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Loading... Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom (original 2005; edition 2005)by Sean B. Carroll
Work InformationEndless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo by Sean B. Carroll (2005)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Brilliant book. Easy to read and yet doesn't skimp on the science. I understand Evo Devo about 400% more than I did before reading it. ( ) A very good primer on what Evo Devo ('evolutionary developmental biology' shortened) is and how it greatly adds to our understanding of how parts and pieces develop, relatedness, etc. Especially interesting after reading [b:Genome: the Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters|4591|Genome the Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters|Matt Ridley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1362958533s/4591.jpg|1987129], seeing how science has progressed to looking at the changes in switches/expression rather than hunting for specific genes and assuming species developed them independently. The writing was much too breathless, in a "gee, look at this butterfly wing!" sort of way. The science got buried in metaphorical cliche'. Writing for a lay audience is always going to be tricky and I think in this case Carroll aimed too low and ended up using too many words that don't say much. For those interested in another way to approach learning about current evolution theory I strongly recommend checking out the Yale open course available for free online, "Principles of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior," taught by Stephen C. Stearns, who is as eloquent a storyteller as Sean B. Carroll but also illuminates this field in a more thorough way than Carroll's writing can, link here: http://oyc.yale.edu/ecology-and-evolutionary-biology/eeb-122
Although Endless Forms Most Beautiful is a lucid and valuable summary of evo–devo, it does proclaim a clever but still unproved hypothesis as central to the evolutionary process. As Carroll himself notes: "Simplification may indeed be necessary for news articles, but it can distort the more complex and subtle realities of evolutionary patterns and mechanisms." AwardsNotable Lists
For over a century, opening the black box of embryonic development was the holy grail of biology. Evo Devo -- Evolutionary Developmental Biology -- is the new science that has finally cracked open the box. Within the pages of his rich and riveting book, Sean B. Carroll explains how we are discovering that complex life is ironically much simpler than anyone ever expected. Perhaps the most surprising finding of Evo Devo is the discovery that a small number of primitive genes led to the formation of fundamental organs and appendages "in all animal forms." The gene that causes humans to form arms and legs is the same gene that causes birds and insects to form wings, and fish to form fins; similarly, one ancient gene has led to the creation of eyes across the animal kingdom. Changes in the way this ancient tool kit of genes is used have created all the diversity that surrounds us. Sean Carroll is the ideal author to lead the curious on this intellectual adventure -- he is the acknowledged leader of the field, and his seminal discoveries have been featured in Time and The New York Times. No library descriptions found. |
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