Newitz first dives into the history of evolution and extinction, looking at how past species have survived (or not) and what we can learn from them; then she projects a fascinating and divergent vision of humanity millions of years from now. Hers is an optimistic future, though she acknowledges the path will not be easy. But I found her optimism infectious. My daydreams of late have been of cyborgs and space elevators, terraforming and bioplastics. I hope I can maintain something of that long-term perspective.