Dr. Bonner aptly subtitles this book “An Essay on the Structure of Biology”. Indeed he attempts to outline the architecture of biological organisms by focusing on generalizing principles. Although first published in 1965, I found the content remains remarkably modern, and provides a constant harping for the experimentalist on the important problems in biology.

“Size and Cycle” predates modern literature on the topic of evolutionary developmental biology by a long shot, although is predated by several important works, notably from C.H. Waddington and De Beer. Nevertheless, this book provides a superb theoretical perspective on the relation between evolution and development, by relating the concepts of the life cycle, a sequence of steps of a developing organism; size, which allows a more powerful classifiction of these steps, compared to using the adult form alone; and evolution, the force which enables change within and between the steps.

It took me about three months to get through this book, but I remain somewhat näive as to the whole debate about constant vs inertial growth. I am convinced the inertial model is elegant and simple and potentially extremely applicable, but I haven’t read any other research on “frictional forces” (i.e. density-dependent effects) affecting population growth.

Lewontin has a great grasp of the machine metaphor in biology, going so far as to characterize the primary metaphor of molecular biology as such, then further characterizing developmental genetics initially with cybernetic control and currently with electro-mechanical systems, in successive attempts to integrate the notions of signaling processes and regulatory feedback, which have replaced the original clock with gears metaphor.

“Remember that no matter how selfish, how cruel, how unfeeling you have been today, every time you take a breath, you make a flower happy.” - Cute quote from Mort Sahl

An intriguing analysis of the consequences of the genotype/phenotype, or soma/germ separation.