Evolutionary Dynamics: Exploring the Equations of Life First Printing Edition

There are so many good things to say about this book I think I will begin with my misgivings!

Not a fault of the book, but before reading this you may want to brush up on your math, especially on systems of differential equations and matrix algebra. Martin Nowak is a fluent and elegant writer and this extends to his math, which (for me anyway) flows wonderfully. But I don't spend enough time on math so I had to slow myself down as I read, think carefully and test my understanding.

There is very little 'biology' in this book. It is mostly on the theoretical structures that underlie evolution. I prefer my evolution with rather more biology. I hope someone will write another book (preferably many books) that goes deeper into applying these ideas to living systems (yes, the chapter on HIV was compelling and the chapter on cancer interesting).

I was disappointed by the Further Reading section. It did not provide enough context about the books mentioned or thread them together into a story. In fact, it seemed a bit rushed - and I had set aside some time to read it carefully.

On to the books strengths.

This is one of the best examples of expository prose I have read in a long time. Martin Nowak can make complex ideas clear and not waste a lot of words doing so. Anyone writing about complex topics where it is important to link the math and ideas could benefit from studying this book. As an example, the description of the Chomsky hierarchies of formal languages is the best I have read.

The presentation of the key equations is exemplary. The components of the equation are all labeled and explained. All books that need to explain equations should take this approach. I plan to copy the quasispecies equation explanation and put it up above my desk.

In general, the quality of the graphics is excellent and they really add to the presentation of the ideas. This is not a book for the Kindle or iPad. Get the physical thing (I plan to buy a couple of extra copies for friends and colleagues).

And the content. Evolutionary Dynamics leads the reader through the past two decades work on uncovering the mathematical framework for evolutionary processes. It provides a compelling (I will use this word too often in this review) introduction to evolution and how to formalize it. A good treatment on fitness landscapes (though this is one of the weaker sections of the book - only in cpmparison with the rest of the book though, as it is still excellent).Good coverage of standard topics like evolutionary games, with a very orderly presentation in which understanding is built up from games in infinite populations to games in finite populations with a great treatment of the classic prisoner's dilemma game and an explanation of why each strategy works. I had not thought through the impact of errors on the popular Tit for Tat or Forgiving Tit for Tat. The implications of this are far reaching. Then there are the chapters on evolutionary graph theory and spatial games. Wow. These alone will open wide fields for future research. Absolutely necessary reading. The book concludes with good applications of evolutionary dynamics to HIV, virulence and parasites and cancer. The final chapter on languages evolution is powerful and the insight into coherence threshold and how it determines the maximum size of a search space (with the universal grammar as the search space for language learning) can be applied in many other fields.

Speaking of other fields, I believe that the approach taken in this book to evolutionary dynamics will eventually replace much of what is now called economics. Economic activity is not about finding equilibriums in the allocation of scarce resources. It is about the competition of replicators in dynamic fitness space. Organizations are a form of replicator. In fact may products are also replicators and trends towards modular and configurable systems, collaborative design, just in time production, local production, etc. will make them more so. This book provides some of the formal tools needed to think about these questions. As an example, the model of value provided by Tom Nagle see The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing (5th Edition)when combined with cost to serve provides a definition of advantage which can be interpreted as fitness. The system of features-benefits-value drivers with the value driver equations and data can be modeled using the concepts from von Neuman of reproduction and replication (see von Neuman's The Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata - why isn't this book in print and in wide circulation?). There are other obvious applications. I would love to see a blend (mashup if you prefer) of evolutionary dynamics and parametric design (see Elements of Parametric Design, or even music composed using some of these equations ...

I will reread this book soon and expect to reference it many times. And I hope a soft cover edition at a lower price comes out so that I can give it to many people.

A very readable introduction to the mathematics of evolution and biology. A good knowledge of mathematics is assumed. The book provides a very different and interesting interpretation of evolution and is well worth buying.

Along with his book Supercooperators, this book shows that there is a reason for the dynamics we see every day in life. In some sense, this is the Bible that is true. We have been tuned by the lives lived before we were born.

I got interested in mathematical theories of evolution after reading this book, though at times it does read as the collected works of Martin Nowak. There are some nice examples to use in an undergrad math biology class (HIV evolution, etc). Nice, easy to follow derivations of the equations.

I'm a computer programmer with an intererst in evolutionary programming, and I've written my share of implementations. Each turned out to sport unsightly warts with hair. Nowak's book, however, is immaculate. No hair is to be found in this book, no warts. No cruft either.

Nowak's presentations are paragons of lucidity. The illustrations are minor triumphs of graphical communication. And the whole book is tied together around his rigorous model. Nowak writes better than anyone else I have read on such subjects. If there is justice in textbook heaven, Nowak has written an immortal-to-be. Don't miss it

The author picks a variety of sunjects related to evolution (HIV, cancer, language....), and mathematically shows, why it has to be that way!
The mathematics involved is simple (I am an engineer, and I had absolutely no problems understanding the math), yet rigorous enough.

In my opinion, mathematics is not necessary to understand the principles of Darwin's Great Theory (unlike Quantum Theory and Relativity Theory, where without math, you are lost), it greatly helps to make it unassailable.

I recommend this book to anybody interested in the Theory of Evolution, who is not totally afraid of mathematics.