Jonathan B. Losos is a biology professor at Washington University and director of the Living Earth Collaborative, a partnership between the university, the Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Previously, Losos was a professor of biology at Harvard University and Curator in Herpetology at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Losos is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the editor in chief of The Princeton Guide to Evolution and How Evolution Shapes Our Lives, and the author of Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree.
“With an ideal combination of clarity and comedy, scholarly caution
and infectious enthusiasm, Losos shows us how evolutionary biology
opens up for each of us the glorious workings of our world, with
surprises around every corner.” —Washington Post
“This is a wonderfully serious book with a lighthearted voice. Is
evolution predictable or contingent? Big question. Why do
adaptations converge? Big question. Why is the platypus unique?
Smaller question, but fun! Read, enjoy, think.” —David Quammen,
author of The Song of the Dodo and Spillover
“Packed with stories of capturing lizards in the field, Improbable
Destinies explores how we think evolutionary changes happen in
populations, from mice to microbes to sticklebacks. Get this for
the backyard biologist in your life.” —Popular Science
“Deep, broad, brilliant and thought-provoking. . . . In
staggeringly clear and engaging prose, Losos shows us remarkable
vignettes of scientists working at personal and professional risk
in all sorts of habitats — field, lab and museum — to elucidate
stunning mechanisms of evolution. . . . He is one of the premier
writers in biology today.” —Nature
“[A] compelling book.” —Science
“In a refreshingly accessible narrative, laced with piquant
anecdotes, Losos underscores the human significance of science
affecting not only how we interpret our own place on the planet but
also how we envision life in distant galaxies. Wonderfully lucid;
singularly engaging.” —Booklist (starred review)
“A thoroughly accessible analysis of whether evolution is one big
crapshoot or rather mundanely predictable. No spoilers here, but
the evidence presented on both sides makes for some
thought-provoking reading.” —Washington Independent Review of
Books
“A cheerful, delightfully lucid primer on evolution and the
predictive possibilities within the field.” —Kirkus (starred
review)
“Every now and then a brilliant book comes along that helps us
rethink what we know about a subject. Jonathan B. Losos’
fascinating, compulsively readable Improbable Destinies is just
such a book. . . . With vivacious writing and thoughtful,
provocative insights, Losos’ captivating study of evolution
deserves to be read alongside the books of E.O. Wilson (The Social
Conquest of Earth) and Stephen Jay Gould (Wonderful Life).”
—BookPage
“Improbable Destinies is one of the best books on evolutionary
biology for a broad readership ever written. Its subjects—the
unfolding of Earth’s biological history, the precarious nature of
human existence, and the likelihood of life on exoplanets—are
presented in a detailed, exciting style expected from an authentic
scientist and naturalist.” —Edward O. Wilson, University Research
Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
“Losos explains both the science and the underlying philosophy of
the questions being asked in an accessible and engaging manner . .
. The book is as enjoyable as it is informative.” —Publishers
Weekly
“Is evolution a story foretold? Or is it little more than the rolls
of DNA's dice? In Improbable Destinies, Jonathan Losos tackles
these fascinating questions not with empty philosophizing, but with
juicy tales from the front lines of scientific research. Drunk
flies, fast-evolving lizards, mutating microbes, and hypothetical
humanoid dinosaurs all grace the pages of this wonderfully
thought-provoking book.” —Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of
Viruses and The Tangled Bank
“Improbable Destinies is a crackling good read, threading rich
anecdote into trenchant science. It belongs on the same shelf as I
Contain Multitudes, Ed Yong’s gorgeously crafted account of
microbes and their critical roles in our bodies; Nick Lane’s dense,
groundbreaking work on the origins of life, The Vital Question; and
other recent books that grapple with Darwin’s revolution, such as
Richard O. Prum’s The Evolution of Beauty and Robert M. Sapolsky’s
Behave.” —The Barnes & Noble Review
“A rich, provocative, and very accessible book, Improbable
Destinies is an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the ecological
theater and evolutionary play of life, expertly guided one of its
most insightful observers. Jonathan Losos has shone a light on a
largely unheralded cast of fascinating creatures and ingenious
scientists who are reshaping our view of why life is the way it
is.” —Sean B. Carroll, author of The Serengeti Rules and Brave
Genius
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