The Beak of the Finch  is a fascinating account of an ongoing research project that documents the evolutionary changes occurring in a group of finches on a tiny island in the Pacific.

The reader works along side Peter and Rosemary Grant as they meticulously measure the dimensions of the birds, generation after generation, and compile mountains of data for analysis.

We find that evolution, rather than being an imperceptibly slow process as Darwin suggested, can be rapid, turbulent, even explosive.

While the finch study is the main thread of the book, Jonathan Weiner uses his considerable literary skill to contrast the findings of modern biology with the thinking of historical figures such as Linnaeus and Darwin, make us realize that evolutionary changes are universal and contemporary, and vividly describe how the evolutionary capacities of many organisms affect our lives by defying our efforts to control them. Perhaps most importantly, Weiner shows us that good science, while laborious and demanding of patience, is necessary if we wish to have an accurate view of life on this planet.

A former writer and editor for The Sciences, Jonathan Weiner resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and their two sons. While he has authored Planet Earth and The Next Hundred Years, his more recent The Beak of the Finch has brought him his greatest acclaim.

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