Offering daring new ideas about evolution, two highly respected biologists here tackle the central, unresolved question in the field-how have living organisms on Earth developed with such astounding variety and complexity? Marc Kirschner and John Gerhart draw on cutting-edge biological and medical research to provide an original solution to this longstanding puzzle.

In this terrific new book, molecular systems meet evolution. The result is a wealth of stimulating ideas set among clear explanations drawn from a revelatory decade in biology.-Andrew H. Knoll, author of Life on a Young Planet

Thought-provoking and lucidly written. . . . The Plausibility of Life will help readers understand not just the plausibility of evolution, but its remarkable, inventive powers. -Sean Carroll, author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo

Remarkably lucid and comprehensive, this new theoretical synthesis will . . . shift the grounds for debate in the controversy surrounding organic evolution.-Booklist (starred review)