The Beauty of the Beastly: New Views on the Nature of Life

Angier (Natural Obsessions: The Search for the Oncogene), the Pulitzer Prize-winning science reporter for the New York Times, confesses that she enjoys writing ``about organisms that many people find repugnant: spiders, scorpions, parasites, worms, rattlesnakes, dung beetles, hyenas.'' In these elegant essays (most of which have appeared in the Times), Angier discusses sexual and parental behavior, medical and health issues from an evolutionary and cross-species perspective. Not afraid to anthropomorphize, she even sees molecules as characters in little plays; the decadence of orchids, she says, would make Oscar Wilde wilt. Other topics introduce the latest discoveries in molecular biology and the work of female scientists. From cockroaches to cheetahs, DNA to elephant dung, Angier gives us intimate and dramatic portraits of nature that readers will find rewarding. Author tour. (June)