Endless Forms Most Beautiful：The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom

EvoDevoisevolutionarydevelopmentalbiology,thethirdrevolutioninevolutionarybiology.ThefirstwasmarkedbythepublicationofTheOriginofSpecies.Thesecondoccurredintheearlytwentiethcentury,whenDarwin'stheoriesweremergedwiththestudyofgenetics.NowtheinsightsofEvoDevoareastonishingthebiologyworldbyshowinghowtheendlessformsofanimals--butterfliesandzebras,trilobitesanddinosaurs,apesandhumans,aremadeandevolved.PerhapsthemostsurprisingfindingofEvoDevoisthediscoverythatasmallnumberofprimitivegenesledtotheformationoffundamentalorgansandappendagesinallanimalforms.Thegenethatcauseshumanstoformarmsandlegsisthesamegenethatcausesbirdsandinsectstoformwings,andfishtoformfins;similarly,oneancientgenehasledtothecreationofeyesacrosstheanimalkingdom.Changesinthewaythisancienttoolkitofgenesisusedhavecreatedallthediversitythatsurroundsus.SeanCarrollistheidealauthortoleadthecuriousonthisintellectualadventure--heistheacknowledgedleaderofthefield,andhisseminaldiscoverieshavebeenfeaturedinTimeandTheNewYorkTimes.