In the first chapter, the author tells us that a theory of complex systems must explain a wide range of phenomena which characterize complex systems, such as catastrophes, fractals, l/f noise, and Zipf s law. An interesting link between these patterns of complexity is that they can all be described as power laws. Self-organized criticality, Bak suggests, is a fundamental principle of complex systems, because it explains how such patterns (power laws) can arise.
In the following chapters, the author narrates the discovery of SOC and explains the theory in detail. With simple mathematics and clear illustrations, Bak relates how his theory has been applied to complex phenomena in many fields of study, including geology, astronomy, evolutionary theory, and economics. Nearly a quarter of the book is dedicated to applying SOC as the "theory" of punctuated equilibria in evolution.
If SOC explains the behavior of complex systems, then it is applicable in many situations that were not mentioned in the book. Self-organized criticality could be used to explain the timing of developmental events, allometric relationships, the self-thinning law, and the relationship between the number of cell types and the number of genes in different organisms. If SOC is as useful a theory of complex systems as the author proposes, then it could be of great explanatory value in biology, ecology, and botany as well.
Bak and his theory have been featured in many popular articles and books about complexity theorizing, but SOC has often been treated as just another fishy theory in the sea of ideas. Although How Nature Works may be seen by some as Bak's blatant promotion of his theory of self-organized criticality, one thing is certain; SOC has already made a tremendous impact. The impact of SOC can be seen, as he mentions in the preface of the book, in the fact that the original paper has been cited more than 2,000 times since its publication in 1987.
How Nature Works is stimulating and interesting, full of the Bak's personal insights into the practice and philosophy of empirical and theoretical science. The book was easy to read and would be of interest to professionals and graduate students in the sciences, while remaining accessible to undergraduates and non-scientists.
This book is a critical read for anyone interested in evolutionary theory and/or complex systems theory. - James Lynwood Smith 11, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Notable Women in the Life Sciences: a Biographical Dictionary. B.F. Shearer and B.S. Shearer eds. 1996. ISBN 0-313-29302-3 (cloth US$49.95) 456 pp. Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 - A representative story from this collection of biographical sketches of 97 female life scientists is that of Dr. Mary Jane Guthrie (1895-1975) a cancer researcher. In 1934 she applied for a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, and was told that "although she might be an outstanding scientist, as a woman she had to present extra proof of her excellence in order to receive a grant." Many of these biographies provide inspiring examples of how these scientists overcame gender bias and other obstacles to achieve great successes in their careers.
The 97 biographies vary from a single page to several pages in length, and some include photographs of the scientist. These biographical sketches were provided by 66 contributors, and many of them are high quality, but some of them are less notable, primarily due to a superficial treatment of the subject. A few of the entries, including an excellent piece by cell biologist Marilyn Gist Farquhar, are autobiographical. Most of the essays deal with twentieth century figures but some interesting scientists from previous centuries are included as well.
A wide range of biologists and physicians is included in this book, and an appendix is provided to categorize the scientists by field. Nine are about botanists, and five are essays on horticulturists. The scientists range from well-known women such as Katherine Esau, Rosiland Franklin, and Barbara McClintock to some less famous, but equally interesting, figures. Another appendix provides a listing of the awards received by these scientists including the Nobel Prize and the National Medal of Science.
This volume is written for the general reader with a high school level science background. Despite the uneven nature of the book due to the numerous contributors, I recommend it to those with interests in the history of science and to readers who want to learn more about the role of women in science. - John Z. Kiss, Department of Botany, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Sea Life: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. G. Waller, ed. 1996. ISBN 1-56098-633-6 (cloth US$49.95) 504 pp. Smithsonian Institution Press, P.O. Box 960, Herndon VA 22070-0960
I freely admit that when I asked to review Sea Life I had no idea of its content. Would it be yet another picture book that would finally cause the coffee table to collapse under the weight of like volumes? Would it be another textbook for the student of marine biology? It was to be a hybrid of the two. As the Foreword clearly states, ,its accessible style and wealth of illustration make it an ideal book for students of marine science, the seafarer and the general reader wishing to learn more about the marine environment and sea life."
From the opening chapter, "Oceanography and Marine Biology," the reader is struck by how comprehensive the treatments are. In the first 100 pages alone, for instance, we are presented with the history of marine exploration, plate tectonics, the physical and chemical nature of oceans, classification of marine organisms down to the level of class or even subclass, the pelagic and benthic environments, and coastal ecology, which includes the shoreline, intertidal environments, estuaries and salt marshes, mangroves, kelp forest, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. All of this is literally crammed into 100 pages of margin-to-margin, 8-point type. However, the text is accurate, neither too technical nor oversimplified, and amply illustrated for the novice.
The balance of the book is (unequally) divided between identifying and describing the biology of invertebrates and vertebrates. Watercolor plates, 55 of them, by Marc Dando beautifully illustrate the diversity of all the phyla with accompanying descriptions and distributions on facing pages. Some plates are more successful than others, particularly those of the sharks, bony fishes, and cetaceans. In descriptions of the sharks, ventral views of the head and outlines of teeth are shown to aid in identification. The volume is never intended as a field guide (such references are supplied), and so the plates are not intended to be exhaustive but merely representative.
Chapters on biology each of the major phyla are uneven. Some such as those covering marine invertebrates, fishes, and seabirds are very thorough and copiously illustrated, whereas others are rather inadequate. Taking as an example the chapter on my marine speciality, cetaceans, the author presents modem data on evolution, taxonomy, habitats and distribution, food and feeding, swimming, respiration and diving, the senses, reproduction, and stranding. The bibliographic entries are all from this decade or the last, but virtually all are popular works with no mention of the ongoing debate in the literature about the phylogeny of toothed and baleen whales based on molecular evidence. Finally, I found the factsheets at the end of the fish and seabird chapters extremely useful.
The reference section at the close of the book includes sections on observing, recording, and sampling; glossary (in what must be 6-point type, requiring a magnifying glass or a dissecting microscope); and appendices with metric system and conversion factors, prefixes and suffixes, Beaufort Wind Scale, and distribution/migration maps for selected organisms.
Sea Life is far from perfect. I expected to see much, much more coverage of mangrove communities, saltmarsh grasses, seagrasses, and algae other than kelps. Surely diatoms merit more than five short sentences in the context of phytoplankton. Red algae are mentioned once and as one word: "Rhodophyta." Dinoflagellates and red tides receive five paragraphs combined. Second and more mechanical, the type size and justified text make reading a chore. Having said that, if the type size were increased, the book's length would increased by as much as a 30%, raising the price. I also object to the consistent capitalization of common names for organisms such as Gray Whale, Dugong, and Queen Scallop, for which there is no sound reason.
Returning to the dilemma facing our world traveller at the beginning of this review, those who define themselves narrowly as botanists will likely find this book disappointing if not irrelevant. Those who call themselves biologists or environmentalists will revel in the up-to-date information and comprehensive detail in the fundamentals of oceanography and marine biology. Those who simply love the world's oceans and the biota associated with them will cherish Sea Life and refer to it often. - Alec M. Pridgeon, Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
"Occupation." What do you write down? Professor, educator, civil servant, student? Perhaps. Given the choice between botanist or biologist, though, which would you write down?