both clear and elegant, how the processes of life unfold, and does as much as science can to answer the question posed by the title. It’s also profoundly important, at a time when the world is connected so closely that any new illness can sweep from nation to nation with immense speed, that all of us — including politicians — should be as well-informed as possible. This book provides the sort of clarity and understanding that could save many thousands of lives. I learned a great deal, and I enjoyed the process enormously.’