Review by Booklist Review
Upon finishing this narrowly focused but probing book, readers will look in the mirror and see carbon, the chemical element most essential for life. As Hazen unfolds the dizzying versatility of Element 6, readers will marvel at how carbon atoms born in the heart of stars turn into Earth's carbonate minerals, plunge into the planet's core as carbides, and belch forth from volcanoes as carbon dioxide. Readers will track with greatest curiosity the choreography of the chemical dance uniting carbon atoms in the patterns found in the fuels, fertilizers, gems, and building materials that sustain human enterprises. The human species itself appears as the culmination of the evolution of carbon that Hazen traces back to organic compounds mysteriously emerging around deep-sea volcanic vents. Unfortunately, in the element that incubated the origins of life in the primal past, Hazen discerns a grave threat to its future, as human combustion of fossil fuels fills the atmosphere with carbon-laden greenhouse gases, perilously changing the globe's climate. Science that burrows into issues of profound interest.--Bryce Christensen Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this clearly written study, Hazen, a George Mason University science professor, explores what is known about carbon's impact on the universe's 13.8-billion-year history, from the Big Bang and the formation of stars and planets to the origin and evolution of life. It is, he declares, the "most adaptable, most useful element of all." Hazen demonstrates that carbon, unique among the elements for its versatility, is an essential subject for study both on a cosmic scale, for supplying the "most critical chemical link across the vastness of space and time," and on Earth, for how human alterations to the global carbon cycle are causing significant climate change. Beyond the science, Hazen brings the process of scientific investigation to life. Whether he's describing the way researchers measure the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by volcanoes, and the grave risks associated with such endeavors, or how animals first produced calcium carbonate shells for protection, Hazen conveys the delight he finds in the process of understanding the world around him. Even while demonstrating just how much humanity has learned about the "element of life," his enthusiastic survey also shows the limits of existing knowledge and the potential for future discoveries in an exciting field. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In this sweeping history, Hazen (earth sciences, George Mason Univ.; The Story of Earth) presents the findings, tuned for a popular audience, of the Deep Carbon Observatory's decade-long investigations into the king of elements. Hazen leads the international, multidisciplinary endeavor, whose mission is to understand carbon at the planetary scale, "4.5 billion years of Earth history; crust to core, at scales from nano to global." The story of C, in Hazen's telling, is a complete science class, challenging yet accessible. Readers learn how carbon came to be the chemical basis of life along with why it can be as hard as diamond and as soft as graphite and how it's been an energy blessing, and now, a climate menace. The author also shows how earth's geosphere and biosphere coevolved, enlivening the narrative with awe-inspiring discoveries engaging readers with humor and personality. The history and process of science, a key theme, is smartly supported by its symphonic structure--its "movements," titled Earth, Air, Fire, and Water in a nod to the ancients, while its "soloists" are Hazen's many research collaborators whom he celebrates with mini-profiles. VERDICT In composition and expression, this carbon symphony is of the highest order, as entertaining as it is enlightening. [See Prepub Alert, 10/22/18.]--Robert Eagan, Windsor P.L., Ont.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An appealing popular-science account of carbon, the "giver of life."According to this lively, expert overview, although carbon is only the fourth most abundant element in the universeand second in the human bodyit is the key to everything. Hazen (The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet, 2012), executive director of the Deep Carbon Observatory at George Mason University, emphasizes that "carbon, by itself, and in chemical combinations with other atoms, provides unmatched cosmic novelty and unparalleled potential for cosmic evolution.As the basis for all biomolecules, no other element contributes so centrally to the well-being and sustainability of life on Earth, including our human species." The author divides the book into a symphony of four movements, each entitled with a classical element: earth, air, fire, and water. "Earth" begins with the universe itself. Carbon, essentially absent after the Big Bang, first appeared in the cores of massive stars, spreading across the universe when those stars died and exploded in supernovae. Our planet formed 4.5 billion years ago from dust and rocks in a protoplanetary disc rotating around the young sun. Extremely hot at first, as it cooled, heavy elements (mostly iron) sank, taking most of the carbon, but plenty remained in the "Air" as carbon dioxide engaged in the essential carbon cycle, shifting between atmosphere and ocean, plunging deep into the Earth and then emerging through volcanoes. Readers expecting to learn how massive amounts of extra carbon dioxide from the human burning of hydrocarbons are destabilizing the cycle will not be disappointed. In "Fire," Hazen, a smooth stylist, reminds us that carbon remains our major source of energy but also the source of almost everything we use, from shampoo to the soles of our shoes. "Water" is essential for life, at least on Earth. Scientists disagree on how life began, but few doubt that only carbon, with its supreme ability to link with other elements, makes it all possible.A skillful account of the central element in our lives. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
