An amazing insightful book about the evolution of eggs. I loved this!! I need to read more nonfiction!

As soon as I set up my NetGalley account, I was immediately drawn to the Science category. The very first book I chose—and fervently hoped to receive—was *Infinite Life* by Jules Howard. It felt like fate: a book centered on eggs, the very earliest stage of development, was a perfect match for a freshly minted PhD in Developmental Biology like myself. Popular science books on my field are rare, so you can imagine my joy at discovering this one. Even better, it’s not just a developmental biology book; it’s an ode to evo-devo (evolutionary developmental biology).

I loved Howard's approach because, as he points out, eggs are often disregarded and forgotten, yet they have their own fascinating evolutionary backstory. The book is written with the general public in mind, using anecdotes and real-life references to make complex concepts accessible. Guiding readers through the dense forests of genetics, molecular biology, and embryology, as well as the lofty peaks of geology and evolutionary biology, is no easy task. However, Howard manages it with grace and humor. For instance, his description of natural selection as a "growing accumulation of successful mistakes" is brilliant. Many clever techniques are employed to keep the reader entertained and engaged.

Despite my familiarity with the subject (particularly the facts in the latter part of the book), I learned a lot. Howard's vivid language sparks the imagination—images of zombie cockroaches and cuckoo mafias still haunt my nightmares. I also appreciate how he addresses areas where science has yet to provide clear answers, presenting multiple hypotheses to cover the big open questions in biology.

As a woman, I found the section on the parasitic aspects of human pregnancy both brutal and important, especially in a world where women are sometimes treated as mere incubators. The book has inspired me to do further reading on several points, such as the connection between adult regeneration and germ line specification. I particularly applaud Howard for his clear explanation of the different membranes in the amniotic egg (which any developmental biology researcher working with chick or mouse embryos would largely appreciate!).

I’m not sure if the printed edition includes more illustrations, but they would definitely enhance the reading experience. Lastly, a hallmark of a great popular science book is the inclusion of a glossary and further reading references, which *Infinite Life* provides.

Eggcelent job (sorry, I had to).

Thank you Elliott & Thompson and NetGalley for providing this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

An absolutely amazing history of the egg! In an age where reproductive rights and the origins of life are being challenged by different religious views, this book is an important scientific and historical tour de force!

Beautifully written. The author takes us through a scenic history of varying landscapes all home to egg-layers and their broods. These eggs come in different sizes, colors, and textures. They reside in numerous places - including inside their mothers. They tell stories of hardship, resilience, balance, and adaptation.

We wouldn't exist as a species if it weren't for eggs.

Evolutionary science often focuses so much on the science or the history of the science that I get drowned out in the first few pages. That was not the case for Infinite Life, which had me pulled in from the beginning. There are also not a lot of science books that I've read in one sitting, I think this makes number two of the many I've read.

This is how science writing should be! Sharp and exciting while staying scientific and leaving the flowery prose to literary writing, Jules Howard's Infinite Life is a must-read for all people!

The unassuming animal egg takes center stage in this journey from the Cambrian shores to the rise the mammals. Learn how ecology, mass extinctions, and natural selection have molded these tiny wonders, playing a pivotal role in the grand history of life.

This easy-to-read book expertly explores an aspect of evolution that’s often overlooked. Immersive and engaging, the book is as entertaining as it is informative.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘egg’?

Perhaps you picture a chicken, or the fried egg you had for breakfast. Or maybe you picture the dainty little pods that are Orange Tip Butterfly eggs, on the stems of a Cuckoo Flower.

Whatever you think you know about eggs, this book will change how you look at all life on Earth...

Infinite Life is an ‘evolutionary biography’ of the egg - the one thing that every animal on this planet owes it’s existence to, and an absolute feat of evolutionary engineering

Jules Howard takes us back 4,540 million years ago, when Earth was first formed, all the way through to the present day. Stopping off at different periods in time, checking in on the egg’s evolution.

I love a good trip back in time via the pages of a book, to explore the ecology of the past and how it shaped life on the planet as we know it today.

This brilliant book is like no other I’ve read on the topic of evolution.

I usually struggle reading books that explore such science-heavy topics, but I couldn’t put this one down. Howard takes the reader on a journey and tells a story, rather than just reeling off facts & statistics.

From crying Mudskippers & siren-calling eggs to 380-million-year-old fossilised fish umbilical cords, Infinite Life is packed full of mind-boggling, jaw-dropping egginess from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley & Elliott & Thompson for the DRC

An accessible, readable and well-written look at the humble egg throughout time, from the first egg-like structures through to current forms, from insects to birds to mammals and everything in between.

Divided up into geological periods, Howard looks at the evolutionary changes seen in the fossil record, how different paths were taken, often repeatedly, and how environmental changes influenced the eggs that developed.

Howard also considers not just how different factors influenced the egg, but also how changes, mutations in egg structures drove evolutionary change- such as changes that allowed eggs to survive in drier conditions allowing species to expand their range and drive diversification.
The final section considers how climate change is influencing changes to eggs and how they may change in the future.

For anyone with an interest in evolution, palaeontology, biology or nature generally. This isn't a textbook but rather a narrative driven non-fiction that makes this quite niche topic accessible to anyone regardless of their previous knowledge

An informative and interesting book about the evolution of eggs. It does a great job of starting from the very beginning, explaining the history of the Earth and the moon to set the scene.
I really enjoyed the way the author explained things, making complicated topics easy to understand. However, I wish the book featured the visualization that I believe would have made the descriptions clearer and the book even more engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elliot and Thompson for the opportunity to read an e-copy. The opinion is my own.
This is a well written book that I found both engaging and full of information. That it stretches from the beginning of life to nowadays and how reproduction evolved without dragging but instead compeeling the reader to see how the author sees, how interesting some tiny findings could have in our understanding of what the general populace will consider 'just an egg'.
I also appreciated the long list of further reading at the end, I gave a quick look only but it seems great for those readers who got their interest peaked by this book.
All in all, a good and informative read with compelling writing.

I found this book both informative/educational as well as an interesting read. I learned a lot more about eggs and the evolutionary path they have taken over the years. I also enjoyed the writing style of this author as it kept me engaged throughout the book.

• Whenever I read a good book, such as this, I am reminded of my love of biology. This was a well written at times funny but definitely engaging thorough account of how the evolution of different eggs led to the success of each animal group and the species that comprise them.
• I highly recommend for the evolutionary biology enthusiasts out there such as myself. More specifically to those who enjoyed Eve by Cat Bohannon last year (even though I did have some critics of that text as well) If you needed just a little more expansion on the mammalian front this would a good next read.
• Personally would have liked a little bit more expansion on the mammalian front because it felt a little rushed in the end. I am aware that this could just be because that evolution is still on going but I'm sure there must be some way to talk on it. I don't think the human impact segwaying into climate change bit was necessary. Only because again it felt not well thought out.
• If the book was going to speak about how the success of the mammalian egg led to the proliferation of the group as a whole I would have loved it if it went all in on explaining the environmental impact this has had. I know climate change is a hot topic right now and maybe the book feared that the readers were already fatigued with this topic but I'm a say it with your whole chest kind of girl.
• The biggest detractor to my enjoying this more than I did was the lack of pictures, diagrams etc. The visual elements would have elevated this reading experience and made me more engaged at parts when fossils were being discussed. Hopefully this is something that is provided in the final print version seeing as I read the arc because pictures are a must for me when dealing with topics in Biology. I like to see what's being stated instead of just taking the books word for it.
• In the end this was a good time and the author has a solid backlist that I might be perusing in the future.

Infinite Life was a fascinating trip through the evolution of animals, using the egg as our guide. We are led on a journey from early life to the present day, with stops along the way at major points in animal and egg development to get a closer look at one of the reproductive structures that are necessary for reproduction. From water to land, the egg is key to adaptation and survival. In the hands of Jules Howard, viewing evolution through changes in the egg goes beyond textbook information and becomes something more of an interactive historical timeline. Just how does the changing egg fit into the spread of animals from water to land? How does the egg change from animal to animal? What is special about eggs that makes them (whether inside a body or outside) key in adaptation to a changing environment?

With enough information to make a biologist happy, and enough explanation to bring in the casual enthusiast, Infinite Life is a glimpse into a niche of science that many may often overlook. With engaging descriptions and an easy narrative flow, this book is an excellent foray into evolutionary biology from a unique perspective.

An absolutely amazing history of the egg! In an age where reproductive rights and the origins of life are being challenged by different religious views, this book is an important scientific and historical tour de force!

“Eggs are (…) the mechanism through which animal lineages are propelled forwards through time, like threads woven into a giant tapestry.”

This is an absolutely fascinating history starting from the earliest beginnings animal life on earth and it is so sweepingly narrated that it scoops up the reader and carries him along through primordial swamps, resting cysts in cyanobacteria, rampant photosynthesis, protozoic “sex” and upwards towards this common tiny pouch of genetic material, the egg.
That was the brilliant bit.
The not-so-brilliant bit was the absence of illustration.
There is a paltry offering of one (!) image at the beginning of each chapter - unlabelled and unindexed. With such a visual journey through time, omitting images almost seems spiteful, sending the reader to-ing and fro-ing between this book and [insert search engine of your choice].
This could have been a ***** book, the lack of illustration spoilt it for me.

I enjoyed this book. I found it highly informative with some good explanations where Howard simplified the science. I also found the interludes fun to read. I did have a quibble with the book, in that I found that the language was sometimes more literary than conversational thus breaking up the flow. Overall this book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Elliott & Thompson for the advance reader copy.

‘Re-framing the story of animal evolution through the lens of the egg’ (Loc. 80)

This is a quirky approach to the history of evolution and it really works. An otherwise enormously vast and complicated era with myriads of creatures, is streamlined into an interesting and engaging story which revolves around eggs.

We hear of competing strategies among primitive animals, some preferring to produce large quantities of eggs, and some preferring a more qualitative approach of producing fewer but caring for them. We also hear of the development of wombs and umbilical cords, with the oldest identified so far being the 2005 discovery of the 380 million year old Materpiscis.

Where helpful the book also includes modern observations and discoveries. Many readers will be surprised to hear that chickens seem to have a strange ability to regulate the shell of their eggs, depending upon the altitude that the eggs are being laid at. Science has yet to crack the mechanism which triggers that effect.

In places the book also suggested that traditional narratives of evolution may be too simple. For example, the success of insects has long been attributed to their ability to fly. But the author notes that their success also correlates with developments and improvements to their eggs. Could their overall success owe as much to eggs as it does to flight?

Towards the end of the book we hear of dinosaur eggs, and some of the fascinating research that is drawing tentative conclusions about the colours of dinosaur eggs.

Overall, this was a very interesting and original approach to the narration of evolution. It will appeal to those with an interest in History or Science, both those engaging with the issues for the first time, and those looking for a fresh approach to some otherwise well-trodden territory.

These are honest comments on a DRC (Digital Review Copy) version of the text, accessed in February 2024.

An educational journey from the beginning of life in earth to the current climate crisis through the evolution of the humble egg.

Being a forever learner, always curious to understand all that is life; I requested to read this book.
It’s an evolutionary biography of the egg, which is unique.
The writer made an effort to re-frame animal evolution, which was a thought experiment.
While I appreciate the storytelling, it was a little too scientific for my understanding.
I grew up watching documentaries and reading articles, so I managed to understand about 80%
of the jargon. But I can imagine the average reader would have a greater difficulty.
Nonetheless I enjoyed the read and definitely learned new things.

*Thank you Elliott & Thompson, the author and Netgalley for this ARC*

The first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful cover art with it's differents egg styles. But the book goes beyond that, and the story of the egg, something that I have never thought about, is really interesting. Before reading it when I saw, or heard, the word egg I thought automatically of birds eggs (chicken eggs to be more precise), with their distinctive hard shell and oval shape. But this book have broaden my understanding of it, with eggs with leathery covers or collorful, gelatinous and inside eggs. The book goes from the begginning of life on Earth, when the planet was nothing more than a ball of lava, to the modification that originated the placenta, and the author writes it in a way that is engaging, creating images of life on Earth across the time and across diverse evolutionary changes. It goes from microorganisms to the first animals, from aquatic life to the first land beings, from dinosaurs to birds, from the first mammals to humans. I learned a lot of new informations while reading it and definitely would recommend it to people that like non fiction books with a more scientific approach. I loved it!!