Evolution by Association

Beginning in the 1960s, in the midst of the triumph of molecular biology, a "quiet revolution" in our understanding of ourselves took place. Our evolution and that of all plants and animals is not due solely to the gradual accumulation of gene changes within species. In fact, we evolved from, and are comprised of, a merger of two or more different kinds of organisms living together. Symbiosis is at the very root of our being. Jan Sapp has assembled a systematic history of this emerging field, in this engaging, wide-ranging account of the growth of an important biological idea.