In this issue:
If you have ever wondered exactly how a plant comes to be described as "alien," or have asked the question "How long does a plant (or any organism) have to live in an area before it is no longer considered a newcomer?" Then these two books are for you. Both Tim Flannery's "The Eternal Frontier" and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" are sweeping in their scope, covering 13,000 years of human history on this continent. In fact, Flannery begins 65 million years ago with the comet that may or may not have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Both books track the development of America's ecosystems and the immigration and emigration of flora and fauna to and from Europe, Asia and South America. It is fascinating to read about the tremendous changes that occurred as glaciers advanced and retreated, forests appeared and vanished, and plants and animals adapted to the changes or became extinct. "The Eternal Frontier" reads like a storybook, unfolding astonishing new scenarios with each chapter. You will find an entirely new appreciation for time and the fleetingness of our own era, and will be left with a chilling, thoughtful view of what we are doing to our ecosystem.
"Guns, Germs and Steel" has an even
broader thesis, that the assortment of native plants and animals found in
a region was the major factor in the development of civilization. Only those
areas that had a variety of easily domesticated animals and plants, such as
the Middle East, which had goats, cattle and wheat, could support a diversified
society instead of constant hunter-gathering. In contrast, North America had
only deer and bison, neither of which is easily tamed by humans. Also, there
were no small grains naturally growing wild, to be selectively bred to provide
a large food supply. Corn, which developed from a wild grass in Central America,
eventually reached all of North America, but this occurred thousands of years
after the rise of agriculture in the Middle East.
What makes both of these books so fascinating is the extensive research that
went into them. Every supposition is carefully backed with valid references
and serious scholarship. As readable as they are, these two books will greatly
add to your knowledge of biological history and give you a lot of new ideas
to ponder.
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