Life Cycles

• PrefaceThe Background1Ch. 1Beginnings3Ch. 2The Life Cycle15The Period of Size Increase37Ch. 3Becoming Larger by Becoming Multicellular39Ch. 4Becoming Larger by Developing68Ch. 5Becoming Larger during Evolution93The Adult Period121Ch. 6Becoming Aware123Ch. 7Becoming Social158Ch. 8Becoming Cultural179Selected Reading201Index205

"If we measure books by the degree to which they alter our perceptions, then this one is certainly a winner. We will never be able to look at a rotting log in quite the same way again or dig through the soil in the garden."--Steven Austad, Natural History "Charming, fascinating, and insightful, this slim volume combines a memoir of a life in science with an accessible distillation of what we know about the workings of living things."--Kirkus Reviews "Bonner's prose is a felicitous blend of science simply explained, gentle but insistent rigor, and a fetching triad of wry humor, personal anecdote and unexpected diversion. This makes for an enchanting book that reflects a thoughtful preoccupation with life cycles and their evolution...rang[ing]...widely from the inherent importance of the size of particular organisms to the nature of animal thought and human culture."--Bernard Dixon, New Scientist "This, then, is not only a book that grapples with some of the most profound issues in biology but also a professional autobiography; a life history that has intertwined with the life cycles under study...Bonner's book ought to be a classic."--Peter Calow, The Times Higher Education Supplement