Vertosick states that we, (humans), do not respect life rather we respect intellect. According to the author we suffer from brain chauvinism that results in our making value judgments based on nothing more than our own arrogance and not based on reason. He gives some extreme examples that can easily be extrapolated to human behavior on a larger scale. A person can make a living as an exterminator killing bees, a variety of insects, rodents, etc and be financially rewarded. Incinerate a cat or a dog, and a person will likely face a judge and possibly jail time. We harvest from the oceans countless varieties of creatures who live there and then can and consume them, yet there are groups that feel Dolphins should be protected, that cans of Tuna should be labeled "Dolphin Free". The question is why, there is no argument that can justify the intelligence of one creature over another, and intelligence is not measurable in any species including humans, so why do we judge between fish or swimming mammals? Bees have a complicated society and a very structured way of life, some even produce products that we value. But if a person chooses to eradicate a hive no protestors will arrive on your doorstep.

This same thinking would seem to help explain Genocide. The victims are generally dehumanized, they are treated worse than many animals, and this then makes the mass killing of a group defined as inferior easier for those doing the killing. This is only a single aspect of what is one of the most horrific human conducts, but the logic appears sound.

There are discussions on how the immune system works and how a disease like Cancer continues to outwit all of our attempts to destroy it. He explains why antibiotics can become ineffective in treating infections, just as pesticides become worthless as the intended victims adapt. The method of adaptations differs widely but they all are amazing. After reading parts of the book you will be hard pressed to state that thought is something that our brains have the monopoly on. There are scores of organisms within us that were adapting and evolving millions of years before we developed anything like a brain, or consciousness, whatever the latter word means.

Other areas that I enjoyed were the discussions on DNA; something that many would answer is the key to our existence. The fascinating fact is that much of what we are made of existed and continued to develop long before DNA was created. It is in these discussions that the science gets very detailed and harder to follow, but it is well worth reading and reading again, if only to get a general understanding.

At one point in the book the author said that if he looked at a schematic of a Pentium processor, he would do so with a mixture of amazement and ignorance. For those who have not studied advanced science, reading this book is much like he describes when looking at the Pentium chip.

I have just touched on the very wide array of issues the author discusses, and despite the scientific details that might make you dizzy, the concepts he shares are very worthy of the time you spend, and any confusion you encounter.