BOOK REVIEWS

Quantitative Viral Ecology (Winner, Graduate Textbook Prize)

Joshua S Weitz
Princeton University Press, £51.95

In the preface, the author declares that the "study of the viruses of microbes is in its infancy" and that "this book is an opening salvo". As openings go, Quantitative Viral Ecology is an outstanding one, representing an impressive scholarly endeavour and overview of the field. The book has three

Synthetic Biology: A Primer

Paul S Freemont et al
Imperial College Press, £24.00

Synthetic Biology: A Primer is a compact and current overview of the field of synthetic biology and its underlying concepts. It's an impressive-looking book, produced on high-quality paper and full of colour images. It's also very competitively priced.

The book provides an overview

Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells

Helen Scales
Bloomsbury Sigma, £16.99

They have been sources of food, medicine, jewellery and even ancient body armour, and this lovely book charts the spiralling story of the molluscs – some of the most ancient and successful creatures on the planet.

Spirals in Time is as much cultural as scientific in its telling of fascinating stories

An Introduction to Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics (second edition)

Lindell Bromham
Oxford University Press, £38.99

This textbook is well laid out and makes some demanding subject matter both interesting and accessible. Its excellent synthesis nicely combines evolutionary biology with modern genetics, and traditional systematics with cutting-edge bioscience. It offers a fine example of modern

The Sting of the Wild

Justin O Schmidt

Johns Hopkins University Press, £16.00

Body by Darwin: How Evolution Transforms Our Health and Shapes Medicine

Jeremy Taylor

University of Chicago Press, £22.50

Why does the human body rarely dislodge established infections of helminth worms? Why are about 30% of embryos lost before implantation and a further 30% lost in the first six weeks of gestation?
As Body by Darwin explains, some apparent body malfunctions are actually vital adaptations. The aggressive immune

Death on Earth: Adventures in Evolution and Mortality

Jules Howard
Bloomsbury Sigma, £16.99

We need to talk about death. That is the central premise of the engaging quest to understand this ultimate taboo from a logical and evolutionary as well as personal and emotional perspective.
Jules Howard goes to some impressive experimental lengths to explore questions surrounding death, including taking a trip to

Anatomy and Physiology: An Integrative Approach

Michael McKinley, Valerie Dean O'Loughlin, Theresa Stouter Bidle
McGraw-Hill Education, £57.99

The second edition of Anatomy and Physiology is smart in every sense of the word, incorporating multiple online resources as study tools to support this substantial textbook.

A busy and colourful book, it provides a good breadth and depth