Dale Sabo’s Reviews > Dinosaur in a Haystack > Status Update

The latest essay is about cladism. The curious truths that king crabs and hermit crabs are of the same clade, very close relatives. And we are more closely related to chimpanzees than gorillas are related to chimpanzees.

A wicked good article on Haldane and Beatles.

The last three essays included an ancient and enormous Michigan mycorrhizal fungus, Caribbean snails and Creole languages, and the evolution of whales. Each excellent.

Do you share a birthday with someone famous or infamous? Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were both born February 12,1809. Try for a moment to imagine the alternative history if either man was never born.

Several essays on eugenics. Brings to mind that almond trees were domesticated for consumption because their bitterness is controlled by a single gene, making it easier to breed non-bitter varieties. Conversely, oak trees have many genes controlling acorn bitterness, complicating selective breeding. Additionally, oaks grow slowly and spread primarily through squirrels who are fine with bitter acorns.

Wide ranging, scholarly and accessible. Entirely to my taste.

The last two essays were about Jurassic Park (and an evolutionist’s kudos and complaints), and museums historical and modern. The biases, theories, and ultimate presentations. Both superb.