Quirks of Human Anatomy: An Evo-Devo Look at the Human Body

by Lewis I. Held Jr.

With the emergence of the new field of evolutionary developmental biology we are witnessing a renaissance of Darwin’s insights 150 years after his Origin of Species. Thus far, the exciting findings from “evo-devo” have only been trickling into college courses and into the domain of non-specialists. With its focus on the human organism, Quirks of Human Anatomy opens the floodgates by stating the arguments of evo-devo in plain English, and by offering a cornucopia of interesting case studies and examples. Its didactic value is enhanced by 24 schematic diagrams that integrate a host of disparate observations, by its Socratic question-and-answer format, and by its unprecedented compilation of the literature. By framing the “hows” of development in terms of the “whys” of evolution, it lets readers probe the deepest questions of biology. Readers will find the book not only educational but also enjoyable, as it revels in the fun of scientific exploration.

Genres: Science, Biology, Nonfiction, Evolution

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mike Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short (152 pages not including references) little gem by an author who deserves more exposure. Maybe he can talk his publisher into lowering the price- currently $60 new from the publisher's website. Lewis Held uses those pages to introduce the reader to the state of evolutionary developmental biology and salts his writing with enough fascinating "quirks" of human and non-human anatomy to hold you attention throughout. One compaint: the illustrations. They're often unhelpful or require several paragraphs to explain.