Synopsis
Challenging Darwin's emphasis on "survival of the fittest," this update of evolutionary theory credits cooperation and interaction between viruses, bacteria, and other living organisms with giant leaps in evolution. Focusing on the mechanism of symbiosis, Frank (a physician and science writer) reviews the history of evolutionary theory, introduces modern viewpoints, and proposes novel theories on unresolved issues about the origins of life. Written for a general scientific audience. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
The New York Times
Frank Ryan is a British physician and science writer. His book Darwin's Blind Spot is written clearly, for nonspecialist readers. He has two themes. A relatively orthodox one is that symbiosis has contributed to many events in life's history — mitochondria are just one example. His controversial theme is that symbiosis is non-Darwinian, even anti-Darwinian. ''Symbiosis,'' he says, ''is very different from Darwin's idea of natural selection,'' and Darwinians have constantly campaigned against fellow biologists who study symbiosis. Even now, ''the majority of Darwinians still resist the notion that symbiosis has played an important role in the evolution of complex life-forms.'' Most biologists will be surprised to learn this. — Mark Ridley