Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution

Losos (Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree), professor of biology at Harvard, explores whether evolution is deterministic or subject to various contingencies, along the way posing two even more basic questions: How do we know what we know, and can ecology be considered an experimental science? Describing both field and laboratory work, Losos demonstrates how the combination of experimentation and observation has led to great insight into nature. Whether he is discussing his own research on lizards in the Bahamas or the work of other researchers in the Galapagos, British Columbia, or a laboratory at Michigan State, Losos explains both the science and the underlying philosophy of the questions being asked in an accessible and engaging manner. Unsurprisingly, the answer to his original question remains inconclusive. He makes clear that evolution proceeds similarly in many situations, though small, random perturbations can apparently lead to divergent outcomes that make evolution less predictable than some scientists would have us believe. Losos’s conclusion is well summarized when he quotes biologist Rich Lenski: “Both sets of forces—the random and the predictable, as it were—together give rise to what we call history.” The book is as enjoyable as it is informative, and it demonstrates how scientists think critically and assess data carefully. Illus. [em]Agent: Max Brockman, Brockman Inc. (Aug.) [/em]