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The Darwinian Tourist

Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes
by Christopher Wills
The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes. Oxford Univ. Nov. 2010. c.288p. photogs. ISBN 9780199584383. $34.95. SCI
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Wills (biological sciences, Univ. of California-San Diego), author of the best-selling The Runaway Brain: The Evolution of Human Uniqueness, offers an armchair world ecotour to the nth degree. Drawing on a career that involved visiting special places across the globe (with a heavy emphasis on Australasia), Wills explores flora and fauna from the perspective of figure (specific plants and animals) and ground (the ecosystems they inhabit and interact with) using the lens of evolutionary biology via known fossil and molecular records. He clearly explains through vivid examples why the world has its diversity today and why diversity matters and needs preservation.
VERDICT The reader does not need a background in genetics or ecology to appreciate this last lecture-style book, but the storytelling of evolutionary biology is more palatable than the stories of Wills's travels. Chock-full of wonderful photographs, this book is strongly recommended for readers seeking insight into their world and the ecological places they visit.
Reviewed by James A. Buczynski, Seneca Coll. of Applied Arts & Tech, Toronto , Oct 15, 2010
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