Natalie Angier has taken great pains to learn her science from the molecule up. She knows all that scientists know-and sometimes more-about the power of symmetry in sexual relations, about the brutal courting habits of dolphins, about the grand deceit of orchids, and about the impact of female and male preferences on evolution. The Beauty of the Beastly takes the pulse of everything from the supple structure of DNA to the erotic ways of barn swallows,...

Draws on interviews with the world's top scientists to offer a guide to scientific literacy, exploring the fundamental principles of the major scientific disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy.

The latest anthology of the finest nature and science writing is edited by the author of The Elegant Universe and features an eclectic array of works by notable authors--including John Horgan, Daniel Dennett, Dennis Overbye, and others--on everything from the mysteries of genetics to the latest advances in human intelligence.