Human life is not a miracle. A system that of such complexity that we don't yet understand it does not mean that system is miraculous. It's just really complex.We live in a time where we are starting to understand complex systems. We have the computing tools, the intellectual frameworks (from information and complexity sciences), and in this case the biological tools to start making sense of these intricate systems we can't understand fully."Life Unfolding" presents a communications-centered view of human development. This doesn't mean it supplants genetic explanations - in fact they are two sides of the same ideas - but it does mean that many of the explanations here center on how proteins, cells and organs communicate enough information to create a human body without a grand plan.The picture of the developing human here is one of emergent behavior and complex and intricate information flows. The vocabulary here includes "signalling" and "gradients" and "feedback loops." Because of the constraints of evolution (far easier to add on to an existing process than change it), and development (stuff has to work all the while it's being created and changing form), the form that these take can sometimes be bafflingly and - at least at first blush - needlessly intricate. However, because of this, the ability of this system to develop, function and repair in the face of varying environmental conditions, mutations, and errors far exceeds what humans have been able to thus far create.As a computer scientist, this is a view of biology that I could deeply understand; not just a big list of cell types and organs and functions, but a picture of the simple mechanisms (albeit combined in incredibly complex ways) underlying their creation and their function.This isn't a biology textbook - it's meant for a popular audience. So you won't find exhaustive coverage of every aspect of development or precise names of genes and proteins. However, he curates examples of various mechanisms and subsystems so that he covers them in enough depth to communicate the concept, and then moves on to the next topic.As a software/systems person with an interest in emergent phenomena, this book fit where my brain is right now. So, for me, this was the most enlightening book on human biology that I've ever read. My copy of the book is underlined and dogeared and annotated on every page. Depending on your background, you may not find it as compelling.At the very least though, it is a great book to give yourself a view on human development that you may not have been exposed to before, in a very readable and enjoyable form. Highly recommended.The one wish I had while reading it was for some interactive simulations of the concepts. Sometimes, it takes many words to describe something that an interactive, dynamic, visual representation would communicate more clearly and in greater depth. It would be awesome if this book had an accompanying web site or app with such simulations.