In the beginningearth was a cold planet of rock-crust and water; then life seeded the oceans…and after eons, multiplied on the land.Man, the reasoning creature of this fruitful life-process, constantly asks why?…why?…and how?In this brilliant synthesis of scientific discovery throughout the ages, Isaac Asimov answers these vital questions. He begins with Genesis and its intuitive description of creation and proceeds through the trial-and-error experimental findings concerning regeneration, evolution, and inheritance. The structure of the cell itself is examined, and the biochemistry of its food and fuel processes. Here is a lucid picture of life on this planet as far as the light of science has been able to penetrate–a provocative study written to be understood and enjoyed by anyone who has asked in his childhood “Where did I come from?”