From Gaia to Selfish Genes: Selected Writings in the Life Sciences (The MIT Press) - Hardcover

"A crash course in modern biological thought... Many of the unmissable modem masters are here: James Lovelock on Gaia, Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan on symbiosis in the cell, Robert Axelrod and William Hamilton on the evolution of cooperation, E.O. Wilson on sociobiology and Richard Dawkins on selfish genes and memes. It is a heady mix one that covers the spectrum from holism to reductionism, without giving houseroom to any but the best writers.... This is a book with a number of different messages. Yet those messages are often so powerful - and the writing so persuasive - that somehow you long for them all to be true. Bold and shocking biology has that effect on people."--Stephen Young, New Scientist

In a well-blended presentation, writings from more than 30 scientists and science writers span scales from the biosphere to the cell to DNA, encompass disciplines from global ecology to behavior and genetics, and explore links between biology and philosophy.Connie Barlow is a science writer.