The Evolution Explosion

This is a seminal book written by a professor of biology at Harvard. Subtitled 'How Humans Cause Rapid Evolutionary Change' it should set alarm bells ringing about the evolutionary repercussions of our actions over a wide range. The author considers the evolution of antibiotic resistance, the evolution of HIV, the reaction of insects to insecticides, agricultural biotechnology and extinctions at sea. He describes genetic engineering as 'brute force evolution' that alters a solitary gene with the intention of producing a desirable trait population-wide. The snag is the corresponding speed of evolutionary response – for instance the likely evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds such as jointed goatgrass. Here herbicide tolerance enables larger amounts of herbicide to be applied. Palumbi likens the brute force of GE to dropping guns on Main Street: engineering 'focuses on understanding the single genetic mechanism that controls a desired change, not the regulatory machinery necessary to control it'. In other words the science is less precise and predictable than its proponents maintain. This is an authoritative and accessible book that deserves a wide readership.