book review: evolutionary genomics and proteomics

Book Reviews

Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition.Aging, Exercise and Cognition Series. Volume 2.Edited by Waneen W. Spirduso, Leonard W. Poon,and Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko. viii 1 288. Champaign,IL: Human Kinetics. 2008. $49.00 (cloth).

This book represents the second of the three-volumeAging, Exercise, and Cognition Series published byHuman Kinetics. The first book in the series provided anoverview of exercise and cognition in older adults,including measurement issues and relevant physiologi-cal variables (Poon et al., 2006). In this second volume,the focus is on mediating, or indirectly contributing, var-iables in the exercise–cognition relationship. The book isdivided into four sections. Part 1 explains the model forthe role of mediators in the exercise–cognition relation-ship used in the book, as well as a technical chapter onmediators, moderators, and their statistical analysis.Part 2 addresses the effects of exercise on mental resour-ces, such as depression, stress, self-efficacy, and cogni-tive energetics. Part 3 examines the effect of exercise onphysical resources that impact cognition, such as sleepand diet. Lastly, part 4 looks at the chronic diseasestates of hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructivepulmonary disease, and how these states might playmediating roles in the relationship between exercise andcognition. The discussion is always framed aroundhow these relationships affect aging individuals, al-though much of the information is relevant across theage spectrum

This book is a bit, if a hybrid volume in that it is bothan edited compilation of chapters from various authorsand also includes conference proceedings. Experts fromthe fields of exercise, cognition, neurobiology, and agingwere asked to submit draft manuscripts on their variousfields in relation to exercise, cognition, and aging to theeditors. Each author was then sent copies of the variousmanuscripts along with a working model showing therole of mediators in the exercise–cognition relationshipand was asked to relate their work to the model. Finally,a workshop was held in which the editors and chapterauthors came together and presented their updatedmanuscripts. The process through which the volume wasdeveloped does add some coherence to the book. Theworking model described in the book is not only basedon the various authors’ expertise, but also provided aframework for how each chapter should fit into the largerwork.

To further aid in providing coherence in the volume, theeditors provide commentary at the beginning and end ofeach chapter. The opening commentary provides an over-view of the chapter, as well as an attempt to explain howthe information provided fits into the proposed exercise–cognition mediational model. I say ‘‘attempt’’ becausesome of the chapters seem only peripherally related to theproposed model despite the process described in the previ-ous paragraph. For example, Chapter 8, addresses diet,motor behavior, and cognition, provides an overview ofhow oxidative stress and inflammation can affect cogni-tion, and how diet, in particular, blueberry consumption,plays a role in this relationship. No attempt is made to

explain how exercise factors into the equation. Rather, theimpact of oxidative stress and inflammation on motorbehavior is the only mention of physical activity in thechapter. The editors suggest that physical activity canaffect appetite, but the connection between this factand the information included in the chapter is tenuousat best.

The editor commentary at the end of each chapter typ-ically includes three sections: discussion highlights,research methodological problems, and future direc-tions. In some cases, the discussion highlights aremerely an overview of the key points presented in thechapter, much like what is included at the end of mosttext book chapters. In other cases, the discussion goesabove and beyond the scope of the chapter. Sometimes itseems primarily to be the editor’s voice, raising relevantpoints that may not have been addressed in the chapter.Other times, the discussion seems to be an overview ofthe conversation that occurred at the authors’ workshop.In both cases, the discussion highlights add depth to thechapter, but I often wished the ideas mentioned herewere flushed out in more detail. The discussion ofresearch methodological problems and future directionsprovides valuable information to researchers in thearea. Here, the editors display their strong grasp ofresearch methodology and indicate clearly whereresearch in this area should lead.

Overall, the book provides a thorough discussion ofthe various factors that have been proposed as media-tors in the relationship between exercise and cogni-tion. The chapters on depression, stress mechanisms,cognitive energetics, and sleep, in particular, seemedto fit with the proposed model quite well. However, nostrong conclusions are made regarding any of thepotential mediating variables. The strongest pointmade in the book is that more research is necessary,using appropriate statistical techniques, before it canbe said with certainty that any of the variables aretruly mediators in the relationship between exerciseand cognition.

My primary criticism of the book is that it is not as cur-rent as it should be. The aforementioned authors’ work-shop occurred in 2003, and therefore no research con-ducted in the last 5 years is included in this 2008 volume.An explicit goal of the book is to provide an up-to-dateaccount of research in this area, and yet the book is al-ready dated upon its publication.

The discussion in this book is limited to indirectly con-tributing variables. Readers looking for a discussion ofdirect mechanisms for the relationship between exerciseand cognition should look to the first book in the series, orwait for the third volume, which will address neuropsy-chological mechanisms in the aging, exercise, and cogni-tion relationship.

Despite my misgivings regarding the lapse betweenthe writing and publication of the volume, it is one ofthe better, albeit one of the only, texts addressing theeffects of exercise on cognitive performance, and it isthe only book, of which I am aware, that provides adetailed discussion of mediating variables in the rela-tionship. It is a valuable resource for researchers inter-ested in this topic that provides clear methodologicaladvice and identifies critical directions for future studyin the area.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY 20:620–625 (2008)

VVC 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

LITERATURE CITED

Poon LW, Chodzko-Zajko W, Tomporowski PD, editors. 2008. Active living,cognitive functioning, and aging. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

BENJAMIN A. SIBLEY

Health, Leisure and Exercise ScienceAppalachian State UniversityHolmes Convocation CenterBoone, North Carolina

DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.20808Published online 11 July 2008 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.

wiley.com).

Sex and the Brain. Edited by Gillian Einstein. xviii 1834 pp. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. 2007.$65.00 (cloth).

It is now �40 years since sex/gender testing was firstinstituted at the Olympics, 15 years since the FDA issuedguidelines for the inclusion of women in pharmaceuticalindustry drug testing, 5 years from the publication of aPulitzer Prize winning novel centered on a steroidogenicenzyme deficiency (5-alpha reductase), and we are still inthe middle of unraveling the abuses of steroid hormones byelite athletes and the public. It is likely a supreme under-statement to say that a science-based book on Sex and theBrain is timely. This book was created to introduce new stu-dents to the field of hormones and behavior and the study ofsex differences in the central nervous system. Interestingly,as Einstein points out in the preface, she did not approachthe topic as a scientist in the field of hormones and behavior.This provides the book with an interesting ‘‘outside the box’’perspective on a field that has had much ‘‘inside the box’’thinking. It is positive in its breadth in its current form,and provides a starting point for breathing new ways ofthinking into future scientists deliberately taking off fromstories of those that have come before.

The book Sex on the Brain fills an important niche as wemove through the early part of the 21st century with the at-tendant explosion of information. The amount of informa-tion to sort through can be mind-boggling in breadth andyet frustrating in depth in this day and age when MED-LINE citations can be searched back to the 1950s. Mind-boggling is appropriate when a Pubmed search on ‘‘Sex andthe Brain’’ in 2008 returns almost 25,000 citations. Frustra-tions arise when one finds old citation treasures, but cannoteasily retrieve (i.e., download) the article itself. This newbook provides steps toward solutions for both of theseissues. Addressing the breadth issue, Einstein selected a setof papers, classic and/or informative, to illustrate key issues,approaches, and solutions for the field of sex differences inbrain structure and function. Therefore, some direction isgiven to help readers navigate and sort through the poten-tial confusion even with as many as 25,000 references tosort. Addressing ‘‘depth’’ are key citation classics such asthe first key paper to set out the principle of organizationalinfluences of gonadal steroids on brain development byPhoenix, Goy, Gerall, and Young (1959; article 22 in section1), eminently searchable online (but not downloadable), andis now available to a new generation of scientists.

The book is arranged in six sections that are each com-prised of a summary provided by Einstein followed byoriginal book or journal articles arranged by subfields.

The summary leading into each selection of articles explainssome of the thinking behind the choices and also the goalsfor reading the articles, which represent a mix of reviewsand primary research papers. The first section providesan overview of sexual differentiation (1), and moves suc-cessively to cover Central Nervous System Dimorphisms(2), Mechanisms of Creating Dimorphisms (3), Dimor-phisms and Cognition (4), and Dimorphisms and Identity(5). A sixth, single article epilogue is provided by a reviewwritten by Frank Beach in 1981 on ‘‘Historical origins ofmodern research on hormones and behavior’’ in the jour-nal that he helped establish: Hormones and Behavior.

Collections of articles, such as in this book, will alwaysbe the starting point for potential debate on the selectioncriteria, and one might be concerned if there were not de-batable choices. The choices are numerous, ranging fromscience citations (e.g., many choices are not ‘‘citation clas-sics’’), to historical origins (e.g., trying for first papers onparticular topics) or potential controversies, leading thereader to the most recent concepts in an area. For example,the choice of Geoffrey Raisman’s 1997 review (article 5 insection 1) on Harris’s search for neural control of the pitui-tary is excellent for providing historical perspective on oneof the earliest ‘‘controversies’’ of neuroendocrinology in thedisagreement between Harris and Zuckerman on the func-tion of a hypothalamo-pituitary portal system. On the otherhand, the section on ‘‘The Biochemistry and Actions of Ste-roid Hormones’’ contains one review from 1994 that wasexcellent for its time, but might easily be balanced by some-thing more recent to illustrate changing perspectives andnew discoveries (e.g., coactivators in nuclei and steroidreceptors in the plasma membrane; Lonard and O’Malley,2007; Vasudevan and Pfaff, 2008). The potential for plasmamembrane receptors is addressed later as a ‘‘Mechanism ofcreating dimorphisms’’ (Toran-Allerand et al., 2002; article45 in section 3), but this may be an example where rear-rangement of the order of presentation would help thereader. Relating sexually dimorphic brain structure to sexdifferences in physiology and behavior has been more diffi-cult than expected for some regions of the brain, andnowhere more so than the preoptic area where the preva-lence of sexual dimorphisms across species has made it atarget of great interest (Balthazart and Ball, 2007). It is inthis regard that the relatively negative findings for selec-tive lesions in the rat preoptic area in the Arendash andGorski (1983; article 36) paper might be better balanced bythe positive findings of Paredes and Baum (1995) in ferrets.The findings of Paredes and Baum (1995) relate to sexualpartner preference that may be related to sexual orienta-tion in humans, and it also points out a bridge area that isunderrepresented among the selections, that of sexualpartner preference in animal models. There are 13 selec-tions in section V on ‘‘Dimorphisms and Identity’’ and allbut one of them are exclusively human studies.

Possibly one of the areas of greatest interest for readersof American Journal of Human Biology will be the sec-tions and contributions related to sex differences in thehuman brain. Perhaps this is where additional introduc-tion may be needed for readers to appreciate some of the‘‘controversies’’. For example, articles related to sexualdimorphism in humans are found in articles 31, 34, and35 of section 2 (Central Nervous System Dimorphisms).The introduction to that section nicely paints the contro-versy of differing identification of sexually dimorphicnuclei in the human hypothalamus. However, the nature

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American Journal of Human Biology

of that controversy flies under the radar in section 5 whenthe same region is reexamined from the context of ‘‘Dimor-phism and Identity’’ in articles 79 and 80. Other contro-versial sexual dimorphisms, such as the shape of the cor-pus callosum (articles 67–69 and 71), are discussed in thecontext of the controversies within the articles them-selves, as well as being mentioned in the introductory sec-tion. Taken as a whole, the collection accomplishes its pur-pose of providing a starting point for serious scientific in-quiry. Additional information (perhaps even summarydiagrams) could serve as anchor points for keeping dispar-ate information in perspective.

It is with a look further into the future that is increas-ingly web-based, searchable, and interactive that thisreviewer would call for future editions of Sex and the Brainto add a feature. That is, ‘‘dialog’’ might be added such asquestions from Einstein (or students in a relevant class) forsome of the authors whose contributions fill the text. Thisis an evolving scientific discipline, and while the words inthe older papers can be important (maybe even propheticin some cases), key elements may be highlighted in uniqueways by catching the wisdom of hindsight from some of theindividuals that have participated in the evolution. All inall, this collection of readings will serve several purposesfor investigators at different levels ranging from new-comers to long-term investigators. It provides access to outof print material or articles unavailable to simple digital re-trieval as well as a degree of introduction to controversiesand approaches in a key field for future endeavor.

LITERATURE CITED

Balthazart J, Ball GF. 2007. Topography in the preoptic region: differentialregulation of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviors.Front Neuroendocrinol 28:161–178.

Lonard DM, O’Malley BW. 2007. Nuclear receptor coregulators: judges,juries, and executioners of cellular regulation. Mol Cell 27:691–700.

Paredes RG, Baum MJ. 1995. Altered sexual partner preference in maleferrets given excitotoxic lesions of the preoptic area/anterior hypothala-mus. J Neurosci 15:6619–6630.

Vasudevan N, Pfaff DW. 2008. Non-genomic actions of estrogens and theirinteraction with genomic actions in the brain. Front Neuroendocrinol29:238–257.

STUART TOBET

Department of Biomedical SciencesCollege of Veterinary Medicine andBiomedical SciencesColorado State UniversityFort Collins, Colorado


wiley.com).

Life As It Is: Biology for the Public Sphere. By WilliamF. Loomis. xviii 1 247 pp. Berkeley, CA: Universityof California Press. 2008. $24.95 (cloth).

Loomis is a distinguished biologist whose researchfocuses on cell to cell communication during development.He states at the start of this series of essays that humanitymust recognize that it is ‘‘a part of, and not apart from’’ therest of earth’s life forms (p. 2). The first chapter is entitled‘‘The Value of Life.’’ That all life shares the same informa-

tional machinery is evidence that all life is related frommicroorganisms to behaviorally complex mammals, but allforms of life are not valued the same and that is true forhumans too when considering the inconsistencies in theapplication of capital punishment or the compensation pay-ments to families when there are wrongful deaths. The sec-ond chapter, ‘‘Human Potential,’’ begins with how he beganhis lifelong fascination with embryonic development. Hethen discusses the controversies surrounding his cleardescriptions of: in vitro fertilization, the use of embryonicand somatic stem cells, and therapeutic cloning. These tech-nologies are providing opportunities to alter the genes ofanimals and presumably humans, which he details in thenext chapter, ‘‘Engineered Life’’ from Polly the cloned sheepto synthetic genes. He alerts the reader to some of the pit-falls of these manipulations but as I like to tell classes, wecannot predict the weather very well much less the humandiversity that may be required to take us through globalchanges that we did not anticipate. Chapter Four, ‘‘GenomicInformation,’’ begins with the devastating diseases thatlead to some abortions and how complete genetic informa-tion will put insurance companies out of business as we arebetter able to predict an individual’s future health issues.He advocates government sponsored health care for all, aposition with which I agree, but he may be a bit too optimis-tic about those predictions based on one’s genes. Humanity’ssuccess reflects physiological and behavioral flexibility inadapting to local conditions, which is well known to have asignificant impact on the expression of those genes.

Chapter Five, ‘‘Sociobiology,’’ is too brief. He describesgenes responsible for behaviors in simpler organisms thatare found relatively unchanged in the far more behavior-ally complex human species and that even humanity’smost impressive behavior, language, is influenced bygenes. Genes have been lost as environmental challengeschanged but the basic social processes still operate; ‘‘wesimply added many more’’ (p. 117). ‘‘Consciousness,’’ self-awareness, receives attention in Chapter Six, because it isthe focus of much recent scientific scrutiny. Consciousnessand attention are not easily defined but can be thought ofas continua, which he envisions for consciousness as a‘‘centi-Crick’’ scale in honor of Sir Francis Crick who stud-ied consciousness until his death in 2004. Insights are pro-vided through studies of humans with brain damage andcomparisons with animals, particularly chimpanzees.Some cognitive abilities can be associated with specificstructural features of the brain, and he highlights thework of Gilbert et al. (2005) who have found that somebrain genes are evolving more rapidly in primates than inrodents. He finishes with the review of changes in theaging brain and euthanasia.

Chapter Seven is entitled ‘‘Selfishness and Cooperativ-ity’’ and he begins with his early efforts to understandmoral problems that led to his conclusion ‘‘that there is nosuch thing as a completely unselfish act’’ (p. 151). Thedynamic between selfishness and cooperation is illus-trated by consideration of the Prisoner’s Dilemma gamebut one cooperates most readily with individuals oneknows well, particularly, kin. He argues that emotionsfacilitate coordination among mostly cooperating individ-uals and he finishes this chapter with his thoughts aboutreligion. I would have liked some discussion on why somany religious claims persists so successfully in light ofmassive scientific literature to the contrary, especiallywhen one of the objectives of this book is to encourage

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more use of scientific evidence when confronting moraldilemmas resulting from new biologically-based technolo-gies.

‘‘The Origin of Life and the Evolution of Man’’ arebriefly reviewed in Chapter Eight. I would change ‘‘Man’’to ‘‘Humans’’ or the ‘‘Human Species,’’ because evolutionis about reproduction, and I had trouble visualizingfemales with Man in the title. There is also no discussionon why these two topics are considered terribly threaten-ing to many religious practitioners. Chapter Nine is enti-tled ‘‘Sustainable Life’’ and apparently he assumes thathis reader is completely convinced of the importance ofthe scientific perspective for resolving the ethical dilem-mas. For example, he dismisses worries about geneticallymodified (GM) crops because ‘‘they are outweighed by theobvious benefits’’ (p. 215), that we can live better throughbiology and he champions GM crops and biodiesel fuelalthough expressing concerns about global warming,access to clean water, pollution, and population control.That biology has many of the answers for him finishes thebook in the epilogue entitled ‘‘Wonderful Life". He endswith a poem that notes folk want to live on the tops ofmountains when happiness is getting there, that newbornchildren capture their parents hearts, and that a ‘‘manhas a right to look down on another only when he has tohelp the other get to his feet.’’ So much for cooperation!

This book irritated me at times especially in the lastfew chapters, but it is accessible to a biologically naıve au-dience and sets the stage for discussions of controversialtopics that need more attention from a wider audience.

LITERATURE CITED

Gilbert SL, Dobyns WB, Lahn BT. 2005. Genetic links between brain devel-opment and brain evolution. Nat Rev Genet 6:581–590.

JOAN C. STEVENSON

Department of AnthropologyWestern Washington UniversityBellingham, Washington


wiley.com).

Evolutionary Genomics and Proteomics. Edited ByMark Pagel and Andrew Pomiankowski. xvi + 351 pp.Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates Inc. Publish-ers. 2009. $79.95 (cloth), $54.95 (paper).

The field of comparative genomics has grown exten-sively in the past decade as a consequence of the massiveamounts of sequence data generated for hundreds ofspecies throughout the tree of life. More recently, theavailability of genome data has prompted the use of post-genomic approaches for further biological enquiry. Postge-nomic analyses generate new types of large datasets thatcome with new analytical challenges. Therefore, anyattempt to write a synthetic compendium to encompassthe empirical and theoretical work accomplished in these

burgeoning fields is a daunting task. The book edited byPagel and Pomiankowski is an impressive first attemptand provides an excellent up-to-date overview of the mostrelevant topics in evolutionary genomics and postgenom-ics research. These fields are moving at a fast pace, but allthe authors made good attempts to include the mostcurrent literatures.

Pagel and Pomiankowski emphasize how genomic datahave changed the state of knowledge in the field of molec-ular evolution and the importance of bringing a theoreti-cal evolutionary framework to postgenomic research inthe introductory chapter. They argue that this frameworkwill likely be in the form of network theory. Koonin andWolf in Chapter 2 describe the different types of data thatcan be generated once a whole genome is published refer-ring to this nascent field as evolutionary systems biology.The authors address the technical and theoretical chal-lenges ahead in terms of data integration and interpreta-tion. They show how progress is being made to incorporatestatistical approaches for ‘‘omics’’ integration, which isespecially true for model organisms where annotationsand genetic systems are already in place.

In Chapter 3, Fan and collaborators present an updatedsummary of how these new data and methods have led tothe discovery of new genes in eukaryotes and providenumerous examples from the multiple Drosophilagenomes. In Chapter 4, Doolittle and colleagues providean extensive review of the state of knowledge on LateralGene Transfer (LGT), dramatically more successful sincethe new availability of the large number of prokaryoticand eukaryotic genomes. The authors review the differentapproaches to detect LGT and also discuss the theoreticalimplications for the evolution of genomes and organisms.Lemos and coauthors summarize in Chapter 5, both thetechniques and analyses involved in the comparison oftranscriptomes within and across taxa, using mainlymicroarray gene expression data. The literature is quiterecent and was likely not available to the authors, butcoverage of the new sequencing technologies for transcrip-tome analysis would have strengthened this chapter. Thediscussion on the evolution of regulation of gene expres-sion is integrated with population genetic theory.

Patthy describes in Chapter 6 the technical challengesfaced in structural genomics relative to genome sequenc-ing efforts. He notes that costs are declining as it becomesmore feasible to determine protein structure using highthroughput methods in X-ray crystallography and NMRspectroscopy. This new information, combined with pro-tein interactome data, adds a new level of understandingto the evolution of organism complexity. In Chapter 7,Hurst and Pal address issues that would enrich theoreti-cal models for gene network evolution: gene redundancyand gene dispensability. The authors examine how highthroughput knockout data correlate with fitness meas-ures, gene expression, and rates of evolution. The chapterpresents a comprehensive overview of the different modelsproposed to explain the evolution of redundancy in thegenome. Schaeffer and colleagues highlight in Chapter 8the impact genomic data have had in the understandingnot only of the role of transposable elements in genomeevolution but also the mechanisms genomes have devel-oped in response to parasitic DNA elements. The next twochapters deal with the evolution of sex from a genomicperspective. Chapter 9 by Oliver highlights the new infor-mation available on the evolution of gene expression in X

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and Y chromosomes in several animal lineages. In Chap-ter 10, Charlesworth discusses the theoretical insightsgained from studies of complete genomes relative to theevolution of sex chromosomes.

In Chapter 11, Filipski and colleagues assess the theo-retical challenges faced by molecular evolutionary biolo-gists examining different kinds of genomic data in orderto elucidate population processes. They caution that thetype of data may affect some of the interpretations basedon current models used to detect molecular signatures ofselection. Chapter 12 by Wagner provides a perceptiveintegration of network and population genetics theoriesthat considers how natural selection may or may notshape network structures. The current data do not resolvethis issue, but emerging concepts will likely provide theopportunity to test old and new models of natural selec-tion. The final 13th chapter by Hellmann and Nielsenpresents a thorough review of the state of knowledge onthe evolution of the human genome with consideration ofdifferent types of genomic data ranging from point muta-tions to human specific adaptations. They describe the dif-ferent analyses of natural selection in human populationsand argue that the comparative framework is instrumen-tal in any aspect of genomic research today.

The intent of the authors was to promote interdiscipli-nary perspectives, but there is a slightly biased focus onthe integration of genomic analyses with populationgenetic theory. With minor exceptions, the discussionsdeal with examples from closely related taxa. A chapter onphylogenomics would have added a great deal to the com-pendium given the broad range of organisms currentlybeing sequenced from divergent branches of the tree.Another overlooked aspect that is gaining attention in thepostgenomic era is the analyses of metagenome sequencesof samples representing particular environments, againleading to new computational and theoretical challenges.These approaches will likely provide new insights into theevolution of microbial communities never considered pos-sible before and are therefore worthwhile mentioning inpotential future editions of the book.

The book is not repetitive and the chapters complementone another well, despite the diversity of authors and simi-larity of topics for certain chapters. In a few cases therewas a slight redundancy in the description of certain con-cepts (e.g., synonymous vs. nonsynonymous substitutions),but in such cases the description was central to the effec-tive delivery of the chapter. This style makes the chapters’stand-alone contributions that can be read separately with-out losing context, an important attribute for a good refer-ence book. In summary, this is an excellent compendium ofmanuscripts by experts in the nascent field of evolutionarysystems biology. It should also be a useful textbook foradvanced undergraduate and graduate level courses.

MONICA MEDINA

School of Natural SciencesUniversity of California, MercedMerced, California


wiley.com).

Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution andChristianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design. ByPeter J. Bowler. 256 pp. Cambridge, MA: HarvardUniversity Press. 2007. $24.95 (cloth).

Various popular accounts of the legal battles betweencreationists and scientists have appeared in recent years,and several books are also available that discuss the scien-tific issues in depth. Among the latter is Doubting Dar-win: Creationist Designs on Evolution, in which Sarkar(2007) dissects with surgical skill, the arguments usedagainst evolution by creationists. What has been missing,however, has been a scholarly book that explores the his-tory of antievolutionary activity during the past two cen-turies, but Peter J. Bowler has now filled the gap admir-ably. As a historian of science at the Queen’s University,Belfast, he has both the academic qualifications and, prob-ably, a more intensive and sustained exposure to funda-mentalist propaganda than he would be likely to encoun-ter elsewhere in the UK.

The monkey trials of the title refer, of course, to the trialof John T. Scopes in 1925, when he was accused of breakingthe Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution.After a period of relative calm, the constitutionality of teach-ing evolution and the biblical creation story has again cometo the forefront of public consciousness, and there have beenother monkey trials in modern times, in Arkansas in 1982and in Dover, Pennsylvania, in 2006. All this will be familiarto anyone interested in current disputes about the teachingof biology, but the gorilla sermons are less well known,though they are of considerable interest nonetheless. Thereference is to a series of sermons given in the 1920s by Ern-est William Barnes, Canon of Westminster and later Bishopof Birmingham, in which he did not try to use Christian Doc-trine as a weapon to attack evolution, but almost the oppo-site; he had taught mathematics at Cambridge (with R. A.Fisher among his students, later famous as geneticist, statis-tician and cofounder of the ‘‘modern synthesis’’ of naturalselection and genetics). He was very familiar with advancesin science, and he argued against misconceptions used byChristians to dispute the reality of evolution. In particular,he did not believe that the evolution of mankind toward aperfect state could be reconciled with a Fall after the expul-sion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. AlthoughBowler does not mention it, Barnes was echoing the view ofSt. Augustine many centuries earlier, who considered thatChristians make themselves look foolish when they use theBible as evidence to contradict obvious truths.

Not surprisingly, Bowler takes a historian’s approach tohis topic, and hardly begins to discuss modern creationismuntil he has provided a careful account of the earlyconflicts between evolutionary ideas and religion, whichstarted well before Charles Darwin and the Origin of Spe-cies, even before Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who’s ZoologicalPhilosophy had been published in the year of Darwin’sbirth. In addition to the religious conflicts, argumentsbetween physical scientists and biologists also started inthe 19th century and continue to this day. The engineerFleeming Jenkin had shown that natural selection couldnot work if the inheritance of characters followed a pro-cess of blending. Bowler comments that ‘‘the selectiontheory could be rendered plausible even in Darwin’s time’’(p 111), as Alfred Russel Wallace had drawn attention tothe existence of variation within a population, which washardly compatible with a blending theory of inheritance.

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In any case, although Bowler does not mention it, Jenkin’sobjection applied to any sort of selection, not just to natu-ral selection, as Darwin knew perfectly well that selectionworked when dog breeders or pigeon fanciers selected forparticular characters, there was no reason to think that itcould not work in nature even if the mechanism by whichit did so was still unknown. The inclusion of genetics inevolutionary theory was crucial for understanding themechanism of natural selection, but it was not necessaryfor concluding that a mechanism should exist.

Another early critic of natural selection was the novelistSamuel Butler, the author of Erewhon. Like many of histime, he objected to the lack of moral implications in naturalselection, which he tried to remedy by advocating a renewedform of Lamarckism in which the creativity of animalscould shape the course of evolution along beneficial lines.Bowler discusses Butler’s idea and could perhaps haveadded that Karl Popper described him as the 19th centurywriter on evolution that had the greatest influence on thedevelopment of his own ideas on the subject. This is anastonishing opinion to come from the one philosopher of sci-ence that most scientists respect, as it seems to undermineany suggestion that Popper had grasped the importance ofnatural selection. Butler deserves to be remembered for thisinfluence if for nothing else.

Bowler clears up a widespread misconception about theScopes trial of 1925. According to the conventional picture,this was a public relations disaster for the antievolutioncampaign, as its supporters had made themselves ridicu-lous in the process of achieving legal victory. In reality, how-

ever, it was a total victory, because there was essentially noteaching of evolution, and no mention of evolution in text-books, in American schools for the 30 years that followed.(If I may interject a personal note, there was little or noteaching of evolution in Darwin’s own school in Shrewsbury,which I attended in the 1950s; he was held in respect as adistinguished alumnus, but his message was not a centralcomponent of the teaching of biology.)

Apart from occasional repetitiveness the book is wellwritten and makes a valuable addition to the armory ofbiologists in their arguments with people who do notaccept the idea of evolution, because Bowler’s historicalapproach is essential because we cannot understand thepresent conflicts over evolution without understandinghow we arrived at them.

LITERATURE CITED

Sarkar S. 2007. Doubting Darwin? creationist designs on evolution.Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

ATHEL CORNISH-BOWDEN

Unite de Bioenergetique et Ingenierie des ProteinesCentre National de la Rechereche ScientifiqueMarseilles, France


wiley.com).

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book review: evolutionary genomics and proteomics

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