Amazon.co.uk Review
Geneticist Gabriel Dover's new book is, as its name suggests, an imaginary correspondence with Charles Darwin which brings Darwin (and of course the reader) up to speed on the recent developments in modern genetics and on the implications of these developments for evolutionary theory.
The correspondence format allows Dover to regulate the pace and depth of the discussion and to anticipate and respond to questions readers might reasonably be expected to ask As Dover put it, "I thought it might prove a useful way to take you the readers from simple beginnings to complex understanding without resorting to jargon, while permitting the two correspondents to engage in a degree of spontaneity and personal asides." The opening chapter and the glossary of technical terms should help the reader negotiate the difficult passages while Dover's aggressive and often amusing prose style helps sustain the reader's interest. Rather than dazzling or seducing with brilliant metaphors, he marshals evidence with clarity, economy and wit. His frequent digressions on, for instance, Manchester United's miraculous triumph in the dying minutes of the European cup final, or on discussions between Sir Isaac Newton and a contemporary physicist on natural selection and alternative universes, or his near complete contempt for Richard Dawkins, or his love of poetry and music make the book entertaining, provocative and uplifting rather than just educative. Specialists should read this book as a matter of course and novices beginning their education here shouldn't be out of their depth.--Larry Brown
Product Description
'Dear Mr Darwin - You might find it presumptious of me, if not a little macabre, that I should take up my pen and write to you more than a hundred years after your death. But I'm encouraged to do so because it is on record that you yourself wrote almost fourteen thousand letters on scientific issues, many of which I expect were answers to unsolicited correspondence... Despite the gulf that separates us in time and means, I know that this letter will arouse your scientific interests, for it touches on some of the central issues with which you wrestled all your life.' Thus begins an imagined correspondence between the geneticist Gabriel Dover and Charles Darwin on the surprising findings of modern genetics and their influence on the evolution of biological novelties, from genes to organisms. Stimulated by Darwin's relatively uninformed but obviously intelligent questions, Dover takes the father of natural selection on an exhilerating roller-coaster ride through the 'new genetics'. In recounting stories from the treasure-trove of modern biology, Dover exposes the naively deterministic view of selfish genes and their supposed lonely pursuits of self-replication and self-immortalization. He reveals a world of evolution far more intricate and subtle than can be expected from the notion of natural selection acting alone - a world in which genes are born to cooperate. Set against a backdrop of cultural references ranging from the late poet Ted Hughes, through the music of Captain Beefheart, to the current ethnic crisis in the Balkans, this trenchant, humorous and literate correspondence presents a startlingly original view of development and evolution that puts the individual organisms centre-stage.
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