Endless forms most beautiful : the new science of evo devo and the making of the animal kingdom

**What Brian Greene did for string theory, Sean Carroll—a leading biologist—does for Evo Devo.** Evo Devo is evolutionary developmental biology, the third revolution in evolutionary biology. The first was marked by the publication of __The Origin of Species__. The second occurred in the early twentieth century, when Darwin's theories were merged with the study of genetics. Now the insights of Evo Devo are astonishing the biology world by showing how the endless forms of animals—butterflies and zebras, trilobites and dinosaurs, apes and humans, are made and evolved. Perhaps the most surprising finding of Evo Devo is the discovery that a small number of primitive genes led to the formation of fundamental organs and appendages in all animal forms. The gene that causes humans to form arms and legs is the same gene that causes birds and insects to form wings, and fish to form fins; similarly, one ancient gene has led to the creation of eyes across the animal kingdom. Changes in the way this ancient tool kit of genes is used have created all the diversity that surrounds us. Sean Carroll is the ideal author to lead the curious on this intellectual adventure—he is the acknowledged leader of the field, and his seminal discoveries have been featured in __Time__ and __The New York Times__. 16 pages of color and 100 black-and-white illustrations Evo Devo is evolutionary developmental biology, the third revolution in evolutionary biology. The first was marked by the publication of The Origin of Species. The second occurred in the early twentieth century, when Darwin's theories were merged with the study of genetics. Now the insights of Evo Devo are astonishing the biology world by showing how the endless forms of animals—butterflies and zebras, trilobites and dinosaurs, apes and humans, are made and evolved.

Perhaps the most surprising finding of Evo Devo is the discovery that a small number of primitive genes led to the formation of fundamental organs and appendages in all animal forms. The gene that causes humans to form arms and legs is the same gene that causes birds and insects to form wings, and fish to form fins; similarly, one ancient gene has led to the creation of eyes across the animal kingdom. Changes in the way this ancient tool kit of genes is used have created all the diversity that surrounds us.

Sean Carroll is the ideal author to lead the curious on this intellectual adventure—he is the acknowledged leader of the field, and his seminal discoveries have been featured in Time and The New York Times.

The making of animals Animal architecture: modern forms, ancient designs Monsters, mutants, and master genes From E. coli to elephants Making babies: 25,000 genes, some assembly required The dark matter of the genome: operating instructions for the tool kit Fossils, genes, and the making of animal diversity The big bang of animal evolution Little bangs: wings and other revolutionary inventions How the butterfly got its spots Paint it black A beautiful mind: the making of home sapiens Endless forms most beautiful. “A beautiful and very important book.”—Lewis Wolpert, American Scientist For over a century, opening the black box of embryonic development was the holy grail of biology. Evo Devo—Evolutionary Developmental Biology—is the new science that has finally cracked open the box. Within the pages of his rich and riveting book, Sean B. Carroll explains how we are discovering that complex life is ironically much simpler than anyone ever expected. An introduction to evolutionary developmental biology demonstrates how the many forms of animals evolved and came into being, documenting how the Evo Devo branch of science proved that all animal organs and appendages, from arms and legs to wings and fins, were created from a small number of primitive genes. 50,000 first printing. ON A RECENT VISIT to my kids' elementary school, I was enjoying the student art that decorated the hallways.