Review by Booklist Review
Evo Devo is short for evolutionary developmental biology, a new science that explores the biological processes that give rise to both the shared traits and the wild diversity of animal anatomies. Carroll is at the vanguard of this promising field, and he is also a lucent and lively popular science writer deeply inspired by the order, ingenuity, and beauty of the molecular choreography he brings to light. Evo Devo has not only proven that human beings have a surprising number of genes in common with other animals, including the humble fruit fly, it has also revealed the startling fact that every animal species on earth is derived from the same small set of tool-kit genes. In explicating these unexpected discoveries, Carroll describes in stunning detail the geography of a growing embryo, how genes mark out a diagram of the body to come, and how exactly, thanks to genetic switches, the hotspots of evolution, one group of genes can produce such variations on a theme as butterflies, birds, leopards, and whales. Carroll's highly detailed and well-illustrated technical discussions are enriched by his appreciation for the philosophical, aesthetic, and ethical implications of the biological wonders he decodes, adding up to a vital and enjoyable introduction to a field with profound implications. --Donna Seaman Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Cobb County textbook stickers aside, evolutionary natural selection offers a pretty straightforward explanation for the forward march of species through history; a mutation that better equips a given organism to survive is passed along to its heirs, becoming more common as successive generations flourish. The actual process by which mutations happen, however, was far more mysterious until scientists turned to the study of evolutionary development (known by the somewhat unfortunate moniker "Evo Devo"). One such scientist is Carroll, a genetics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who guides us along the broad contours of development ("the process through which a single-celled egg gives rise to a complex, multibillion-celled animal") and the ways in which its study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of evolution. He explains in concrete terms how small changes in a species's genetic code of a given species can lead to dramatic differences in physiology is the "missing piece" of evolutionary theory, Carroll argues. The book is as much a salvo in the continuing battles between creationists and evolutionists as it is a popularization of science, and Carroll combines clear writing with the deep knowledge gained from a lifetime of genetics research, first laying out the principles of evolutionary development and then showing us how they can explain both the progression of species in the fossil record and outliers like a six-fingered baseball pitcher. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Carroll (genetics, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison) has written the first book for general readers on the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology, a.k.a. "evo devo," the study of how the shapes and forms of animals and humans have developed and evolved. Besides being an important researcher at his institution, where he works on butterfly eyespot development, Carroll is also a gifted writer. In a breathtakingly effortless manner, he builds on complex concepts, e.g., that a few primitive genes gave rise to the formation of essential organs and appendages in all animals. His topic is crucial, involving the recent and profound contributions of embryology and development to our understanding of the evolution of life's diversity. These are key components of evolutionary theory that advance the conceptual "Modern Synthesis" of population genetics and paleontology of the 1930s and 1940s. In light of this new understanding, the objections to evolutionary theory based on transitional gaps and irreducible complexity become more obtuse than ever. More accessible than Rudolf A. Raff's fine pioneering work, The Shape of Life, this book belongs in all libraries. [See the Q&A with Carroll on p. 107; see also Prepub Alert, LJ 12/04.-Ed.]-Walter L. Cressler, West Chester Univ. Lib., PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
