A galinha e seus dentes: e outras reflexões sobre história natural

Reflections in Natural History #3

by Stephen Jay Gould

Ao escrever sobre a evolução das espécies, o autor Stephen Jay Gould escreve, também, sobre a evolução das idéias do ser humano sobre si mesmo e sobre a natureza. Com humor e elegância, ele apresenta ao leitor não apenas o mundo de Darwin, mas também o mundo da controvérsia - expondo as teorias científicas, filosóficas ou sociais que, ao longo da História, se apropriaram do darwinismo ou o combateram. Toda uma parte do livro se dedica a discutir, e refutar, o assim chamado ´criacionismo científico´ - visto pelo autor como uma investida da ´extrema direita evangélica´.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Evolution, Natural History, Essays, History

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation. Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Most of Gould's empirical research was on land snails. Gould helped develop the theory of punctuated equilibrium, in which evolutionary stability is marked by instances of rapid change. He contributed to evolutionary developmental biology. In evolutionary theory, he opposed strict selectionism, sociobiology as applied to humans, and evolutionary psychology. He campaigned against creationism and proposed that science and religion should be considered two compatible, complementary fields, or "magisteria," whose authority does not overlap.

Many of Gould's essays were reprinted in collected volumes, such as Ever Since Darwin and The Panda's Thumb, while his popular treatises included books such as The Mismeasure of Man, Wonderful Life and Full House.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[William2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Gould wrote these essays around the time that the Alvarez meteoric impact theory was being published. This is something that we now know to be beyond doubt. But at the time, when it was just being introduced, the theory, and especially its association with the Cretaceous extinction, was not immediately embraced on the part of paleontologists. This led Luis Alvarez, no doubt in his frustration, to call paleontologists "not very good scientists." Oh dear! But Gould's coverage of the developing story is very fine and can be followed here and in his subsequent books, especially The Flamingo's Smile.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 3 of the collected essays of this author was a mix as usual of rather dry ones I found hard to get into, and more interesting topics such as whether all varieties of zebra (there are three, each with distinctive stripe patterns) are actually related and whether the capacity for stripes is inherent in horses as a whole (it is). Another essay deals with the development of the horse leg and how two toes fused to another bone but in some throw backs appear as large toes branching off the leg too high up to actually function as toes.

I was puzzled by the section on the Piltdown Man hoax since the previous volume included a similar article on the subject - it seems that after the one in the present volume was originally published a furore resulted with defenders of Teilhard de Chardin launching vicious attacks upon Gould. In this volume, a second article appears where he refuted the arguments of a few more prominent attacks (while drawing a veil over nastier comments which, reading between the lines, might have been anti-Semitic, the author being Jewish). I don't know why they reacted thus after this second essay when seemingly the first very similar one passed unremarked.

One essay discusses the possibility of an asteroid being responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs - this is so well accepted today that it's interesting to see the early stages of the introduction of this idea.

On the whole this balances out as 3 stars.

[elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

la ciencia mola! 😝😝😝😝

[Giorgio Gabrieli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostri Utili.

In 30 brevi saggi l'autore viaggia nel tempo e nello spazio per affrontare diversi temi tutti correlati alla ricerca scientifica. (paleontologia e biologia in primis)

Distrugge teorie antiquate e/o abominevoli (Maschilismo- Darwin sarà pur stato un genio nel suo campo, ma di cantonate ne ha prese anche lui-, la Moralità della Natura, segregazione razziale) ed elenca i chi, i come ed i perché della loro formazione.

Se mi soffermassi solo sugli animali, e le loro stranezze, e cosa esse ci insegnano non finirei più. Lezioni preziose colte da Cavalli, Vespe, Pesci abissali; e ancora mosche, zebre e Suli (le amatissime pata azules dell'Ecuador).

I capitoli più avvincenti sono stati però, e la trovo cosa singolare e particolare, quelli che spesso esulano dal mondo zoologico e sfociano nel comportamento umano, ma forse è la mia formazione Umanistica a parlare.

La cospirazione di Piltdown (l'analisi di una frode paleontologica come se fosse un giallo)

Una visita a Dayton (il processo a spese di un insegnante che ebbe l'ardire di violare la legge sull'insegnare la teoria dell'evoluzione)

Scienza e immigrazione ebraica/la politica dei censimenti (terribili pagine sulle perversioni e giustificazioni che l'uomo trova ai suoi più abominevoli comportamenti sotto il baluardo di una pseudo-scienza)

Ma sopra tutte si erge il capitolo 24. "La diminuizione delle dimensioni filetiche nelle barre al cioccolato Hershey". Un saggio che analizza il declino della quantità di cioccolato nelle barrette che va a pari passo con il suo aumento di prezzo. Un trend estintivo singolare che dire.

[Richard Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third of Stephen Jay Gould’s long-running series of popular science essay collections that first appeared in his monthly column in Natural History magazine, Hen's Teeth & Horse's Toes covers topics which include:

• evolutionary oddities (e.g. the eponymous horse's toes);
• evolutionary adaptations;
• essays on a number of scientists;
• the Piltdown Man forgery;
• science and politics;
• extinction;
• zebras.

As with all of Gould’s essay collections, this is a fantastic book, although I wouldn't classify it amongst my particular favourites. But highly recommended, nevertheless.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with the first half of this collection but then raced through the second half. Much like short story collections or anthologies I find some of the collected essays to be very interesting and others less so. Other reviewers have mentioned that some of the science discussed is dated, but I often found it interesting to see what bits have changed and progressed. As always I love Gould's sense of humor and the interesting ways in which he approaches different topics.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the articles in this book are very interesting.

[Fern · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those good for you reads that’s info packed but a bit of a slog.

[P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gould est toujours aussi fascinant, j'aurais seulement pu me passer d'un ou deux essais d'histoire des sciences.

[Raro de Concurso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es de los libros de Jay Gould, que en ciertas partes, menos me ha gustado de los que he leído (y he leído unos cuantos). Me ha resultado excesivamente técnico y farragoso seguir algunos artículos, tal vez porque el tema de los mismos no me llamaba demasiado la atención. Otros me han encantado. En general es un libro muy heterogéneo, que mezcla muchos temas y muy variados.

Sin embargo, en este libro, he conocido y me ha llegado el Jay Gould comprometido con la ciencia, contrario al racismo, a la estulticia, defensor de la ciencia sobre todas las cosas, en especial sobre la religión y la política. Gran defensor de debatir cualquier tema de forma racional y calmada, por muy comprometedor que sea, con datos en la mano, sin dramas ni ofuscaciones personales.
He comprendido al Jay Gould que se entristece y se cabrea a la vez cuando ve que creacionistas de pacotilla, con intereses político-religiosos, confunden a la gente con sus estúpidas ideas, y tergiversan las propias teorías de Gould sobre evolución para tirar por tierra el Darwinismo.
Y leo justo ésto cuando el actual gobierno de España, que esperemos que dure poco, entre tantas necedades que está haciendo, cambia sin consenso ninguno, y por sus santos cojones, que para éso tiene mayoría, la ley educativa, en la que parece que le importa más que se de religión que se aprendan sólidos conocimientos. Estoy seguro de que algunos dirigentes muy cercanos al Tea-Party y a los charlatanes religiosos, estarían encantados de eliminar del temario de ciencias la Teoría de la evolución de las especies Darwiniana y sustituirla por un Creacionismo divino.

Pero volviendo al libro, como iba diciendo, tiene artículos muy emocionantes, que dan una idea del gran divulgador y mejor persona que fue Stephen Jay Gould, aunque para empezar a adentrarse en las teorías de la evolución, tal vez no sea el más recomendable.

Bueno, si alguien tiene especial interés en saber si una cebra es un caballo blanco con rayas negras o negro con rayas blancas, puede ir al artículo en cuestión y salir de dudas.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in biological evolution, or phylogeny, will love any of the books in Gould's "Further reflections" series. The chapters are roughly 20 pages long. Each one examines biological phenomena, which in itself makes for an interesting read. Gould takes it a step further by adjuncting each phenomena with misunderstanding and dilemmas that have hindered scientific understanding. I hope that's not too convoluted......Let me try that again....He adds moral dilemmas that scientist have faced while dealing with the subject that he's presenting in a given chapter. This has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be a good scientist. The tone is very light and humorous, without being silly or juvenile.

Excellent book, ever since I started I've been wrestling with the idea of buying all his books from the further reflection series.

Because each chapter deals with a completely different subject it may not have enough bite for some of you looking for a more comprehensive book.

[Mike Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth in a series written by Stephen Jay Gould, a paleontologist from Harvard University. Gould looks at some of the early, flawed and heavily biased research that supported racial superiority, along with other factors involved in the evolution of families and species and scientific considerations in determining origins. Gould supports the basic Darwinian theory but takes issue with the frequently misunderstood understanding and adaptation of Darwin's work by the public. This work is an academic treatise, and as such, it is little wonder that so few people so deeply invested in evolutionary theory have bothered to read explanations of this type.

[Michael P.]

This was one of the better selling books when I was a bookseller. As time passed and I became pursuaded of the validity of evolution, I have also become open to this book. When a copy fell into my hands, I had to give it a try.
The problem is that I have advanced in my knowledge of the subject, and science has advanced beyond some of Gould's essays. I'm sure this was a wonderful book in its time, but I am past the time it would have been wonderful to me.

[Thijs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don't always agree with Gould's scientific points, the man is an admirable scientist that I admire for his scientific attitude and openness about ideas.

It is also interesting to see how this book has aged very well and how on earth scientists ever managed to get along without DNA evidence.

[Syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book I wanted to be an entomologist. Yes, that fascinating. Evolution rocks.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

My current favorite essayist and evolutionist.

[Lisezlascience · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avant-propos

Il est important, je pense, d’expliquer tout d’abord, que j’ai toujours plutôt eu un faible pour la physique et les mathématiques. Ce n’est pas que la biologie ne m’ait pas réussi pendant mes années d’études, mais il faut bien faire des choix. Et c’est ainsi plutôt vers les sciences physiques et les mathématiques que j’ai penchées. Je crois que c’est une perception plus grande de justesse peut-être que je percevais à l’époque dans ces sciences qui me semblaient plus “dures”. Ou cette opinion que je viens de donner n’est qu’une perception rétrospective à la lumière de ce que j’ai appris par la suite sur ces diverses matières.

La biologie au sens large, je dirais presque les sciences du vivant, n’en demeurent pas moins fascinantes du fait des questions auxquelles elles essayent d’apporter des réponses : quel est l’arbre généalogique de l’Homme, comment s’est construit le vivant, du plus petit organisme au plus grand, du plus complexe au plus simple ? Encore que cette dernière question ne soit peut-être pas la plus pertinente à postériori.

Pour revenir à l’ouvrage d’aujourd’hui : si j’ai souhaité le lire, avant d’avoir l’idée d’en faire une revue, c’est parce que j’avais aussi envie d’ouvrir un peu l’horizon de mes connaissances : Il est bon de lire des livres et de savoir que l’on connaît le sujet qui est abordé, mais il est aussi bon de pouvoir découvrir, tout simplement, des choses comme ce que raconte Stephen Jay Gould dans son ouvrage. Et même si il s’agit d’une traduction en français, je pense, tout du moins j’espère, que l’écriture qui lui est propre transparaît suffisamment pour que l’écriture puisse être autant appréciée que le contenu.

Quand j’ai ouvert le livre j’ai été un peu déçu au premier abord. J’ai en effet découvert que ce n’était pas le premier de la série. Pour un amateur de SF et de grandes sagas comme celle des Fondations d’Asimov, de Dune d’Herbert ou des Princes d’Ambre de Zelazny, c’était presque une hérésie ou une folie de ma part de commencer au milieu ! Puis finalement j’ai compris que d’une part il s’agissait d’un regroupement de textes plutôt indépendants les uns des autres, et que je n’allais pas attendre d’avoir acheté ceux qui venaient avant pour lire celui-ci, j’était trop pressé de découvrir Stephen Jay Gould et ses écrits. Je m’y suis donc mis.

La revue

Le livre est organisé en plusieurs parties dont le contenu (plusieurs essais à chaque fois) est regroupé par thème : les noms des parties. Un bon point pour un peu de cohérence. Comme quoi, un peu d’organisation ne fait jamais de mal. Enfin je dis ça mais ne venez jamais voir mon bureau. Ce ne sera pas le mien d’ailleurs.

Pour en revenir au livre : la première partie traite de “bizarreries raisonnables”. Ici Stephen Jay Gould nous parle de divers animaux, plus étranges les uns que les autres, pour ne pas dire bizarres. Il nous parle entre autres de la dissymétrie entre les deux sexes pour diverses espèces et des théories parfois les plus farfelues qu’il y a pu avoir sur le fait que pour un certain nombre d’entre elles, les mâles sont bien plus petits que les femelles. On découvre ainsi que certaines espèces dont on croyait les organismes hermaphrodites ne l’étaient pas mais que le mâle s’accrochait à la femelle et perdait quasiment tous ses organismes. Certains diront sauf le plus important : les testicules. On apprend aussi que presque de la même manière, le mâle de la baudroie, nain lui aussi, s’accroche à elle et se fixe de manière définitive à elle. Les systèmes sanguins des deux organismes fusionnent et le mâle devient dépendant de la femelle et en échange de son maintient en vie, lui donne son matériel génétique.

Dans cette partie Stephen Jay Gould nous parle aussi des parasites et notamment des ichneumons dont une partie de la croissance se passe au sein d’un hôte dont ils se repaissent. Cet état de fait a beaucoup fait réfléchir les ecclésiastes du 18ème et 19ème siècle : comment un Dieu plein de bonté pouvait créer de telles créatures? Ou alors faut-il plutôt voir là l’amour des parents qui cherchent par tous les moyens à assurer la survivance de leurs progénitures ? Finalement : ne doit-il peut-être y avoir aucune morale dans tout cela, ni aucun message quant à l’éthique ?

Dans sa seconde partie, Stephen Jay Gould nous présente un certain nombre de personnes, enfin, surtout de personnalités du monde de la paléontologie. Dans cette partie on en apprend plus sur celui qui fut considéré comme le premier géologue moderne, Sténon. On découvre ainsi comment ses considérations ont abouti aux idées de classifications qui sont aujourd’hui la base d’un certain nombre de spécialités, comme la taxinomie par exemple. On en apprend un peu plus aussi sur le renversement des principes de cause et de conséquence avec la problématique de cause finale et notamment son usage par James Hutton dans son étude de la Terre. Même si ce dernier a utilisé la méthode scientifique pour réaliser ses travaux, il était néanmoins gouverné par ces fameuses causes finales pour diriger ses recherches. On comprend aussi comment Cuvier, au sommet de son art, fut néanmoins éclipsé par Darwin et ses adeptes, malgré une méthode scientifique rigoureuse, parce qu’il était gouverné par des principes créationnistes et catastrophistes. Il reste pourtant l’un de ceux qui mirent en avant la possibilité d’existence d’espèces disparues (une chose impossibles pour les scientifiques de l’époque) et les méthodes d’analyse de fossiles. Il est enfin intéressant d’en apprendre un peu sur cet autre grand naturaliste du 19ème siècle, mais américain celui-là : Agassiz. Pas le tennisman hein. Il a longtemps souhaité montrer que Darwin se trompait et que le créationnisme était la vraie bonne parole. Je vous passe aussi le chapitre sur Lyssenko et Vavilov qui est un bon complément de l’épisode de Podcastscience qu’avait fait Xilrian sur ce premier. Pour ceux qui l’ont écouté c’est un bon complément car plutôt centré sur Vavilov, pour ceux qui ne l’ont pas fait, lisez ce chapitre et écoutez l’épisode ! Ils vont bien ensemble.

Dans sa troisième partie Stephen Jay Gould nous parle des choses qu’il cherche à combattre en biologie : l’adaptationisme à outrance et la démystification de croyances biologiques passées. On en apprend ainsi plus sur les mythes autour de la hyène : un croisement entre un chien et un chat pour certains, un animal qui est hermaphrodite, etc ? Stephen Jay Gould discute ensuite d’un point intéressant : est-ce que des animaux disposent de roue ? C’est vrai que selon certains c’est la meilleure forme pour se déplacer ! Très intéressant et drôle comme chapitre! Il continue ensuite par discuter de l’ADN, de sa répétition dans les chromosomes et les éventuelles raisons qui pourrait expliquer ces répétitions. Il aborde ainsi la question de l’ADN égoïste. Tout ceci vous fait penser aux théories de quelqu’un ? Il essaie de la comparer à celle qui dirait qu’il y a plusieurs niveaux d’évolution et que ce n’est pas juste soit au niveau du gène/ADN ou au niveau de l’individu, mais peut-être à ces deux niveaux en même temps et à d’autres aussi. Les deux chapitres suivants de cette partie traitent des aberrations, comme les chevaux possédant plusieurs doigts, ou les “monstres” comme par exemple ces mouches avec des mutations qui leur font pousser des pâtes à la place des antennes. Stephen Jay Gould explique ce qu’ils représentent pour l’évolution et comment ils trouvent leur place dans ce grand processus.

Dans sa quatrième partie, l’auteur nous parle d’une enquête qu’il a réalisé sur ce que l’on appelle aujourd’hui la supercherie de Piltdown avec un focus tout particulier sur la participation qu’aurait eu, selon lui, Teilhard de Chardin. Je ne connaissais pas cette histoire de supercherie. Il est intéressant de comprendre comment elle s’est construite et les raisons plus profondes de certains scientifiques anglais d’avoir eux aussi un Homme de quelque chose qui remettrait l’Angleterre au centre du jeu. Il est aussi intéressant de découvrir comment Teilhard de Chardin aurait été impliqué dans cette supercherie, lui qui fut le découvreur de l’Homme de Pékin bien plus tard. On découvre d’ailleurs les éléments qu’amena Stephen Jay Gould à propos de l’implication supposée de Teilhard de Chardin et les réactions provoquées par la suite, par forcément toujours positives … Histoire d’expliquer à ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas ses théories, Stephen Jay Gould prend d’ailleurs le temps de les présenter et montrer quel impact elles ont eu sur la société et la réminiscence que l’on peut percevoir dans 2001 l’odyssée de l’espace par exemple.

Dans la cinquième partie, Stephen Jay Gould nous parle des liens entre la science, la politique et la religion. Car l’un des autres combats de l’auteur, était d’arriver à combattre le créationnisme. Il nous parle ainsi du procès de Clarence Darrow et du poids du créationnisme aux États-Unis. On apprend aussi que le flou laissé sur le mot “théorie” aux États-Unis est une des sources classiques qu’utilisent les créationnistes pour semer le trouble sur la Théorie de l’évolution et ce qu’elle est vraiment : non pas une chose qui se doit d’être prouvée, mais un édifice solide sur lequel s’appuie et que consolide pléthore de preuves. Stephen Jay Gould explique d’ailleurs certains des arguments des créationnistes pour remettre en cause cette théorie. Il s’extasie d’ailleurs, si l’on peut dire, du fait que les créationnistes utilisent la théorie des équilibres ponctués qu’il a développé contre lui et l’évolution alors qu’elle ne vient que la compléter ! Stephen Jay Gould continue ensuite en nous expliquant comment les tests de QI et les statistiques ont été utilisés à des fins racistes à l’encontre des juifs notamment aux États-Unis ou comment le recensement a été utilisé comme un outil politique mettant en avant la surreprésentation des aliénés et des malades mentaux chez les populations noires et entre le Nord et le Sud ou entre le centre des villes et leurs périphéries. Certaines conclusions allaient même jusqu’à annoncer que l’esclavage avait été un bienfait pour ces populations …

Dans la sixième partie on en apprend un peu plus sur l’extinction et les théories qui ont existé quand à la présentation de la mort comme une chose que l’évolution pourrait combattre. Stephen Jay Gould commence ainsi par un chapitre plutôt drôle : basé sur certaines lois concernant l’augmentation de la taille, ou la diminution des organismes, il est allé jusqu’à proposer une loi identique pour des friandises ! Il est en effet question de l’extinction et de l’apparition des barres Hershey au cours du temps avec l’évolution des prix associés. Cet essai, plutôt amusant, est parsemé d’exemple de la Nature sur la question et c’est assez rafraichissant. Il est d’ailleurs marrant de voir dans le post-scriptum qu’il constate que ses prédictions se sont vues vérifiées et qu’une Grande Exception est aussi apparue ! Comme quoi les paléontologistes savent aussi bien s’amuser. Dans la suite de cette partie Stephen Jay Gould présente une théorie pour expliquer la grande extinction du Crétacé : celle d’un astéroïde qui aurait frappé la Terre, comme en témoigne les niveaux d’iridium découverts dans les strates géologiques tout en mettant en avant que cette hypothèse serait l’un des éléments majeurs, mais pas le seul de l’extinction observée.

Dans la dernière partie Stephen Jay Gould nous parle des zèbres. Vous allez me dire que le sujet est bien basique par rapport au reste du livre. Mais ceci n’est qu’apparence, car à la question : “Les zèbres sont-ils blancs avec des rayures noires ou noirs avez des rayures blanches?” il n’y a pas de réponse toute faite. Parce qu’il faut déjà savoir ce qu’est un zèbre ! Derrière la question évidente que cette affirmation soulève, Stephen Jay Gould nous explique ce qu’est la cladistique et comment la question paraît plus ardue à répondre que l’on pourrait croire. Il continue ensuite par nous expliquer ce que sont les rayures, sont-elles blanches ou noires et comment apparaissent-elles ? Et pour répondre à la question : ils sont noirs avec des rayures blanches !

En conclusion

En conclusion, que dire sur ce livre ? Déjà : on apprend plein de choses, mais alors plein ! C’est vraiment intéressant, quand, comme moi, on est un peu limite côté biologie et évolution, d’en apprendre tant et de manière si fluide et sans longueur sur des sujets aussi variés : évolution, créationnisme, paléontologie, supercherie, etc.

C’est aussi un ouvrage très bien écrit. Il ne s’agit certes pas de la version originale, mais d’une traduction, cependant, de bonne qualité et je pense que l’on entrevoit quand même le style de Stephen Jay Gould dans la narration et sa manière de présenter les faits.

Il est important de noter que Michel de Pracontal cite un certain nombre de fois ce livre dans son ouvrage “L’imposture scientifique en 10 leçons”, dont je vous ai parlé de le dernier épisode. Il y a de quoi. L’ouvrage cherche à éclairer et à présenter des faits prouvés par la science qui permettent de remettre en cause certains affirmations fausses qui pourraient être faites contre la théorie de l’évolution.

Je dois dire que ce livre m’a donné envie d’en savoir plus sur la théorie de l’évolution, il m’a donné envie de lire plus d’ouvrages de Stephen Jay Gould, des ouvrages de Richard Dawkins et même d’autres qui aborderaient les thèmes chers à Gould.

Pour la revue complète, une présentation de l'auteur et plus, rendez-vous sur la revue détaillée sur le site de LisezLaScience : https://lisezlascience.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/lisezlascience-8-quand-les-poules-auront-des-dents-de-stephen-j-gould/

[Michael Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 1983 book is the third collection of the monthly essays which Gould wrote in Natural History magazine. He wrote over 300 of them between 1974 and his death in 2002. They were published in ten collections. I read each volume as it came out.

I reread one or two of the collections a year. Gould was the best science writer of my lifetime. He was very smart. He was a significant and influential paleontologist whose ideas about evolution shaped the field.

He was a wonderful writer and a great essayist. He had the clarity and concision of the best science writing. He also had the wit and style of a great essayist. Like the great essayists, he had a conversation with us. He liked to start with something silly or odd. He would then weave that into an explanation of a fascinating animal or an unusual evolutionary theory. Finally he would wrap up, in twenty pages, with a new idea to think about.

He was also a first rate historian of science. He seems to have loved doing historical research. He will casually mentioned that he read the ten volumes of the collected works of an obscure scientist, in French. ( He read and translated French and Latin) He relished going to museums and reading original letters or documents.

As with all of these volumes, there is a wonderful cross section of hard core science, science history and politics and odd ball essays. Here we have an essay on the evolution of the Hershey Bar.

I was most interested in the three essays, near the middle of the volume, on the question of whether Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was involved in the Piltdown Man hoax. The Piltdown Man was a group of ancient human bones "discovered" in England between 1908 and 1915 by Charles Dawson. They were the most important ancient human remains ever discovered in England and they dramatically changed the theory of human evolution in Europe, until they were debunked as a complete fraud in 1955. It was one of the great scientific hoaxes of all time.

Teilhard was a Jesuit priest who was revered by many Catholic intellectuals in the mid-20th century. He was an accomplished paleontologist. He developed a theory that claimed to reconcile evolution and Catholicism. His book "The Phenomena of Man" was considered one of the great books of the century. I remember my Uncle, who was a college professor, telling me when I was 16 or 17 that it was the wisest book he knew and that I should read it.

Teilhard was also a friend of Charles Dawson. He visited Dawson regularly as Dawson was "discovering" his finds. Gould constructs a case that Teilhard was in in the hoax based on Teilhard's letters after the fact and his unwillingness to discuss the finds during the next thirty years. He claims that many scientists in the field shared his suspicions over the years. His case is suggestive but not completely convincing to me.

As he expected, the essay triggered howls of outrage, particularly from Catholics who considered Teilhard to be a saint. Gould wrote a second essay answering the challenges. During the whole kerfuffle Gould was meticulously fair and civil. He makes it clear that this is a scientific historical question, not a personal vendetta.

I read Teilhard's book on my uncles suggestion. Gould wrote a third essay discussing Teilhard's theories. Gould had the same reaction to the book as I did.

"Teilhard's florid and mystical writing is often more difficult to decipher than his role at Piltdown....A convinced Teilhardian might brand me as a heartless shallow scientist, unable to appreciate the profundity of Teilhard's vision. But difficult convoluted writing may simply be fuzzy, not deep."

Sign of the Times 1. Gould mentions that he will not respond to "the personal and vituperative commentary directed at me." Gould was Jewish. I have no doubt that many of the attacks on this Jew besmirching a beloved Catholic priest, were anti-Semitic. In 1983 that would not be commented on.

Sign of the times 2. In another essay Gould mentions that "I just made a dumb bet with a female jogging enthusiast; that no woman would win the Boston Marathon in my lifetime. I'd rather lose, but I expect I won't" He died in 2002, so he won the bet. ( Although I don't know how he collected) The story was at the beginning of an essay of sexual differences among species, but I can't imagine a Harvard professor publicly confessing to that kind of bet today.

[Chiara Melli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nota frivola: la copertina è spettacolare!
Tra le recensioni che avevo trovato di questo saggio ne avevo lette diverse che accostavano Gould a Piero Angela. Assolutamente no! È notevolmente più complesso. Certo, è sempre divulgazione scientifica, ma scritta per un pubblico con buone conoscenze sugli argomenti trattati (paleontologia, genetica, evoluzionismo, geologia), mantenere il filo del discorso e l'attenzione non è stato facile. Gli argomenti erano spesso (Non sempre) molto interessanti, ma richiedono uno sforzo notevole per essere compresi. Questo per avvisare chi potrebbe farsi fuorviare dal titolo o dall'abile descrizione sulla quarta di copertina. È vero, risponde ad interrogativi quali "Le zebre sono animali bianchi a strisce nere o neri a strisce bianche?" "Perché non ci sono animali con le ruote?"(a questo quesito mi sento orgogliosa di dire che avevo azzeccato la risposta 😁... sebbene in natura esista un animale con una sorta di ruota, cosa che ho scoperto qui)...molto accattivanti, ma la spiegazione non è alla portata di tutti! Il saggio numero 10 l'ho abbandonato a metà, non riuscivo proprio a capirlo, ritenterò, ma l'ho trovato di una pesantezza ed una difficoltà non alla mia portata. Il resto posso dire che è davvero interessante. Il saggio numero 20 e 21, dedicati alla critica del creazionismo scientifico (un ossimoro!!!!!) li ho trovati di un'attualità sconvolgente. Riporto alcuni brani ed anche i più ingenui potranno capire a cosa mi riferisco. "[I creazionisti] sono una congrega eterogenea, ma il grosso del loro sostegno pratico si trova nella destra evangelica, e il creazionismo è un semplice pretesto o un tema marginale in un programma politico che vorrebbe bandire l'aborto, cancellare le conquiste politiche e sociali delle donne riducendo il concetto vitale della famiglia a un antiquato paternalismo e richiamare in vita quello sciovinismo e quella diffidenza nei confronti della cultura che preparano una nazione ad essere vittima della demagogia" "I creazionismo stanno tentando di imporre una specifica concezione religiosa, attraverso un atto legislativo, a insegnanti che la rifiutano sia per coscienza che per formazione " "dobbiamo invece combattere quei pochi disonesti che sfruttano i risultati di un modesto livello di istruzione per perseguire guadagni personali e fini politici più generali" . Da solo questo pezzo merita l'acquisto del libro! In sintesi: studiate ed informatevi, altrimenti finirete col credere che la terra sia piatta! 😉

[Vincenzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

pensando un po' a questo libro ho avuto difficoltà a formulare un parere generale per quanto di per se la lettura mi sia piaciuta molto (nonostante i saggi siano più lenti e stancanti da leggere visto che bisogna anche capire l'idea di cho scrive e farsene una propria).
Ci sono stati tanti alti ma anche un po' di bassi che sono andati a fasi, soprattutto in base all'argomento delle varie parti e per questo sento sia meglio valutare ogni parte a se
l'unico motivo per cui non do 5 stelle è che avrei preferito si parlasse molto più di animali e meno di persone/politica

da ricordare che è un libro dell' '83 e che alcune conoscenze sono state ribaltate (come dico anche nella recensione dell'altro libro di Gould) tipo qui si dice che i gorilla e scimpanzé sono più simili quando invece ora si sa che è l'uomo più simile allo scimpanzé che un gorilla

1) STRANEZZE CHE HANNO UN SENSO: interessante ed affascinante visto che tratta di cose "strane" che fanno gli animali (che strano solo perché lo è per il nostro punto di vista)

2) PERSONAGGI: buono e abbastanza interessante soprattutto di aiuto per preparare l'esame di Storia Della Paleontologia ahahah

3) ADATTAMENTO E SVILUPPO: qui i brimi bassi con vari saggi noiosi e troppo verbosi ma allo stesso tempi i saggi meravigliosi sulle iene e sui cavalli

4) TEILHARD E PILTDOWN: sorpreso da questa parte perché la facevo più noiosa ma approfobdisce un argomento interessante (la frode di Piltdown) e lo tratta letteralmente come un caso di Poirot della Christie studiando un sospettato, tutti i suoi possibili alibi e tutte le testimonianze scritte che ha lasciato

5) SCIENZA E POLITICA: molto meh è grossomodo casi di cronaca politica con tema l'evoluzione e quindi un po' noioso

6) ESTINZIONE: semplice ma interessante è pur sempre l'argomento più affascinante della paleontologia in ogni sua forma

7) TRILOGIA DELLA ZEBRA: la parte più interessante insieme alla parte 1. sia quando si parla se le varie specie di zebre sono imparentate sia capire il significato delle loro strisce!

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un interessante viaggio tra vari saggi dell'evoluzione biologica e della filogenesi.

Gould ci conduce, con uno stile chiaro e diretto, mai troppo accademico, in questi brevi saggi in cui esamina uno specifico fenomeno biologico, compiendo l'ulteriore passo avanti di parlare delle incomprensioni e dei dilemmi che hanno ostacolato la comprensione scientifica, dei quesiti che gli scienziati si sono posti mentre affrontavano il dato argomento.

Come si sono formate le strisce sulla zebra? E sono nere con strisce bianche o bianche con strisce nere? Perché le femmine, nella maggior parte delle specie del regno animale, sono più grandi dei maschi? Perché alcuni animali possono arrivare a trascurare i loro piccoli come fossero estranei? Cos'é la teoria meteorica e in cosa consiste? (Particolarmente interessante questo saggio, poiché al momento della stesura e della pubblicazione del romanzo la teoria era stata appena esposta e, per quanto ora sia supportata, all'inizio fu accolta con grande scetticismo).

Ma non tratta solo questioni legate alla biologia animale, ma anche questioni come i censimenti degli ebrei, l'inflazione delle barre di cioccolato Hershey, il processo a Scopes e le sue conseguenze o, ancora, la truffa dell'uomo di Piltdown analizzata come fosse un caso di true crime.

Gould sa come farti entrare nei processi evolutivi e si prende il suo tempo per spiegarsi e aiutare i lettori a comprendere. Non é sempre facile da seguire, alcuni saggi sono molto più complessi di altri, ma con il suo approccio metodico non si perde mai l'interesse di conoscere.

[Kit Sheffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting to read a book that was cutting-edge forty years ago, with the wisdom of hindsight.

For example, two essays are devoted to the idea that the three species of zebra do not form a true group, and that one of the zebras is more closely related to the domestic horse than to the other zebras. At the time, there was some debate about this and at least one study that seemed to indicate it was true. But today, we know it was wrong, and that the zebras do form a true grouping.

Going the other way, the book was written in the early days of debate about then end-Cretaceous meteorite that caused a major extinction. At the time, it was too soon to know how that debate would come out, and Gould takes a neutral stance. Now, of course, no one disputes that the meteorite struck and that the effects were global and major.

On the depressing side of things, several chapters are dedicated to the efforts of 'scientific' creationists to discredit evolution by natural selection. This was fifty years after the Scopes trial and following a period of retreat the creationists were on the attack again. Alas, another forty years sees them still at it, and using the same tactics of misinformation and occasional intimidation, mixed with a lot of genuine misunderstanding.

[Jürgen Defurne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Jay Gould is always a pleasure to read, even if time has sometimes shown to be not completely correct. One should always take into account that knowledge has much increased since most of his columns.

In case anyone wonders about the essays about Piltdown Man and Teilhard de Chardin, investigations have uncovered that Charles Dawson was the real culprit. However, those facts were not known yet in 1980.

I think that we can interpret Teilhard de Chardin's silence and behaviour after 1920 differently. I think that his work in China, where he did real discoveries, gave him the insight that Piltdown was a forgery. I suppose that he probably also felt cheated by Dawson, his enthusiasm for, but inexperience in palaeontology an ideal innocent bystander to give Dawson's forgeries objective support.

I also think that some of the quotes from Teilhard's correspondence are correct, that he maybe somehow gave hints that Piltdown Man was a forgery, but that he had good reasons to not bring the issue to light. Not even after his death, as his other manuscripts were also then published. But if he suspected, or even almost knew that it was a forgery, he could not prove it.

[Edward Champion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume contains one of Gould's best essays, "The Piltdown Conspiracy," in which he reckons with Teilhard's involvement in the infamous scandal and comes across almost like the Janet Malcolm of science journalism. It's truly a bravura performance on why Gould was such a marvelous thinker. There are also some wonderful pieces in the third section of this book on hyena sex, as well as some considerations of DNA (picking up from Dawkins), as well as some solid evolution boosterism throughout. Unfortunately, the first 150 pages of this is so dry and wonkish -- uncommonly so for Gould -- contending with some deep dive scientific thinkers, but without the vivacity that Gould serves up as his finest. So I can't say that this particular round with Gould was entirely pleasurable. I think Gould is better when he confronts systemic notions of science head on -- much as he did in THE MISMEASURE OF MAN.

[Tomomi Landsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book as part of a three-book boxed set at Second Story Books in Washington DC.

I always love reading Stephen Jay Gould essays, and this book was no exception. The topics are quite dated at this point with the essays from around 1980, but it's still wonderful to read Gould's thoughtful prose.

I really wish I knew of someone with a similar style writing about current evolutionary biology topics. My knowledge of the field has been forever trapped in 2012 when I left graduate school, and I would love a way to update it with a guide like Gould. Someone who challenges established beliefs and looks to the past with a kind and understanding eye.

I loved the essay about wheels in nature, which reminded me of Philip Pullman's clever solution in a large animal in The Amber Spyglass.

[Jason Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the humor that Steven Jay Gould brings to Natural History. I had a chat with a biologist the other day, and was saddened to learn that many of the hot topics discussed in this volume have nearly lost all of their currency in the intervening 35 years. However, the genial and forthright style that Gould employs sets the hook for me and I don't care that the taxonomic quandaries he discusses are largely irrelevant in the age of genetic typing.
In this particular volume, the section on the Scopes trial stood out. As we see museums build exhibits with both men and T-rexes and replicas of Noah's Ark, it is striking how little things have chnaged in this particular area.
A great read, I give it four stars.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The science is fascinating as is the running critique of scientific history. While written in 1983, I was surprised that a major theme was politics adopting a science guise to advance discredited racial theories and absurd evangelical Christian demand that creationism be taught as alternative "theory". Forty years later I'm sad that anti-science is winning, at least in the US.

[Jente Ottenburghs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful collection of essays by Stephen Jay Gould. Although I found some sections less interesting (e.g., Teilhard and Piltdown) and I realized that some essays are a bit outdated, it is still a great read.

[Michael Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything SJG writes is worth reading. So good.

[Jim Densham · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know more about evolutionary biology, this book is for you. If you want to read a popular science book on natural history - not so much.