ROCK NOT ALWAYS A HARD PLACE.

From: Whole Earth | Date: September 22, 1999| Author: Brynes, Lois; Margulis, Lynn | Copyright information

Many of us grew up playing Twenty Questions. Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral? Now, a youngster is supposed to ask: is it bacteria, protoctist, fungus, plant, animal, or mineral? Furthermore, is it an old-style mineral (a mineral produced by chemical and physical processes alone) or a biomineral fabricated in living cells? Distinguishing "ordinary minerals" from products made by members of life's kingdoms has become curiously difficult.

Over time, more and more inert ...

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