How to distinguish living from inanimate? Where is the border between them? At first glance, children's questions. Nevertheless, for many centuries, scientists and philosophers have not been able to come to a satisfactory answer. This topic - what is life - is devoted to the new book by Karl Zimmer. The author believes that there is no other object of scientific knowledge that has been given so many definitions. And is there one thing and certainly true? After all, there are a great many manifestations of life. The COVID-19 virus has changed our world, but can it be considered alive? And a red blood cell or an apple torn from a tree? Is the fertilized egg alive? Is it possible to state the death of a person whose brain has died, but the body is functioning? How was life born on Earth and will we understand that aliens are alive when we finally meet with unearthly forms of existence? Dark questions! A brilliant popularizer of science, already loved by the Russian-speaking audience, invites the reader to search for answers. Will it be possible to find them, will the author achieve his goal? A truly intriguing narrative awaits us!