At the Water's Edge : Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea
Michael S. Y. LeeNatureOne of the most fascinating topics in biology....[Zimmer] clearly understands the diverse scientific issues involved, and cuts through the scientific jargon so anyone can comprehend them.Philip GingerichThe New York Times Book ReviewZimmer does a good job of explaining how profoundly different are the physiological and structural requirements of life in water compared to life on land.BooklistA fascinating story, which Zimmer unfolds as a tale of high-stakes scientific sleuthing...thanks to marvelously lucid writing.Publishers WeeklyMore than just an informative book about macroevolution itself, this is an entertaining history of ideas written with literary flair and technical rigor.Ernst Mayr Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Zimmer is a born storyteller and succeeds in giving us pure pleasure while at the same time teaching us up-to-date science.The Atlantic MonthlyZimmer, an honored science journalist...leaves life among the fossils agreeably bright.Kevin Padian Professor and Curator, Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley Anyone with an interest in evolution should pick up this book to get on the cutting edge of discovery.James Shreeve author ofThe Neandertal EnigmaFrom the first page Carl sets his book apart by diving straight into the most neglected, least understood mystery of all: how wholly new body plans and parts could have been created by natural forces that at first glance would seem to work to destroy innovation. Macroevolution is adaptation without a net. Carl's lucid, often lovely prose is making me finally understand how a species could pull it off without plunging into extinction. He is also very deft at crafting quick-bear narrative out of the lives, inspirations, foibles and occasional dastardliness of the scientists who have pursued this question, both historically and in modern times. I fully expect thatAt the Water's Edgewill do for macroevolution what Jon Weiner'sThe Beak of the Finchdid for microevolution or David Quammen'sThe Song of the Dododid for extinction. I'm sure the book is going to really soar.Robert L. Carroll McGill University, author ofVertebrate Paleontology and EvolutionZimmer is an accomplished popularizer of scientific subjects. This book provides a strong basis for the public understanding of evolutionary patterns and processesPeter Ward University of Washington, author ofThe End of EvolutionThis most compelling of evolutionary episodes is told with grace and style, Zimmer's book is a rock hammer blow to those who doubt that evolution is an understandable law of nature.