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"Infinite Life: The Revolutionary Story of Eggs, Evolution, and Life on Earth" by Jules Howard explores the evolutionary history of eggs and their significance in the natural world. The book delves into the diverse ways in which eggs have developed in different species, highlighting their role as a means of passing genetic lineages forward in time. From hard-shelled eggs to soft, jellied ones, the book covers a wide range of egg types and their evolutionary adaptations. It also discusses the process of fertilization and the emergence of protective cell layers in eggs. Overall, "Infinite Life" provides a detailed and fascinating account of the evolution and importance of eggs in the natural world. [Extracted from the article]

Over the objections of cabdrivers, the District of Columbia is set on Thursday to scrap its seven-decade-old method of calculating taxi fares. Conventional time-and-distance meters will replace a system based on geographic zones. The District was the only major American city to base fares on how many zones a cab crossed. Many riders, particularly out-of-town visitors, found the system of 23 zones confusing. Critics said it was too easy for unscrupulous drivers to overcharge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses efforts by biologists from the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories to sink a dead whale that had died near the Port of Everett in Washington. The biologists sunk the whale with three tons of disused railway wheels in order to create and study the kind of thriving ecosystems that build up around dead whales and last for 50 to 80 years. Such environments may serve as evolutionary steppingstones by providing pathways for organisms to colonize structures on the ocean floor.