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The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History (Penguin Science)
 
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The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History (Penguin Science) (Paperback)
by Stephen Jay Gould (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  (1 customer review)

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Product details
  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition (25 April 1991)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140135545
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140135541
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 610,021 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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  • Other Editions: Audio Cassette  |  All Editions

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Product Description
Synopsis
Before Darwinism was generally accepted, the natural world was thought to be structured according to the "chain of being". Evolutionary theories have revolutionized this imperialistic view, and the process we now know as natural selection explains a great many mysteries to us. One such enigma is the flamingo's "smile", which is a perfect example of the way in which function (in this case feeding in saline lakes) and form (the inverted beak that enables the flamingo to feed more successfully) are inseparable. The 31 essays in this collection share the theme of "quirkiness and meaning" and explore the idea that natural oddities - the snail that changes sex, the jellyfish that feeds upside down - are extraordinary for a vital reason: they have found their evolutionary niche.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars easy to read, intellectually stimulating, 11 Jun 1999
By A Customer
As with all his books, Gould provides diverse and thought provoking insights into some traditional and obscure areas of natural history. He pulls us into his stream of ideas and you can only be left with a feeling that you have been given the luxury of glimpsing into something truly amazing.
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