Life Finds a Way : What Evolution Teaches Us about Creativity

`An impressively brisk intellectual tour through the glory days of early 20th century evolutionary biology.' * Wall Street Journal * `Wagner has done it again. This is a wonderful, mind-expanding book. Prepare to be surprised, enlightened and awed as Wagner reveals the sources of human and natural creativity.' -- Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement with Science, University of Birmingham `In this remarkably wide-ranging book, Andreas Wagner shows what nature can teach us about creativity, and his answers hold an important message for the way we educate our children and run our institutions and societies.' -- Philip Ball, author of Beyond Weird `Andreas Wagner has again cut through to the heart of a vital question. The notion that genomes are set up to explore, through trial and error, in the hope of leaping across the adaptive landscape to new peaks is a fresh concept. Wagner draws out fascinating parallels with the way innovation works in human society.' -- Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything `Finding surprising convergences between evolving species and an active imagination, Wagner persuasively argues that human inventiveness is a reflection not just of human nature but of nature itself.' -- Anthony Brandt, composer and co-author of The Runaway Species `Life Finds a Way weaves a coherent and compelling narrative about how nature achieves creativity. Not only that, we also learn how to cultivate creativity in our own lives.' -- George Dyson, author of Turing's Cathedral