The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher is a 1974 collection of 29 essays written by Lewis Thomas for the New England Journal of Medicine during the preceding three years. The pieces are loosely based around the premise that the Earth is perhaps best understood as a cell. The final paragraph of the titular essay reads as follows:

From this, Thomas touches on subjects as various as biology, anthropology, medicine, music (showing a particular affinity for Bach), etymology, mass communication, and computers. Within lively and lucid prose, he reveals a certain prescience. In the essay titled "Your Very Good Health," Thomas says:

Awards

The Lives of a Cell won the National Book Award for both "Arts and Letters" and "The Sciences" in 1975. It is also ranked 11th on the Modern Library's "100 Best Nonfiction" books of the 20th century list .