Christina De La Rochahttp://www.geology.lu.se/christina-de-la-rocha Christina De La Rocha is a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Geology at Lund University, Sweden. She has previously been a Lecturer in Earth Sciences (University of Cambridge, UK), Senior Scientist (Alfred Wegener Institute for Marine and Polar Research, Germany), and Professor of Marine Science (Université de Bretagne Occidentale, France). She has co-edited a previous book (Work Meets Life: Exploring the Integrative Study of Work in Living Systems) and started to write short science fiction (Pleistocene Brains). Daniel Conleyhttp://www.geology.lu.se/daniel-conleyDaniel Conley is Professor of  Biogeochemistry (Lund University, Sweden), Wallenberg Scholar, and Pew Fellow.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. The Origin of Life Was Brought to You in Part by Silicate Rocks.- 3. The Making of Humankind: Silica Lends a Hand (and Maybe a Brain). - 4. Mystical Crystals of Silica.- 5. Glass Houses.- 6. Chicks Need Silica, Too.- 7. Of Fields, Phytoliths, and Hippo Poo.- 8. Silica, Be Dammed!.- 9. No Such Thing as Normal.- 10. Geoengineering, aka Silica to Save the World.

Christina De La Rochahttp://www.geology.lu.se/christina-de-la-rocha Christina De La Rocha is a Visiting Scientist at the Department of Geology at Lund University, Sweden. She has previously been a Lecturer in Earth Sciences (University of Cambridge, UK), Senior Scientist (Alfred Wegener Institute for Marine and Polar Research, Germany), and Professor of Marine Science (Université de Bretagne Occidentale, France). She has co-edited a previous book (Work Meets Life: Exploring the Integrative Study of Work in Living Systems) and started to write short science fiction (Pleistocene Brains). Daniel Conleyhttp://www.geology.lu.se/daniel-conleyDaniel Conley is Professor of  Biogeochemistry (Lund University, Sweden), Wallenberg Scholar, and Pew Fellow.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. The Origin of Life Was Brought to You in Part by Silicate Rocks.- 3. The Making of Humankind: Silica Lends a Hand (and Maybe a Brain). - 4. Mystical Crystals of Silica.- 5. Glass Houses.- 6. Chicks Need Silica, Too.- 7. Of Fields, Phytoliths, and Hippo Poo.- 8. Silica, Be Dammed!.- 9. No Such Thing as Normal.- 10. Geoengineering, aka Silica to Save the World.