The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution.

THE MAKING OF THE FITTEST: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution SEAN B. CARROLL 

Evolution has traditionally been observed in the changes in form and function that occurred among species in the fossil record. Carroll, a professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains that scientists are now equipped with a remarkably different method for detailing how organisms evolved: a record within DNA itself. Every feature, from the brightly colored plumage of tropical birds to the complex human brain, has a record of its development within the genetic code. By deciphering this code, scientists can begin to understand how these features evolved. Carroll explains that DNA in living things reveals not only new abilities and features but also how "immortal genes" have survived over aeons. He describes genes that are included in DNA but that are no longer used or have fallen into decay. The author also explains how, remarkably, evolution repeats itself so that many genes have changed in similar ways even though they existed in separate species. Finally, he looks at recent insights into how complexity developed in organisms and at the implications of rapid environmental change on populations. W.W. Norton, 2000, 301 p., b&w illus. and color plates, hardcover, $25.95.