“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So wrote Margaret Wolfe Hungerford in her 1878 novel Molly Bawn. But what about those eyes? Does it change matters if the eyes of one beholder don’t see things the same way as another? If they see colors differently – or perhaps see fewer or more subtle divisions in these colors? Perhaps they see into portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that others can’t perceive, which allows them to see patterns that are invisible to those lacking such perceptual capabilities?
In her new book Animal Beauty; On the Evolution of Biological Aesthetics, Nobel laureate and Director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard delves into the “colors and patterns in the animal kingdom, what they communicate, and how they function in the social life of animals” as part of her exploration into the evolution and development of animal color patterns.
Although relatively short in length, this little book looks to far out-reach its physical size in its potential to inspire meaningful contemplation and more focused observation of the creatures all around us – truly elements of a book that any naturalist should be eager to read.
