“The untold grand and intertwined tale of Earths living and nonliving spheres –the coevolution of life and rocks—is utterly amazing.  It must be shared, because we are Earth. Everything that gives us shelter and sustenance, all the objects we possess, indeed every atom and molecule of our flesh-bound shells, come from Earth and will return to Earth. To know our home, then, is to know a part of ourselves.”

— Robert M. Hazen, The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet