For many years the federal government funded the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), later popularized by Carl Sagan's novel Contact and the movie starring Jodie Foster. Though in actuality SETI never did make contact with signals from an alien civilization, the search continues to this day through privately funded endeavors. How likely is it that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe? This is the intriguing question that has prompted William Burger's illuminating and absorbing exploration of the unusual circumstances surrounding life on earth. Examining the critical episodes in our planet's early history and the peculiar trajectory of life on our world, Burger shows that the long odyssey of planet Earth may be utterly unique in our galaxy. For example, he describes features of the sun that are far from average. By some estimates, 95 percent of the other stars in the Milky Way galaxy are smaller, and it is unlikely that any of them could supply the energy requirements for a life-sustaining planet such as our own. Earth, as the third planet from the sun, sits within the "Goldilocks" orbit: it is in the perfect position to receive not too much heat (like Mercury and Venus) and not too little (like more distant planets of the solar system) but just the right amount to foster the development of life. Turning to the evolution of life itself, Burger points out a host of amazing accidents (for example, the extinction of dinosaurs and the proliferation of flowering plants) that make the steps along the way to Homo sapiens seem like very rare events indeed. He also calls attention to the curious fact that the early hominid brain tripled in size over the relatively short time period leading to the appearance of modern human beings. Finally, he notes aspects of humanity's cultural evolution that seem unlikely to have been duplicated anywhere else. Burger's enlightening evaluation of evolutionary and cosmic history, full of fascinating details, shows that the human achievement may be unique in our galaxy.

Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We?

Politics & Social Sciences

Burger, William C.

Anthropology

Prometheus

The world would be a pretty drab place without flowers. Their bright cheery colors help make our natural environment a more delightful place to be. But flowers in all their beautiful variations didn't evolve just for the viewing pleasure of the later-developing human race. What are flowers really for? As botanist and popular science writer William Burger makes clear in this enchanting book, the quick and simple answer is: sex. Burger emphasizes the essential role that flowers play in life's evolutionary scheme. Their bright colors and alluring shapes represent a strategy for attracting insects and inducing animals to help with pollination. This constant intermingling is nature's way of perpetuating the species and encouraging variety, so as to protect against disease and unpredictable environments. Flowers are the supreme example of nature's reproductive exuberance, ensuring the persistence of life against an onslaught of destructive forces.More significantly, Burger points out, flowers are the fundamental energy resource for most of the biosphere. Since they energize themselves by capturing the energy of sunlight, they provide a vital link in the chain of life, especially for animals and humans, which depend on other organisms to nourish and energize them. Without the existence of flowering plants, human survival would be in jeopardy. Finally, Burger goes on to show the paramount importance of a few species of plants that have served not only as the basis of agriculture, but, in doing so, have enabled human civilization to thrive. Even today, in our complex technological world, it is the flowering plants that provide us with nearly all the vegetable energy that sustains us. Written with clarity, wit, and engaging enthusiasm for the marvels of our fragile ecosystem, Flowers will make you stop and smell the roses, with a new appreciation of their crucial role in the web of life.

Flowers: How They Changed the World

Science & Math

Biological Sciences

This very readable overview of natural history explores the dynamics that have made our planet so rich in biodiversity over time and supported the rise and dominance of our own species. Tracing the arc of evolutionary history, biologist William C. Burger shows that cooperation and symbiosis have played a critical role in the ever increasing complexity of life on earth. Life may have started from the evolution of cooperating organic molecules, which outpaced their noncooperating neighbors. A prime example of symbiosis was the early incorporation of mitochondria into the eukaryotic cell (through a process called "endosymbiosis"). This event gave these cells a powerful new source of energy. Later, cooperation was again key when millions to trillions of individual eukaryotic cells eventually came together to build the unitary structures of large plants and animals. And cooperation between individuals of the same species resulted in complex animal societies, such as ant colonies and bee hives. Turning to our own species, the author argues that our ability to cooperate, along with incessant inter-group conflict, has driven the advancement of cultures, the elaboration of our technologies, and made us the most "invasive" species on the planet. But our very success has now become a huge problem, as our world dominion threatens the future of the biosphere and confronts us with a very uncertain future.Thought-provoking and full of fascinating detail, this eloquently told story of life on earth and our place within it presents a grand perspective and raises many important questions.

Complexity: The Evolution of Earth's Biodiversity and the Future of Humanity

Flora Costaricensis Families 54-70

Field Museum of Natural

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Books by Burger, William C.