Daniel Haeusser, Associate Blogger at Small Things Considered, has written a two-book review in which ours is included (rationale below). The purpose of Small Things Considered is to “share appreciation for the width and depth of the microbial activities on this planet.”
“…These two books provide insights into the biological concept of ‘kin’ from different perspectives, with different audiences in mind. Both are superb at accomplishing the goals and style they set forth. Whether you think of kin with a warm feeling of camaraderie, or with a wariness toward a threat that might take advantage of your connection, these books on biological kinship are each worth checking out…”
“A Little More Than Kin, Less Than Kind” is the title of Daniel’s assessment. The first volume, “Kin: How We Came to Know Our Microbe Relatives” (Harvard University Press, 2017), was written by John L. Ingraham. Readers can find the full text of the review here. Briefly, Daniel writes “Kin explores the history of our understanding about how life is genetically connected, and how studying microbes in particular led to a radically new image of the Tree of Life. In “Kin Recognition in Protists and Other Microbes: Genetics, Evolution, Behavior and Health” (Cambridge Scholars, 2018) Guillermo Paz-y-Miño-C and Avelina Espinosa review the latest research on the ability of cells to differentiate self from non-self, and to cooperate in a community while excluding selfish, or cheating, behavior.” ‒ “These two books provide insights into the biological concept of ‘kin’ from different perspectives, with different audiences in mind. Both are superb at accomplishing the goals and style they set forth. Whether you think of kin with a warm feeling of camaraderie, or with a wariness toward a threat that might take advantage of your connection, these books on biological kinship are each worth checking out.”
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