The Cosmic Oasis : The Remarkable Story of Earth's Biosphere

## Abstract This title explores the abundance and complexity of life on Earth, which—as we discover more of other planets—appears as a true oasis in the cosmos. Despite its diversity, life forms little more than a veneer on the planet, albeit one that has hugely influenced its climate and environment. Earth and its biosphere have profoundly changed through more than four billion years of time, undergoing a succession of transformations. Now, we are living through the latest of these, in which humans have become extraordinarily numerous at the expense of other living creatures, not least our kindred ape species that are in severe decline. A critical development is the technology upon which advanced human societies utterly depend, from which has emerged a technosphere that now rivals the biosphere in scale and power, and that is evolving with terrific speed. Among its unwanted side-effects are enormous and ongoing changes to the atmosphere, climate, land, and cycling of key elements for life. The biosphere is on the cusp of another transformation, and this book concludes by exploring ways in which we can influence this process for the better. Alone in the known universe the Earth glows bright with life, a unique cosmic oasis of biodiversity which is now under threat from our own actions. The Earth is a unique as a living planet, a cosmic oasis drifting in the vastness of barren space. It is strikingly and obviously different from our nearest heavenly neighbours, the Moon, Venus and Mars, in its thin skin of biology, extending from the surface for a few kilometres into the crust, and for a few tens of kilometres into the air. But how did this remarkable abundance and diversity of life arise? How has life survived over the enormous time frame of Earth's history? And does it continue to flourish now, especially with the growing pressure for space from humans? The Cosmic Oasis examines life on Earth, from our earliest interactions with animals and plants to our absolute domination of biology. It follows our developing understanding of life's origins, its remarkable complexity, and its interactions with the air, oceans and land. It also shows how patterns of diversity across the surface of the planet evolved, and how humans are now homogenising these, degrading both biodiversity and the space in which life can exist. Within this overall trend of loss there are some remarkable examples of survival, from the beneficial relationships between the gelada monkeys and wolves of the Ethiopian highlands, and the people and brown howler monkeys of Porte Allegre in Brazil, to interactions between you and your gut microbiome. Throughout, the authors ask what these interactions can teach us about building a better relationship with nature, and consider how we might become stewards, rather than destructive exploiters, of the life around us. "This title explores the abundance and complexity of life on Earth. Despite its diversity, life forms little more than a veneer on the planet. Earth has significantly changed across time in line to the havoc humans created and the technology in which improves how all living things coexist and protects the cosmic oasis. Humans have risen from apes as part of nature and manipulated the environment with the help of tools and fire. It has resulted in the development of settlements, domestication of animals, and agriculture, and the shift in atmosphere, climate, land, and cycling of key elements of the biosphere"-- Provided by publisher Apparently Alone In The Universe, The Earth Glows Bright With Life, A Cosmic Oasis Of Biodiversity. This Book Considers Life On Earth, And Human Interactions With It Culminating In Our Domination Of The Living World, And Asks What We Have Learnt About Our Biosphere, The Risks It Faces, And How We Might Become Stewards Of The Life Around Us.