Life Cycles: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist

This book is only 200 pages in length but presents an excellent overview of evolution from the perspective of life cycles interwoven with personal anecdotes from the author's own life and particularly his life-long study of slime molds. From single cells to multicellularity to complexity and even human culture Bonner explains the spread of the many diverse life-forms and behaviors. As well as slime molds there is much of interest regarding other species, such as insects and birds, and regarding the evolution of signals and responses. For those outside the subject it is an excellent introduction and for those who are already familiar with most of the subject matter it reminds us how fascinating evolutionary biology is and how Darwinian natural selection has contributed to our understanding of, and delight in, life.

Now this is a nice book. The life a biologist and the biology of life in a charming and compact 200 pages. Bonner's cellular slime molds are just facinating; I can't wait to get somewhere where there is soil (I live in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile) so I can find some of these creatures and play with them. If you have any interest in biology or evolution, get youself a copy. It will make you smile. I promise.