Deserves to find its way into schoolrooms across the nation.
The key to understanding diversity in nature is what happens in the embryo, says Carroll (Genetics/Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison), and he provides compelling proof.
One of the great revelations of comparative genome studies over the past 20 years has been the discovery that animals share certain sets of master genes and switches that determine the ultimate shape of the animal, from flies and centipedes to mice and men. The fruit fly, for example, has a set of “Hox” genes on a single chromosome ordered in such a way that when expressed, they shape the fly’s body from head to end. Mind-bogglingly, these same Hox genes, or multiples of them on different chromosomes, are found in vertebrates, mammals and humans—where they play the same roles. Such “tool-kit” genes, as Carroll calls them, and the all-important genetic switches that orchestrate where and when the tool-kit proteins are turned on, not only determine animal forms but more nuanced details. These discoveries, along with the realization that embryonic development builds on repeated modular forms (think of the multiple segments of the human spine) are also clues to complexity: Further tinkering in gene expression and timing can lead to new, specialized appendages like arms and legs or wings and webbed feet. Admittedly, taking in all the details of these discoveries in the early chapters can be heavy going, but if the reader persists, there are delights to come. In the latter half, Carroll neatly describes the development of eyespots on butterfly wings, stripes in zebras, circles on fruit flies and red hair on redheads. His final chapters tackle human evolution, providing an up-to-date reprise of current fossil finds and speculation on how unique human traits may have developed. All this is further fallout from the new field of “evo devo” (evolutionary developmental biology) and provides more fuel to fight the creationist/intelligent-design folks.
Deserves to find its way into schoolrooms across the nation.Pub Date: April 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-393-06016-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2005
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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