Famous science fiction writer, world-renowned scientist, great popularizer of science, author of about 500 fantastic, historical and popular science publications invites you to a fascinating journey through the expanses of wildlife science. The book tells about the difficult path of development of biology from ancient times to the present day. You will learn about the doctors and philosophers of antiquity, about the monks and alchemists of the Middle Ages, about physicists, geologists and paleontologists of the Age of Enlightenment, about modern scientists who made a huge contribution to science, which became the ancestor of many of the newest scientific trends. There are also many interesting and witty stories about illusions and superstitions, discoveries and phenomena, hypotheses and perspectives of the complex science of biology. Book A. Asimov is an original combination of scientific authenticity, vivid imagery, masterful presentation