12. Becoming an Adult

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface ix
4. I. From Stars To Embryos
5. 1. Galaxy Gazing 3
6. 2. Handy Man and Other Early People 15
7. 3. A Human with No Nerves 24
8. II. Cycles Of Life
9. 4. From Celestial Furnaces 37
10. 5. Life Cycles: Animals versus Stars 49
11. 6. The Moment of Conception 61
12. III. In The Beginning
13. 7. A Universe Begins 75
14. 8. The Opposite of a Whimper 88
15. 9. Our Internal Evolution 100
16. IV. Structures And Functions
17. 10. Spacious Heavens 115
18. 11. The Ecological Theater 128
19. 12. Becoming an Adult 141
20. V. From Boulders To Brains
21. 13. Rubble Around the Sun 155
22. 14. The Very First Animals 165
23. 15. Here Comes the Brain 175
24. VI. Milestones Of Discovery
25. 16. Exoplanets and Aliens 189
26. 17. From Darwin to Darwinism 201
27. 18. Analyzing the Embryo 212
28. VII. Endings And Enlightenment
29. 19. The End of the World 227
30. 20. Extinction and How to Avoid It 237
31. 21. From Embryo to Enlightenment 249
32. Bibliography 265
33. Acknowledgments 269
34. Index 271