The Dance of Life: The New Science of How a Single Cell Becomes a Human Being

Developmental biologist and Caltech professor Zernicka-Goetz brings significant credentials in embryology to her debut, an uneven but illuminating popular science work. Zernicka-Goetz, writing in the first person with Highfield (Super Cooperators, coauthor), does a good job of describing the scientific process and the excitement of discovery, and of recounting the process behind her breakthroughs, such as identifying when and how the first cells in an embryo break symmetry, which allows differentiation and development to occur. Not neglecting her field’s harsher side, she acknowledges the criticism this discovery initially received from skeptical fellow scientists, and credits the support of “family, friends, and colleagues” with allowing her to persevere until a refined lab test finally confirmed her finding. Zernicka-Goetz also describes how she, with her team, created a lab protocol that doubled the time in which human embryos could be studied in vitro, and how they greatly advanced the understanding of developing embryos’ self-repair mechanisms. All of this science is understandably explained and graspable for nonspecialists. Unfortunately, the final chapter, on the struggles women face in science, is too abbreviated to do justice to such an important topic. Nonetheless, Zernicka-Goetz and Highfield’s informative professional memoir has much to engage readers. (Feb.)