{"product_id":"melanie-challanger-alive-book","title":"Alive - by Melanie Challenger","description":"\u003cp id=\"p-rc_93877f7a055f58d2-33\"\u003eWhat does it mean to be alive? In \u003ci\u003eAlive\u003c\/i\u003e, researcher and \u003cspan class=\"citation-126 citation-end-126\"\u003enatural philosopher Melanie Challenger takes us through the latest discoveries in biology and physics to reveal a radical truth: to be alive is first and foremost a way of being a body. From Greenland sharks that\u003csup class=\"superscript\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e live for centuries to slime moulds that solve mazes, this book presents a scientifically grounded challenge to the idea that life is either a machine run by genes or an essence separable from the body. It restores agency, purpose, and meaning to organisms in an era dominated by artificial intelligence and biodiversity loss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy This Book?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEmbodied Intelligence: \u003c\/strong\u003eExplores a radical new perspective on how life, purpose, and consciousness arise directly from our physical bodies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFascinating Animal Insights:\u003c\/strong\u003e Highlights extraordinary real-world examples, from magnetic-field-sensing birds to half-millennium-old Greenland sharks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eScientifically Grounded:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blends cutting-edge biology and physics to challenge traditional views of genes and machine-like life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRethinking Our Place in Nature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Restores agency and meaning to living organisms in an age of AI and environmental change.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"p-rc_93877f7a055f58d2-34\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviews \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"\u003cspan class=\"citation-124\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-124 citation-125 citation-end-125\"\u003eAlive hits like a shock to the body: bracing and brilliant. Melanie Challenger is an alert and fascinating guide through tricky terrain, leading us from ancient philosophical academies to cutting-edge biolo\u003csup class=\"superscript\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation-124 citation-end-124\"\u003egy lab\u003csup class=\"superscript\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003es...\"\u003c\/em\u003e – Jonathan Blake\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Written with equal parts wit, eloquence, and erudition, Alive introduces us to a world teeming with agents, each one inseparable from its embodied form...\"\u003c\/em\u003e – William Egginton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMelanie Challenger is a writer, researcher, and host of \u003ci\u003eThe Psychosphere\u003c\/i\u003e podcast, specialising in the philosophy of science and human-nature relationships. Author of \u003ci\u003eHow to Be Animal\u003c\/i\u003e, she is an award-winning poet, librettist, National Geographic Explorer, and Vice President of the RSPCA.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardback, 352 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bookspeed","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64517588058489,"sku":"BK2104","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0807\/2098\/6398\/files\/BK2104_MelanieChallanger_Alive_HB__Cover.jpg?v=1790273241","url":"https:\/\/shop.rspca.org.uk\/products\/melanie-challanger-alive-book","provider":"RSPCA Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}