The Mystery of Metamorphosis

by Ryan, Frank P.

• ISBN13: 9781603583411
• ISBN10: 1603583416
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-07
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co

Summary

Metamorphosis has intrigued human observers for thousands of years. While everyone knows this trick of nature transforms caterpillars into butterflies, fewer are aware that this process of transformation also occurs in many other insect species, as well as in amphibians and-in its greatest diversity-in marine creatures. Still, despite its widespread occurrence, metamorphosis has largely remained a mystery-not just to the people who watch gorgeous orange Monarchs emerge from green caterpillars once ensconced in cocoons, but also to the scientists who have tried to unravel just how the transformation works. InMetamorphosis, Frank Ryan delves into the mystery headfirst, showcasing surprising new ideas that are shaking established science. Ryan recounts how the intricate physiology of metamorphosis has slowly revealed its secrets. He brings the work of pioneering scientists-such as Jean-Henri Fabre, Vincent Wigglesworth, and Carroll Williams-to life as they explore the inner workings of the insect world. We also meet contemporary scientist Don Williamson, whose work on sea urchins and other ocean-going animals led him to a theory of larval development that challenge some of the longest-held beliefs in evolution-including those that date back to Darwin's time. Williamson, whose revelations have launched huge debates in science, has risked being labeled an iconoclast for encouraging people to think differently about how species evolve-a process, he says, that is not as linear as we've believed, and that involves not just mutation but also hybridizaton. A character as enchanting as metamorphosis itself, Williams exemplifies the importance of questioning time-honored beliefs. Through his work and those of the other monumental scientists in this book, we come closer to understanding the ancient and miraculous transformation of juvenile life forms into beautiful and complex adult insects and animals.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Foreword	p. xiii
Prologue: The Beautiful Mystery	p. xix
Anomalies in the Tree of Life
The Birth of an Idea	p. 3
A Puzzle Wrapped in an Enigma	p. 13
First Experiments	p. 23
The Price of Iconoclasm	p. 37
Challenging the Tree of Life	p. 49
ôThis Is Impossible!ö	p. 56
Catastrophe	p. 69
The Butterfly's Tale
The Evening of the Great Peacock	p. 75
The Science of Life	p. 85
Elementary Questions and Deductions	p. 93
The Phoenix in Its Crucible	p. 103
Two Souls in One Body	p. 111
Bizarre Extrapolations	p. 116
Assembling the Jigsaw Puzzle	p. 127
Ecology's Magic Bullet	p. 136
New Perspectives
On the Steps of York Minster	p. 147
The First Genetic Testing	p. 159
The Evolutionary Potential of Hybridization	p. 167
A New Life-Form	p. 175
The Molecular Age
The Puzzle of the Hornworm Brain	p. 187
Aristotle or Darwin?	p. 195
Cues and Common Links	p. 203
A Tale in a Tail	p. 213
Of Frogs and Their Relatives	p. 220
The Wonder of Development	p. 227
The Human Brain	p. 234
Epilogue: A Sting in the Tail	p. 243
References	p. 265
Selected Bibliography and Further Reading	p. 278
Illustration Credits	p. 281
Index	p. 282
About the Author	p. 295
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

In this scintillating book Frank Ryan gives us a skillful and detailed introduction to the intricate world of animal metamorphosis and to the astounding idea (pioneered by Donald Williamson) that the larval and adult forms of many animals were once wildly different creatures whose genomes melded during moments of extraordinary trans-species hybridization. Read this book to experience the feel and excitement of a massive paradigm shift in science as told by a brilliant science writer.--Stephan Harding, Head of Holistic Science at Schumacher College and author of Animate Earth: Science, Intuition and Gaia