Nobel Prize–winning biologist Max Delbrück remarked in 1976 on what he called the "paradox of the short list," the surprisingly limited variety of ways sunlight can be harnessed in the natural world as compared with the boundless variety of life. In this intimate and occasionally captivating collection of 15 essays—most appearing here for the first time—Ensminger, a consultant and medical writer who has contributed to Science Digest
and other popular science magazines, explains how sunlight governs the behavior of fungi and slugs, determines the sex lives of Japanese yellow swallowtail butterflies and may even have contributed to the madness of England's King George III. The author is at his best when his topic challenges our basic assumptions about seeing, as in his essay on the eyeless Rimicaris shrimp. Another intriguing piece is Ensminger's essay on color perception, in which he contrasts Claude Monet's brilliant palette with a crustacean's even more impressive eye. His chapters on Seasonal Affective Disorder and the myths and facts about the ozone hole, tanning, skin cancer and sunscreens are informative but do not inspire. Ensminger's research is timely, and his handling of the science is accessible; his writing, while clear, is markedly plain. One has the impression the author's own modesty prevents him from treating his readers to a more lyric, poet's-eye view of his topic, which his preface's homage to Michel de Montaigne, creator of the essay as a literary form, and his numerous references to literature and philosophy throughout the book, suggest he has in him. (Mar.)
Forecast:This intermittently engaging collection will appeal most to readers well-versed in biology, but not to many general readers..
