Life As We Do Not Know It

Title: Life As We Do Not Know ItAuthor: Peter Ward
Publisher: Penguin Books 2007 (First published: 2005)
ISBN: 978-0-14-303849-8
Pages: 261

Peter Douglas Ward is professor of biology, earth and space and space sciences and adjunct professor of astronomy as the University of Washington in Seattle. He is associated with as the Astrobiology Institute of NASA and takes part in explorations for finding alien life in the solar system. This book is a treatise on what life is, what are its forms on earth, how it can originate differently in earth as well as other planets or moons, the probability of encountering life in these exotic places, and what should we prepared for, in case we indeed find alien life. The familiar form of earth life is based on DNA as its genetic code. This code helps to synthesise the 20 amino acids which are used for life’s functions. The number 20 is fixed for earth life (also called Terroan life, as defined by the author). But there are chances for life forms which don’t adhere to this pattern, which may code for different amino acids than the present 20. Ward says that these life forms may be present even on earth, but we have not found them out yet. In case we have seen them, we haven’t recognised them to be life forms. If such a confusion is inevitable, how are we to recognise even more alien life forms when (or if) we encounter them in other planets?

The first two chapters on ‘What is life?’ and ‘What is earth life?’ are excellent primers on the subject. The hydrothermal vents in deep ocean, where life was supposed to have started is a good topic to read. The characteristics of life are its reproducibility, development, evolution, metabolism, complexity and organisation and its autonomy. These is the definition of Paul Davies regarding life. NASA defines life as a ‘chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution’. The bewildering complexity of life forms on earth is brought into ample detail by the classification of Archaeans as a separate doman. They had long been overlooked because they closely resembled bacteria. But once their DNA was compared it became clear that these tiny cells were quite different from bacteria. Then there are extremophiles which make hot hydrothermal vents or such sulphurous sources their habitats. In the third chapter, titled ‘Life as we do not know it’, Ward discusses other possibilities like silicon life, in place of carbon life of which all life in earth is composed of. He also declares that silicon life is improbable, because silicon forms chemical bonds with other elements that are much weak than carbon’s and can be broken much easily. On the other hand, silicon-hydrogen and silicon-oxygen bonds are stronger than those of carbon, which may help it to produce long chains, thus supporting complexity.

Several recipes for life is described in the fifth chapter on ‘A Recipe book of life’. RNA life is theoretically plausible on earth, but we have not seen them so far. In alient environments, it may be more difficult for them to operate, as RNA is unstable at higher temperatures. It was an enigma for paleo-biologists to understand how RNA was formed in the first place. An explanation is given, as “in the presence of borate, simpler organic molecules that are common both on earth and in space (on comets, for example) combine to form complex sugars, including ribose” (p.94). An description of how cellular life evolved is also given, “Somewhere, perhaps amid the hydrothermal vents or may be in warm little ponds or somewhere else, microscopic bags of proteins, their lipid membrane walls separating them from the surrounding heated sea water or pore fluid of some sort, interacted with a different group of alients, perhaps nearly naked strands of DNA. Perhaps there were ribosomes already formed. In any event, the two types of assemblage merged into a single cell”. (p.97). Ward is an ardent proponent of life’s origin in hydrothermal vents and he refutes Darwin’s assertion that life might have formed in ‘warm little ponds’ or in the ‘primordial soup’ of early earth. He says, “What Darwin could not appreciate in his time was that the mechanisms leading to accretion of the earth produced a world that, early in its history, was harsh and poisonous, a place that was very far removed from the idyllic tide pool or pond envisioned in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, but that did not have a reducing atmosphere or ocean” (p.111).

The next chapter on ‘Artificial synthesis of Life’ hovers on the efforts in this field including the synthesis of amino acids by Stanley Miller and Craig Venter’s efforts. Venter succeeded in synthesising amino acids different from the ones used by ordinary life and the different DNA of these organisms are sure to add fuzz to researchers’ lives in these labs. Since this book was published five years ago, nothing of much of Venter’s works are mentioned, but Venter himself finds a prominent mention at the appropriate place.

After these solid preliminaries, Ward moves on to the concept of ‘Panspermia’, the theory that life originated not in earth, but in some other planets from which the seeds of life travelled in meteors or comets and reached earth. In fact, not only earth, but any planet which receives the seedlings of life is an example of panspermia. He asserts that however hard NASA might have tried, there are microbes in the innumerable satellites and space probes which have impacted other planets and moons, the vikings, mars explorers, cassini-huygens probes are some of them. There is a slender, very slender chance that such random droppings on a foreign planet might have spawned life there. An investigation into the places in our solar system where life can originate constitute the next four chapters. The planet Venus is nearer to the sun and the surface is very hot for organic molecules. However, in the clouds of Venus, which are filled with sulphuric acid, there is a probability of some primitve life originating, as per some researchers. The case of Mars, is entirely different. There is evidence that Mars once had flowing liquid water, a hospitable temperature and all paraphernalia required for life. Though these favourable conditions are definitely not available at present, and the planet is barren, there may be fossils of early life forms there which a paleontologist may be able to pick up once one such person lands on the planet. Billions of years ago, when Sun’s energy output was considerably less that what is spits out at present, the three planets of Venus, Earth and Mars might have been habitable. In fact, there is very good probability that the conditions on Earth and Mars were identical 3.5 billion years ago when life first originated on Earth. The third place to look for is Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons which has a planet-girdling ocean of ice, which might harbour liquid water under the icy crust. The depth of the ocean is nearly 100 kilometers, 10 times that of Earth’s, and hence any life forms which might be present there should have resolved the problem of sustaining under the enormous pressure experienced at such great depths. The fourth option is that of Titan, Saturn’s biggest moon. Unlike the others, Titan is quite large (nearly equal to Mercury) and has an atmosphere which is very thick and consisting of methane and other hydrocarbons. It may also contain a sea of ammonia which is not impervious to life, not even to some form of earth life. The huygens probe which landed on Titan in 2005 gave details of the hydrocarbon rivers and seas and the atmosphere there. Ward also hints that of all the places in the solar system, Titan may be the place where we may indeed detect life. But its metabolism and chemistry will be radically different from the CHON life forms which we encounter in earth (CHON stands for Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen). Ward also says in a lighter vein that a biochemist shall be the first person landing on that moon, just as it should have been a paleontologist who first sets foot on Mars.

The book ends with an admonition to politicians who sanction bio-chemical weapon research which may sound the death knell for this planet and its myriad life forms. The viruses and other monsters developed at these labs may go out of hand and cause irreversible effects on plants and animals. We should tread carefully on this area and more money should be spent of search for life at other places in the solar system.

A very good work, eminently readable and which presents the state of research in the chosen field in a concise and easy-to-understand format. The book is attractive to experts and lay people alike. The good sense of humour of the author is evident in every page of the book. Some excellent photos sourced from NASA’s archives give accurate and state-of-the-art information on planets and moons, especially Mars, Europa and Titan. The only drawback which can be made out of this book is the usage of outdated temperature and distance scales used. The temperature is always given in fahrenheit and distance is in miles. While this may be more than sufficient for those readers in the U.S where metric system does not exist, a book which caters to the international public should at least have taken care to give the values in celsius and kilometers also. Such myopic vision was uncharacteristic to an author and a book which sought to widen our view even beyond earth! Even with this discrepancy, the book is recommended and should receive a warm welcome from collectors of science works.

Rating: 3 Star

Nine Lives

Title: Nine Lives – In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
Editor: William Dalrymple
Publisher: Bloomsbury 2009 (First)
ISBN: 978-1-4088-0061-4
Pages: 260

A disappointing work from Dalrymple, especially after ‘The Last Mughal’ and ‘The White Mughals’ which were splendidly researched works. This book is a collection of nine stories or essays detailing the lives of people who have dedicated themselves in the practise of their beliefs, often grotesque. The stories are about a Jain nun, a government servant who moonlights as a Theyyam dancer, a senior devadasi and a devotee of Yellamma, a singer of epics in Rajastan, a woman who resides in a sufi dargah in Pakistan, a Buddhist monk from Tibet who joined the Indian army to fight the Chinese invasion, an idol maker from Tamil Nadu, a woman ascetic from Tarapith near Kolkata where black magic is practiced and about a blind Baul singer from Bengal. Dalrymple claims that the seeds for these stories germinated in his mind during his incessant travels in India. A good understanding of Indian culture, religion, customs and people are clearly evident in the masterful representation of contemporary prose. He likes the syncretic nature of all things Indian and sadly notices the gradual creeping in of hardline elements bent upon destroying this age old fabric which clothes and unites India.

The stories are good catalogues of the sad lives of the protagonists. One can also discern the grinding poverty transcending the boundaries of states in India and becoming a common factor in almost all stories. The excessive faith of the people make them do impossible feats of self mortification so that the title may also be given as ‘Nine lives devastated by faith’. However, in some stories there are references to customs and practices which have long gone extinct and we wonder whether Dalrymple accepted parallel inputs rather than his first hand experience. Some references to Kerala in the chapter on Theyyam dancer force us to think likewise. Even excepting such hyperbolic remarks, the book is a page turner and a delight to read.

A good work and recommended.

Rating: 3 Star

Touching Lives

Title: Touching Lives – The Little Known Triumphs of the Indian Space ProgrammeAuthor: S K Das
Publisher: Penguin Books 2007 (First)
ISBN: 978-0-14310-216-8
Pages: 251

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is entrusted with the task of overseeing the Indian space programme in everyway imaginable. They manufacture satellites, launching rockets, transponders, sensors, cameras and other hardware at one end, while at the other, they collect data from these satellites, collate them, interpret and interpolate them and disseminate the data for the benefit of the end-user, who happens to be the common man. From the first sounding rocket in 1963 to GSLV rockets which can carry satellites to geo-synchronous orbits 36000 km high in 2001, the ISRO has travelled far from where they began. India is only the sixth country in the world to have geo-synchronous capability. A lot of able scientists and administrators like Vikram Sarabhai, A P J Abdul Kalam, Kasturi Rangan and Madhavan Nair adorned the coveted position of the Chief of ISRO. This book deals with the community outreach of the Indian space programme. Apart from the odd news item regarding the successful launch of a satellite, we don’t know how it affects or benefits the common public. S K Das bridges the gap by narrating dramatized versions of various facets of the space programme by featuring people from several villages across the length and breadth of India. The author seems to be an official of ISRO, as there is absolutely no information about him given anywhere in the book.

The book opens with a chapter on Alirajpur in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. In this tribal village, ISRO had installed a specially TV set to receive custom-made programs on rural development through ISRO’s satellites. The author visits the area and talks to several villagers, all of them competes among themselves to praise the program and thank ISRO which had helped them change their lives for the better. The next chapter is on how ISRO helped the people of Koraput district in Orissa, again a tribal one, to help find the areas where ground water is available and gave recommendations to dig wells. Such precise information helped the people to fetch water from nearby places, eliminating the need of women to go great distances to bring water to the family. The examples continue with the tele-education program in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, satellite based fish locating services in Lakshadweep, tele-medicine program in Udaipur, Tripura state where the little known town is connected by video conferencing to super-speciality hospitals in the major cities in India, locating flood affected and vulnerable areas in Orissa, satellite-based training programs for panchayat members in Karnataka, watershed development projects in Jhabua district of M.P, giving early warning about location of floods in the Garhwal area of Uttaranchal, giving valuable inputs to the people for protecting the mangroves and the fragile ecosystem in Sundarbans, W.Bengal, commissioning information centres for reclaiming the sodic lands in Uttar Pradesh, installation of automatic weather stations in Wayanad, Kerala and installation of village resource centres at Thiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu. At every location, the author talks with the beneficiaries who are the local people and presents the thankful praise of the villagers.

Even with all the representations of the benefit common man derives from the space programme, the book is thoroughly disappointing. Nowhere does it rise above the level of propaganda literature handed out to people visiting the stalls of institutions at trade fairs and exhibitions. The dramatization is poorly done and follows the same script everywhere. The conversations doesn’t at all seem to be realistic. In one case, an illiterate fisherman cracks a joke of finding a needle in the haystack! Such wholesale fabrication of speech makes one wonder whether the characters are also fictional. A serious book which intends to describe the benefits of the space programme shouldn’t have assumed this structure. If it indeed does, the flow of conversation should have been free-flowing and much more structured. Several mannerisms like ‘clucking the tongue’, ‘making a face’ and ‘beaming a smile’ are repeated several times to stress the author’s point, which in fact made it stand out like a sore thumb. We may even suspect whether the book is the tour diary of the author, as in the chapter on watershed development project in Jhabua. He visits three villages, Bori, Makankvi and Badi Dhami – at each of the locations, the script is the same – of how the program helped identify the causes of soil erosion by overgrazing, building of check dams, forming self-help groups, elimination of money lenders who charge exorbitant interest rates and how the villagers were empowered by the knowledge and financial advantages they possessed. The same story is repeated at all three locations, practically verbatim, but with different protagonists.

There is a good piece of information on how the soil become ‘sodic’, or become excessive with sodium salts which prevents plant growth. Such tracts become arid causing great loss for the farmers. The high build-up of salt in these lands prevent the water and air to penetrate the soil. This is rectified by replacing the exchangeable sodium with calcium by addition of soluble calcium through external amendments. Gypsum and pyrite are most commonly used because they are easily available. Gypsum is the more popular amendment, because its reclaiming efficiency is higher than that of pyrite. (p. 191). That’s very informative and another use for Gypsum!

Even with all the shortcomings noted, it is readable and every Indian should read it to get a glimpse of the innumerable ways in which the little known aspects of the space programme benefits the illiterate villagers and empowers them against exploitation by the mighty and wealthy. Every nook and cranny of the country is covered and the selection of topics is commendable. An introduction of the author was necessary and we may hope that Penguin will correct this anomaly in future editions.

Rating: 2 Star

Travels in India

Title: Travels in IndiaAuthor: Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, translated by Dr. Valentine BallPublisher: Low Price Publications 2007 (First Edition 1675-1684, English 1889)ISBN: 81-7536-206-5Pages: 706

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was born in Paris in 1605. From childhood itself, a strong desire to see foreign lands were rooted in him and by the age of 22, he had seen most of the prominent European kingdoms. He was a merchant of precious stones and curiosities by profession and made six voyages to the East, including India in 1636, 1638, 1643, 1651, 1657 and 1662. On many occasions he traveled overland from Persia and on some, he sailed from Mocha on the Arabian coast to Surat. He also visited the Dutch headquarters at Batavia. King Louis XIV of France bestowed on him the title of Baron of Aubonne in 1669, in recognition of his services rendered to the kingdom. Tavernier began publication of his travels in 1675 which lasted till 1684 in several volumes. He passed away in Moscow, the year of death uncertain. The Travels, though sometimes steeped in hearsay and wild exaggeration, nevertheless gives a clear understanding of the times when Emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb reigned. Some of the passages are very noteworthy and are reproduced below.

Even though the trading company officials of the English and Dutch were obedient to the political hegemony of the Mughals, they have already taken on their heads the idea of superiority as such an incident is described. “The Emperor has conceded to the English Captains that they shall not be searched when they are ashore. One day, an English Captain, when in Thatta went ashore and the Mughal officials forcibly searched his person and found gold upon him. He was, however, left off on payment of the ordinary duty. The Englishman resolved to have his revenge for it, and he took it in a funny manner. He ordered a sucking-pig to be roasted, and to be placed with the grease in a china plate, covered with a napkin, and gave it to a slave to carry with him to the town, anticipating exactly what would happen. As he passed in front of the custom-house, where the Governor of the town, and the Master of the Mint were seated in a divan, they did not fail to stop him. The more the Englishman protested that the slave carried nothing liable to duty, the less was he believed. After a long discussion, he himself took the plate from the hands of the slave, and proceeded to carry it to the custom-house. When the Governor asked him in a sharp tone why he refused to obey orders, he replied in a rage that what he carried was not liable to duty, and rudely threw the plate in front of them, so that the sucking-pig and the grease soiled the whole place. As the pig is an abomination to the Musalmans, abd by their Law they regard as defiled whatver is touched by it, they were compelled to change their garments, to remove the carpet from the divan, and to have the structure rebuilt, without daring to say anything to the Englishman as they have to be careful with the company, from which the country derives so much profit” (Vol 1, Pages 9-10).

Corruption was rampant everywhere, and we’d be astonished to learn that the Emperor himself was not aloof from it. “Shahjahan, who reigns at present, had given to one of the nobles of his court the government of the province of Thatta, of which Sindi is the capital town. Although from the very first year of his government there were serious complaints against him of the tyranny with which he treated the people, and of his great extortions, the Emperor allowed him to govern the province for close on four years, after which he recalled him. All the people of Thatta rejoiced, supposing that the Emperor had recalled him in order to put him to death. But it happened quite otherwise, for he was well received by the Emperor, who conferred upon him the government of Allahabad, a much more considerable post that that of Thatta which he had just quitted. The cause of the good reception which he received from the Emperor was that before he arrived at Agra, he sent secretly to the Emperor as a present 50,000 golden rupees and to the Begam Sahib (Jahanara Begam) 20,000 golden rupees and for other ladies and for some courtiers who could aid him with their support” (Vol 1, Pages 14-15).

The Mughals had perfected the violence upon religious structures of Hindus as a kind of religious duty by the time of Aurangzeb who saw no worth in the practices of others whom he disapproved with the ardent zeal of a fanatic. Tavernier describes how casual the destruction of temples had become in those days, as “A small contingent of artillery was moving through the town of Kolaras near Gwalior when I arrived there. A strong and powerful elephant was following the artillery. Outside the town, for the whole length of the high-road, there are a number of large trees which they call mangoes, and in several places near these trees, you see small pagodas (temples) each of which has its idol at the entrance. This elephant, passing in front of one of this pagodas, near to which I was encamped, and where there were at the door three idols of about five feet in height, when he was close by, took one with his trunk and broke it in two; he then took the next, and threw it so high and so far that it was broken in four pieces; while as for the third, he knocked off the head with a blow of his trunk. The Banians regarded it with an evil eye, without daring to say aught, for there were more than 2,000 men in charge of the guns, all of them in the Emperor’s service, and Musalmans, with the exception of the chief gunners, who were Europeans” (Vol 1, Pages 48-49).

The water of Ganges is so polluted now that anyone attempting to drink is sure to be afflicted. We note with surprise that in the 17^th century too, its waters were considered to be unhealthy, particularly in the vicinity of Varanasi, as Tavernier says, “Claude Maille who practised both surgery and medicine advised us not to drink any of the Ganges water, which would produce disturbance of the stomach, but to drink rather the water from wells” (Vol 1, p.95-96).

The problem of piracy was rampant on India’s western coast. Without naming Kunjali Marakkar, who lived half-a-century before, he says, “The principal danger which has to be encountered is the risk of falling into the hands of the Malabaris, who are fanatical Musalmans and very cruel to Christians. I once met a barefoot Carmelite father who had been captured by these pirates. In order to extort his ransom speedily, they tortured him to such an extent that his right arm became half as short as the other, and it was the same with one of his legs. They seldom venture farther to sea than from 20 to 25 leagues; whenever the Portuguese capture any of these pirates, they either hang them straight off or throw them into the sea” (Vol 1, p.143) and “The reason why the Portuguese took this revenue from this poor people, and why the Dutch take it still, is that they are obliged to protect them against their enemies, the Malabaris, who come with armed boats to capture and enslave the fishers”. (Vol 2, p.93)

The religious fanaticism of the Portuguese was not any shade lower than that of Aurangzeb, as “In a village on the island of Salsette, there was a pagoda in which the idolaters kept, in a kind of tomb made of silver, the bones and nails of a monkey which, they said, had rendered great services to their gods by the diligence with which he conveyed news and advice from one to the other, when persecuted by some hostile princes, even to the extent of traversing the sea by swimming. People came from many parts of the Indian in procession to this idol to make offerings to this pagoda; but the clergy of Goa, and especially the Inquisitor, one day carried away this relic and brought it to Goa, where it remained some time on account of the dispute which it occasioned between the ecclesiastics and the people. For when the idolaters offered a large sum to ransom their relics, the people were of opinion that it should be accepted, because they said it could be used to make war against their enemies or for assisting the poor; but the clergy held a contrary opinion, and maintained that for no reason whatever should this idolatry be permitted. At length, the Archbishop and the Inquisitor on their own authority removed the relic, and, having put it on a vessel which sailed out about twenty leagues from land, it was thrown into the sea” (Vol 1, p.158).

The princely state of Cochin found itself caught between the animosity of the Dutch and Portuguese and sided with the Dutch. Being a small country with a local army about which there is nothing to write home about, the Kings of Cochin even accepted their crowns from the Dutch governors. Veera Kerala Varma who ascended the throne in 1663 placed himself on his knees to receive the crown from his hand and to take possession of a kingdom of very limited extent – that is to say, some small territories in the neighbourhood of Cochin. This Governor, when coming from Holland had been ship’s cook, and this crowning of a miserable Malabari by the hands of a man who had more frequently brandished a pot-ladle than a sword, was without doubt a brilliant spectacle (Vol 1, p.193).

Tavernier paints the Syrian Christians of Kerala in a not too flattering light. They sided with the foreigners when it didn’t go against their faith and felt no compunction against turning the natives out of their homeland, as “In the year 1643, these Christians, both of these mountains and those of Bassora, sent ambassadors to the Viceroy of Goa to obtain permission from him to be allowed to dwell in the island of Ceylon. They undertook to drive out the inhabitants of the country. But the Viceroy refused to grant what they asked except on condition that they became Catholics, and as they were unwilling to agree, the arrangement they proposed did not take effect” (Vol 1, p.200-01).

He makes fun of Indians’ craze for anything white, as he says “All the Orientals prefer the whitest pearls, the whitest diamonds, the whitest bread and the whitest women” (Vol 2, p.9).

An unusual practice of the people of Kerala is mentioned. “The Malabaris in general carefully preserve the nails of their left hands, and allow their hair to grow like that of a woman. Their nails, which are sometimes half a finger long, serve them as combs, indeed they have no others, and it is with this left hand also that they perform all impure duties, never touching their faces nor that which they eat save only with the right hand” (Vol 2, p.200). In the foot note, it is written that “The Nayars of Malabar let their nails grow, according to Linschoten, to show that they are ‘gentlemen’ and do not engage in manual labour”.

Tavernier saw and weighed the Koh-i-Noor diamond and described the stunning magnificence of the Peacock throne which were in the possession of Aurangzeb at that time. Reading some of the historical incidents in the present tense in Tavernier’s annals is interesting like his description that the ‘most beautiful building in Agra is the tomb of Shahjahan’s wife’ which he saw within 10 years of its completion, but it should not be considered that he was a friend of India and its culture. On the contrary, he minces no words to accuse the natives as adherents of a false religion and whose gods and goddesses are termed demons and monsters from the condescending eyes of a European who has just seen rapid progress in his homeland. This book, if anything provides a neutral account on the administrative performance of the Mughals, in whose country we see caravans routinely waylaid and pillaged and corruption reigning supreme in every sphere of life. Since he was not conversant with the local languages place names are confused and often presented with strange spellings. Even the facts like distance between two towns, and the dates on which he passed along these routes are sometimes mistaken. However, in spite of all these shortcomings, this book is a very fine representation of what India looked like in the middle of the 17^th century and casts a revealing light into the lives of the Mughal elite whose pompousness and jealousy stirred up court intrigues which was a bane of the state. Altogether, a fine book which every student of history must read.

Climbing Mount Improbable

Title: Climbing Mount ImprobableEditor: Richard DawkinsPublisher: Penguin Books 2006 (First published 1996)ISBN: 978-0-14-102617-6Pages: 294

Another superb title from Dawkins. A first hand experience of delving deep into the fine nuances of evolution and gaining an insightful flash into the mechanisms and nitty-gritty of how changes take effect in a living system over time can be had from this first-rate work. Being a staunch atheist as well, Dawkins never for an instant looks forward to the supernatural to answer some of the toughest questions on the origins and evolution of plant and animal life. This puts him in a firm foundation of logic and reason which renders his arguments, particularly regarding the probability of mutations and such effects of chance, unassailable by the opponents whose feeble and often rhetorical postulates pale into insignificance. Whatever ideas or hypotheses presented in this book are supported on incontrovertible fact and fossil evidence and the interpretations based on them are mesmerizing because of the clarity and soundness of logic weaved right into them. Every student of science and evolution must have read this book.

Mount Improbable is a fictitious mountain range with sharp cliffs and unclimbable peaks on one side, but having gentle slopes and easily ascendable gradients on the other side. A person looking at this range from the former side simply wonders at the lofty peaks it has and the impossibility of reaching to their summits. Dawkins argues that all the achievements of life forms, even such impressive feats like wings and eyes corresponds to the lofty peaks of this mountain range and the creationists and intelligent designers are the people who waxes eloquent on the unattainability of the peaks in full ignorance of the gentle slopes on the invisible other side through the gradual ascension by which all the modern species emerged. Two enlightening chapters on the origins of flight and development of eyes makes the ideas convincing enough. Wings developed by the gradual appearance of gliding along the tree canopy of dark forests. Eyes developed by the gradual transformation of a group of cells sensitive to light. In fact, even Charles Darwin stumbled on the issue of eyes about which he said, “The eye, to this day, gives me a cold shudder, but when I think of the fine known gradations, my reason tells me I ought to conquer the cold shudder. When it was first said that the sun stood still and the world turned around, the common sense of manking declared the doctrine false: but the old saying of Vox populi, vox Dei, as every philosopher knows, cannot be trusted in science. Reason tells me, that if numerous gradations from an imperfect and simple eye to one perfect and complex, each grade being useful to its possessor, can be shown to exist, as is certainly the case: if further, the eye ever slightly varies, and the variations be inherited, as is likewise the case; and if such variations should ever be useful to any animal under changing conditions of life, then the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our imagination, cannot be considered real”.

The origins and reason for the existence of life forms and succinctly presented with reference to genes which try to duplicate themselves and thus create offsprings of them going into the future. Such activity is familiar in the more destructive setting of viruses which also do the same. The most important difference between genes and viruses is that the latter always try to propagate their own genetic code through manipulating already developed organisms whereas the former builds up the organism first. All the genes on the body of a frog develops its host through embryonic, post-natal and adulthood and then only expresse their ultimate aim of making copies of themselves. These genes don’t think in advance and all random mutations will be tested against the criteria of short-term benefit. If a mutation doesn’t confer any immediate benefits on its possessor being, it is rejected in the race for survival and perishes. The most important argument put forward by the proponents of creationism or intelligent design is the sheer improbability of random mutations developing in organisms which makes life forms as complex as the modern species. Dawkins counters this by the counterpoint that the changes did not take effect in a single generation which amounted to reaching the summit of Mount Improbable in one giant leap. The truth is literally on the opposite side. The mutations taking place in the genetic code are ever so slight, conferring a small but definite advantage to the host. Being small, it doesn’t require a vanishing chance to occur. Natural selection then takes over and decides whether the being is suitable for life or isn’t. Natural selection is not at all random. So by the combination of random small mutations and non-random natural selection, the species ascended through the gentle slopes on the other side of Mount Improbable and reached those points which they now occupy and which stupefies some people who are clueless of how the species reached there.

Though not related to the main theme, there is an arresting paragraph about how Dawkins showed the Halley’s comet to his 2-year old daughter when it appeared in 1986. The narration is touching, because I had also witnessed this incident as a 14-year old boy. See this narrative. “On a crisp, starry night in 1986 I woke my two-year old daughter Juliet and carried her, wrapped in blankets, out into the garden where I pointed her sleepy face to the published location of the Halley’s comet. She didn’t take in what I was saying, but I stubbornly whispered into her ear the story of the comet and the certainty that I could never see it again, but that she might, when she was 78. I explained that I had woken her so that she’d be able to tell her grand children in 2062 that she had seen the comet before, and perhaps she’d remember her father for his quixotic whim in carrying her out into the night to show it to her. (I may even have whispered the words quixotic and whim because small children like the sound of words they don’t know, carefully articulated.”.

A very good book which is eminently readable, though not exactly a page-turner. The chapters on various developmental methods of shells and how pollen grains are carried by wasps in fig trees are a bit boring. We hope the author would re-design these in future editions.

Rating: 4 Star