"In the pages of this book, Mammoth Hot Springs photographic art is melded with the natural sciences to search for common laws of nature through the power of observation and willingness to embrace the unexpected. A magnifying glass is first taken to observe the beauty and unexpected complexity of life in and around the thermal system at Mammoth. Time lines and historical events at Mammoth provide a context to appreciate the evolutionary Tree of Life established by Carl R. Woese. This new appreciation of nature at Mammoth is then applied to challenges faced by society, now and in the future."