Under The Microscope

THE BEAUTY OF THE BEASTLY by Natalie Angier; Abacus/Penguin 1996; 278 pages; $24.95

Every now and then you come across a science writer who can really write, who is not too self-conscious to let their lyricism and enthusiasm shine through the information they are presenting -- Carl Sagan and Loren Eiseley are two such writers and now I shall add Natalie Angier to the list. It's not surprising she's won a Pulitzer Prize and the Lewis Thomas Award for her work.

In this book Angier covers a whole range of life and lifestyles in seven chapters, appropriately named Loving, Dancing, Slithering, Adapting, Healing, Creating and Dying. Despite the title, and the essays on dung beetles and scorpions, it's not all "beastly" stuff; there's a healthy dose of molecular biology, sociobiology and even some scientist profiles.

Angier is not afraid to introduce theories that remain, as she puts it, "by the most generous description, highly speculative", adding that she does not necessarily condone or believe in them all. Some of the anthropomorphism that she uses falls into that category, but at least you feel it is done to makes things more understandable, rather than less.

Vicki Hyde, NZSM