Lives on Earth

3.8 Billion Years

  • My New Heart Valve Has a Serial Number

    My first surprise came the day before my aortic valve was to be replaced. My wife and I met with the surgeon. He explained that he would be inserting a cow valve—and by that he meant not an actual valve… Continue reading

  • Before Heart Surgery

    Next week a surgeon will remove my aortic heart valve and sew in a new one. It’s a brutal thing, this fact that someone will carve into my chest and carve out a piece of my heart. But it’s necessary… Continue reading

  • Non-Theists, God’s Love, and Evolution

    One of the benefits that believers gain from religion is the feeling that their deity cares for them. Mainstream Christians, Jews, Moslems generally believe either that god loves them and intervenes actively on their behalf or that god keeps a… Continue reading

  • The Brown Sisters: 35 Annual Portraits

    In 1974, Nicholas Nixon photographed his wife together with her three sisters, their ages ranging from 15 to 25.  He published the photo the following year, took a second that year, and then another photo every year after that. In… Continue reading

  • Sam Harris and the Science of Morality

    Morality and values are usually considered aspects of life that science can say nothing about. In The Moral Landscape (2010), Sam Harris argues the opposite. Questions about values—about meaning, morality, and life’s larger purpose–are really questions about the well-being of conscious… Continue reading

  • Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything

    Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything is an ideal read for those who are curious about science but shy away from the  details. Bryson’s signature style—humorous and friendly—is easy on the comprehension and even evocative in its imagery.… Continue reading

  • The Family Dog Grows Old

    Good health in an eleven-year old Golden Retriever is, I’m told, a blessing. It certainly seems so. Ginger hasn’t had any observable cancer. She is always up for a walk. And she eats well, from a menu that includes bites… Continue reading