In the light of evolution: essays from the laboratory and field

My job requires me to read and critique papers in evolutionary biology almost every day, so it’s understandable to say that seldom do I want to spend my evenings reading more evolutionary biology. This book is the rare exception. In ‘In the light of evolution...’, Jonathan Losos has assembled a remarkably accessible, highly readable, informative and entertaining series of 17 essays by prominent evolutionary biologists, historians, science writers and paleontologists. Most essays include background on how the author became interested in their field, a discussion of the main findings of their work so far, and a summary of where they expect their research to go in the future. However, while the reader is given a comprehensive overview of several key study systems in evolutionary biology, what’s most impressive in this book is how the essays are delivered. Most of the chapters are so captivating that you find yourself wanting them not to end. My favourite four or five essays made me feel that I’d just come home from a delightful chat with the authors over drinks. Of course, not all of the essays leave you breathless, in fact some are downright stilted and you’d probably be better off reading the primary literature on the same topic. The biggest omission was the complete absence of essays by botanists. Surely charismatic ‘plant’ people like Spencer ‘swashbuckler’ Barrett, Loren ‘Michelangelo’ Rieseberg, and Doug ‘rock star’ Schemske could all have made wonderful contributions to this volume. However, the pros far outweigh the cons in this case and Losos has done a wonderful job putting together a book that’s sure to be found on the night tables of both armchair and seasoned scientists alike.