It pains me to write this. For years, I've rather idolized David Quammen. From Monster of God to the all-too-relevant Spillover, I've relished Quammen's words and writing. For that reason, I was only too glad to grab The Tangled Tree from the library shelves the afternoon before it closed for the duration. Quammen's latest book focuses on discoveries in the field of molecular biology.
As usual, the writing is beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn't read more than 150 pages on horizontal gene transfer, the cell walls of archaea, cytoplasm, and the like. Unlike Quammen's previous books, which connect scientific thought with real world implications - species management, for example, or the possibility of a global pandemic (hint: 100%; see: covid-19, 2020) - The Tangled Tree is science for scientists. It is the detailed history of molecular biology from the days of Darwin to present. I wanted to like it. I would have settled for reading it. In the end, much as I hate to admit it, I could do neither.
Die hard science fans only please; the casual reader need not apply.
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