Arising out of a dead universe, evolving from simplicity toward unimaginable complexity, life does seem to be an immense journey — as Loren Eiseley described it — but one without a human destination. We are not the goal of evolution, nor are we competent guides, despite our tinkering with DNA. If we are voyageurs, then so are the otter and eagles, locusts and spiders, lichens and pines, along with countless species that have gone down into the earth.
— Scott Russell Sanders, Writing from the Center