Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos, How the Unassuming Microbe Has Driven Evolution [Hardcover]

Tom Wakeford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0471399728 | ISBN-13: 978-0471399728 | Edition: 1

A fascinating exploration of symbiosis at the microscopic level and its radical extension of Darwinism
Microbes have long been considered dangerous and disgusting-in short, "scum." But by forming mutually beneficial relationships with nearly every creature, be it alga with animals or zooplankton with zebrafish, microbes have in fact been innovative players in the evolutionary process. Now biologist and award-winning science writer Tom Wakeford shows us this extraordinary process at work. He takes us to such far-flung locales as underwater volcanoes, African termite mounds, the belly of a cow and even the gaps between our teeth, and there introduces us to a microscopic world at turns bizarre, seductive, and frightening, but ever responsible for advancing life in our macroscopic world. In doing so he also justifies the courage and vision of a series of scientists-from a young Beatrix Potter to Lynn Margulis-who were persecuted for believing evolution is as much a matter of interdependence and cooperation as it is great too-little-told tales of evolutionary science.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wakeford, a biologist and award-winning science writer, fires a shot across the bow of contemporary Darwinism with this compelling defense of symbiosis, the notion that evolution is driven as much by interdependence as by competition and that microbes are its leading innovators. The claim that adaptation in nature can be communal as well as dog-eat-dog might be stating the obvious, but as the author argues, many of the most influential evolutionary biologists of the last 50 years have focused almost exclusively on competition, while the microbe, long misunderstood to be merely disease-related, has been completely overlooked. Louis Pasteur, the 19th-century father of microbiology, single-handedly spawned the antibacterial age with his cult of cleanliness. During WWI, the British press employed Pasteur's fearsome metaphor of the "bacterial mob" to dehumanize the enemy, dubbing the Germans "GermHuns." Wakeford illustrates how symbiosis, an idea whose time surely has come, has been the object of open hostility from politically minded biologists, who equated the concept with Communism and totalitarianism. During WWII, University of Chicago biologists Warder Allee and Alfred Emerson, following Russian scientist Peter Kropotkin's lead when he argued that the overemphasis of competition in evolutionary theory was a byproduct of industrialized capitalism, found themselves on the defensive against charges that their own theories were a justification of a Nazi-like police state that forced self-sacrifice for the benefit of the nation. Fortunately, the scientific community has begun to come around, thanks to the work pioneered by Kropotkin, the Chicago School and others. As the book's title suggests, Wakeford marshals convincing evidence from the four corners of the natural world to show how germs blazed the trail that was later followed by plants and animals.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Wakeford, a biologist and Award-winning science writer, fires a shot across the bow of contemporary Darwinism with this compelling defense of symbiosis, the notion that evolution is driven as much by interdependence as by competition and that microbes are its leading innovators. The claim that adaptation in nature can be communal as well as dog-eat-dog might be stating the obvious, but as the author argues, many of the most influential evolutionary biologists of the last 50 years have focused almost exclusively on competition, while the microbe, long misunderstood to be merely disease-related, has been completely overlooked. Louis Pasteur, the 19th-century father of microbiology, single-handedly spawned the antibacterial age with his cult of cleanliness. During WWI, the British press employed Pasteur's fearsome metaphor of the "bacterial mob" to dehumanize the enemy, dubbing the Germans "GermHuns." Wakeford illustrates how symbiosis, an idea whose time surely has come, has been the object of open hostility from politically minded biologists, who equated the concept with Communism and totalitarianism. During WWII, University of Chicago biologists Warder Allee and Alfred Emerson, following Russian scientist Peter Kropotkin's lead when he argued that the overemphasis of competition in evolutionary theory was a byproduct of industrialized capitalism, found themselves on the defensive against charges that their own theories were a justification of a Nazi-like police state that forced self-sacrifice for the benefit of the nation. Fortunately, the scientific community has begun to come around, thanks to the work pioneered by Kropotkin, the Chicago School and others. As the book's title suggests, Wakeford marshals convincing evidence from the four corners of the natural world to show how germs blazed the trail that was later followed by plants and animals. (Publishers Weekly)

"a marvellous read, thoroughly deserving a place on the bookshelves of every school library, where receptive minds will find much stimulation. Highly recommended." (Journal of Biological Education, Vol.35, No. 4, 2001)

"...a crisp, highly readable book..." (Daily Telegraph, 17 November 2001)

"...cheery and informal...vivid recollections..." (Biologists, Vol.48 No.6 2001)

"...there is much to learn from this book..." (Times Higher Literary Supplement, 26 April 2002)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471399728
• ISBN-13: 978-0471399728
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,218,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Page-turner of a Book in Ecological Evolution, June 28, 2001

By 

H. Paul Greenough (Blaine, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos, How the Unassuming Microbe Has Driven Evolution (Hardcover)

I don't often race through a book on natural history, preferring to read a chapter or two at a time, think about them, and then read a bit more. This book is an exception; I read it in one sitting. Why? Because the author makes a well-argued case that essentially all species are strongly symbiotic with others. (Nine out of ten cells in "your" body are fellow travelers, although they account for only ten percent of "your" body mass. You couldn't survive without many of the species, nor they without you.) More importantly, evolution in one species forces -- and can be caused by -- evolution in the symbiotes. Lots of positive feedback loops here, meaning that once a tiny change occurs, it may destabilize the system enough to cause it to fall into another stable configuration. Sooner or later, it may happen that one cannot live without the other. Still later, only vestiges of one may remain. This is a more subtle way new species can emerge - and perhaps a more common one -- than simple survival of the fittest.

The book also outlines the horizontal transfer of genetic information (from one living organism to another) to complement the much more widely known vertical transfer (from parent to child). This concept is not nearly as widely known as it should be in these days of genetic engineering.

On the whole, the book is well written, with plenty of detail to support its conclusions. Minor stylistic problems include an occasional overdose of "gee whiz" statements and rhetorical questions.

If you are looking for a pleasant way to get a really solid layman's grasp of evolution, read Darwin's Ghost, by Steve Jones, followed by this book and Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale, by Stephen Gould. I'll bet that you'll reread all three of them. At least I have.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By the author - Why I Wrote This Book, June 19, 2001

By 

"liaisonsoflife" (London, UK.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos, How the Unassuming Microbe Has Driven Evolution (Hardcover)

Suppose Darwin's theory of evolution is incomplete. Imagine that the missing link in this major scientific theory is one-thousandth of a millimetre long - a fraction of the size of a pinhead. In LIAISONS OF LIFE I explain how microbes - the collective term for bacteria, fungi and a disparate assortment of single-celled organisms called protists - have in fact been key players in the evolutionary process.

I started writing LIAISONS OF LIFE because I discovered an unwritten history of evolution that had been researched by academics such as Jan Sapp, and biologists such as Lynn Margulis, but not given the kind of treatment that makes a page-turning story for non-specialists.

LIAISONS OF LIFE provides a history and explanation of symbiosis, the scientific name used to describe long-term intimate associations between different organisms, usually involving microbes. It is the vital role of microbes, which were denounced by biologists long ago, that is now growing in popularity and forcing scientists to rethink the Darwinian theory of evolution.

Drawing on new evidence from creatures found in underwater volcanoes, termite mounds and the gaps between our teeth, LIAISONS OF LIFE suggests that staying alive is as much about bonding with your neighbours as it is about growing and reproducing. It shows how germs blazed the trail that was later followed by plants and animals.

Despite having been first proposed over a hundred years ago, the idea that liaisons with microbes were the driving force behind evolution has taken over a century to reach centre stage. I describe that, "It is no surprise that out of the three diseases virtually defeated by modern medicine - smallpox, polio, and measles - none are microbial (they are viral), whereas of the three biggest current killers - malaria, TB, and AIDS - two are." The reason for this is quite simple. Not enough research has been conducted on the microbe. Two of the microbe's biggest obstacles were its minuscule size and the manner in which it received notoriety. Instead of appreciating its contribution to cheese and wine and its insurance in the fertility of crops, the microbe was immortalised by medical research, where its presence was seen as a sure sign of disease.

LIAISONS OF LIFE explores the mixture of political prejudice, technological backwardness and blind ignorance that lead the revolutionary ideas of a handful of pioneers to be condemned as heresies, only to be celebrated today as some of the greatest discoveries in the history of science. Some of the precarious fortunes of the pioneers charted in the book include Beatrix Potter, H.G. Wells, Louis Pasteur, and Lynn Margulis.

I point out how three of the most important breakthroughs of the past century -- symbiogenesis theory, microbe-mediated immunity, and the Gaia hypothesis -- have all challenged traditional biological theories by uncovering the hidden powers of the microbial realm.

In short, I've tried to make LIAISONS OF LIFE a page-turning story of the symbiotic revolution in biology that has been written in a form accessible to everyone. I hope you enjoy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin would be fascinated, June 2, 2003

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos, How the Unassuming Microbe Has Driven Evolution (Hardcover)

Natural selection is a powerful force, but I have long suspected that other factors were involved in the evolution of life. One of these factors is the tendency for organisms to form partnerships (symbiotic relationships that may benefit both). Often this starts as parasitism, but may become (through natural selection perhaps) a mutual dependency. Wakeford has eloquently summarized the growing evidence in this area. Lichens are one notable example which were ignored by most 19th Century researchers. Indeed, as Wakeford points out the Swiss botanist Simon Schwendener and the well-known children's book writer Beatrix Potter had shown that lichens are composite organisms, consisting of both fungus and alga. Both Schwendener and Potter were ridiculed by the scientific society of the day, but were later shown to be essentially correct in their views. Since then other scientists, including Lynn Margulis, have produced solid evidence that all multicellular organisms are essentially composite organisms, containing organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts that were once independent organisms in their own right.

Together with new developments in genomic research involving the switching on and switching off of genes these ideas will certainly alter our thinking about biology. Because of this I think we will soon have a totally revolutionary view of how life originated and evolved. Not all of Darwin's ideas will survive and many if not most may be modified (as some already have been), but I think that Darwin, who was the ultimate in curious scientists, would have approved!

I recommend this book as a well-written very good introduction to the idea of symbiotic evolution.