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Surnames and genetic structure
change, for example. The book contains an astonishing concentration of factual information, while remaining highly readable. It ends, appropriately enough, with questions of complexity and leadership after surveying topics ranging from freshwater management to the conservation of biological diversity, from population growth to the protection of forests. This is a review which ought to be on the shelf of every concerned citizen and every scientist interested in the push-pull interplay between the worlds of science and technology, and the condition of our planet and its animal, plant, and microbial inhabitants.
Bernard Dixon
The Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy. Edited by J. Audouze and G. Israel. Pp. 432. Cambridge University Press. 7985. f29.95 until 31.72.85, then f40.00. This is a splendid book, as much an encyclopaedia as an atlas. An international team of more than 40 specialists has combined to produce a work which is a veritable mine of information on astronomy today. ‘The Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy’ contains five main sections - Sun, Solar System, Stars and the Galaxy, the Extragalactic Domain and the Scientific Perspective. Well over one hundred individual topics are covered. A typical two-page spread (many entries are longer) is full of facts and figures in an easily readable form. Subjects covered are as diverse as the solar wind, the Martian soil, Wolf-Rayet stars, the intergalactic medium, and the history of astronomy. There is also a useful glossary of more important terms. Throughout the book, the text is profusely illustrated with 1100 photographs and diagrams, 650 of which are in colour. Photographs are of high quality, ample use being made of the latest images from space. In general, diagrams are clearly and attractively executed. The publishers describe this work as ‘the most comprehensive reference book on astronomy available in a single volume’. It would be difficult indeed to dispute such a claim. This fine work should appeal to a very wide readership - from the professional astronomer to anyone with only the most casual interest in astronomy. It is an excellent buy. F. R. Stephenson
Active Galactic Nuclei. Edited by J. E. Dyson. Pp. 383. Manchester University Press. 1985. Paperback f20.00. In 1963, some starlike objects associated with cosmic radio sources were discovered to have large redshifts. If this redshift were due to the expansion of the universe (the Hubble law), then these objects had the amazing property of being hundreds of times more luminous than entire galaxies, even though the power output was concen
trated in a region smaller than our Solar System. Thousands of these ‘quasars’ are now known; moreover. it has become clear that quasars are just the most extreme instances of the general phenomenon of ‘violent activity’ in galactic nuclei. Some runaway catastrophe seems to have occurred in the centres of many galaxies. leading probably to the formation of a black hole millions (or even billions) of times more massive than the Sun. Theorists are now trying to understand how this happens, and how gravitational energy is efficiently converted into the optical, radio, and x-ray emission that is observed. This enterprise is at the same level as our knowledge of stellar structure and evolution was 50 years ago: we are still unsure of the primary energy generation mechanism in active galactic nuclei; nor do we understand how the power is reprocessed (often in much more extended region) into the radiation actually seen. Quasars still engender boisterous controversy: the subject has not yet reached the stage where definitive textbooks or monographs can be written. The proceedings of specialised conferences are therefore the basic literature available in book form. The ‘coming of age’ of quasars in 1984 was marked by an international conference held which offered a timely in Manchester, opportunity to assess progress. The published proceedings report the latest data in all wavebands, and discussions of some currently-favoured theoretical models. Scientists seeking to learn the Havour of the subject could do no better than read the introductory chapter by Hazard (himself the co-discoverer of quasars), and the summary chapter by Pagel. The 3X)-odd pages between these two fine contributions, though generally of high quality, are primarily of specialist interest. M. .I. Rees
Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics. By C. M. Will. Pp. 342. Cambridge University Press. (Hardback version 1987.) Paperback, 1985. f 75.00. Until quite recently relativistic theories of gravitation had a reputation of being difficult to refute. Their testable predictions were often either indistinguishable from Newtonian predictions or beyond the powers of experimental detection. C. Will has attempted the task of testing theories of gravitation using modern experimental techniques and a PPN (pdrameterised postNewtonian) formalism that looks for effects that supplement the classical Newtonian effects. His classification of different theoretical models owes much to a hierarchy of ‘equivalence principles’ and the role played by the metric in such theories (models based on connections with torsion or non-metric connections are dismissed in passing). As one who has always regarded the equivalence principle as useful scaffolding in the development of gravitational theory rather
than as a foundation for the whole edifice, I was eager to understand the logical structure that followed from such a classification. The book’s theoretical development, however, followed a traditional componentoriented approach and resorted to ‘rules of thumb’ when the curved space prescriptions became ambiguous. I felt somewhat uneasy in many calculations where physical terms were being used at crucial steps without being precisely introduced. I would have wished to avoid a not truly measurable spin precession’ half way through a calculation on the inertial drag experienced by a gyroscope. However, the book has much to recommend it. It contains a wealth of modern experimental information that I found fascinating and is not to be found succinctly elsewhere. It leaves one feeling that the author is contributing to a developing and exciting area in gravitational physics. R. W. Tucker
Surnames and Genetic Structure. By G. W. Lasker. Pp. 148. (Cambridge Studies in Biological Anthropology) Cambridge University Press. 1985. f 75.00 ($24.95). This book is concerned mainly with the use of the frequencies of marriages between people of the same surname to estimate the level of inbreeding in a population. The coefficient of inbreeding of an individual is the probability that the two genes of any locus are identical by descent; that is, copies of some single gene possessed by a common ancestor of the individual’s parents. The coefficient is important in human genetics because of its implications for the probability that an individual is homozygous for genes that are harmful when present in ‘double dose’. In many societies the family name is the male surname. Then, in the commonest cases of marriage of relatives, such as marriage of first cousins. the inbreeding coefficient of the children will be four times the probability that the husband and wife had the same surname before marriage. The overall frequencies of the surnames in the population can be used to see if there is any tendency for marriages between people of the same surname, who may therefore be related, to be more or less frequent than would be expected by chance. The use of the frequency of same-name marriages to estimate the average inbreeding in a population has advantages and disadvantages compared with the study of pedigrees. Pedigrees are often available for only a limited number of generations and only for selected families. The main difficulties with the use of surnames are the assumption of the unique origin of every name and the complications caused by migration and by geographical and social stratification affecting the choice of marriage partners. This book presents the ideas and limitations of the method with many examples based on real data. Unfortunately, it is not
51
easy to read and is in places. sometimes due to errors, confusing. A more careful development would have been much easier to follow. This could have been achieved, without lengthening the book, by omitting some of the long series of maps of surname distributions over the UK. The book is certainly useful for its comprehensive bibliography. This reviewer has doubts whether this very specialised corner of anthropology has a great deal to tell us about the genetic structure of populations. The topic described in this book is perhaps most fascinating in being so precisely defined and self-contained. R. N. Curnow
Genome Multiplication in Growth and Development. Biology of Polyploid and Polytene Cells. By V. Ya. Brodskya and 1. V. Uryvaeva. Pp. 305. Cambridge University Press. 1985. f39.50 ($79.50). The authors’ aims, achieved with a remarkable degree of success, are to explore ‘polyploidy and polyteny as phenomena of normal development’ and ‘the modes of and reasons for genome multiplication’. After a brief introduction, which gives historical perspective and clarifies terminology. the authors present some of the 300 cases of polyploidy and polyteny known in animals. plants, and protozoa. The accounts have extraordinary precision and there is critical evaluation of technique. The emphasis is on function, rather than merely description, and on the search for unifying concepts. The section on the mechanisms for changing the number of genomes is broad and extends to DNA amplification and diminution; in addition, biochemical and physiological information is woven into a satisfying, coherent account. The final chapters are devoted mainly to the quest for functional significance in polyploidy and polyteny. Structural, biochemical, and genetic consequences of genome multiplication are considered; inevitably, in a partly speculative exercise; the arguments are not uniformly persuasive. but all are stimulating. The volume is well produced, and the authors have been served excellently by their translator. In its breadth, its 900 references. and its particular approach. this book is likely to have enduring value for biologists who wish to see polyploidy and polyteny in a wide context. J. A. Roper
A Dictionary of Genetic Engineering. By Stephen G. Oliver and John M. Ward. Pp. 153. Cambridge University Press. 1985. f 12.50 ($19.95). The term ‘genetic engineering’ is a potent prod for stimulating the imagination. Important to realise, however, that today’s genetic engineers are still primitives - they have
52
invented their wheel and lever, but some development is needed before a man can step on the moon. And this dictionary is honest there: ‘genetic engineering’ is given as ‘a popular term for the use in virro techniques .‘_ Best perhaps to take this book rather lightly, as a source of sometimes illuminatand ing. sometimes amusing definitions facts. It does not achieve the status of a systematic reference work. and indeed rather stumbles over thoroughness of coverage. A significant omission: no mention of vaccinia. A really major shortfall: no treatment of synthesis and uses of oligonucleotides (which are real genetic cngineering). The book’s target audience remains hazy to me. Although it is not comprehensive enough for serious professional use. it might be incomprehensible to anyone else. But this may be a limitation of the view from my desk. The potential, non-technical reader should remember that effort will be required, and that one book is not enough. To this person, wishing to know about cutting and running, entrapment and enrichment, ARS elements and JUGFET, day-minus, freeze-squeeze, sex-factors, and dideoxynucleoside triphosphates - read on, and remember, it really is another culture. D. J. McGeoch
Environmental Regulation of Microbial Metabolism. Edited by 1. S. Kulav, A. E. Dawes, and 0. W. Tempest. Pp. 515. Academic P&s, Orlando, f/a. 1985. $49.00 (f49.00). The Federation of European Microbiological Societies held a symposium at Puschino (USSR) in June 1983 and the edited proceedings of the meeting comprise this book. The fifty-two contributions include plenary lectures and research papers on the environmental regulation of metabolism in heterotrophic and autotrophic microbes; the secretion of macromolecules; solute and metabolite transport in eukaryotes and prokaryotes; and the biogenesis of cell structure. The contents are wide-ranging and inelude numerous insights into microbial physiology and biochemistry. The impact of the environment on cell metabolism is not, however, always apparent. Much laboratory-based research on microbial ecophysiology and metabolism, as reviewed here. is traditionally performed with pure cultures, isolated by enrichment with high levels of the nutrient of interest. The importance of studying microbes isolated from nutrient-limited locations. which often prevail in natural environments, and their scavenging ability is emphasised. Almost half of the contributions are from laboratories in the USSR and these, with their bibliographies, provide a useful and accessible record of research which is often overlooked by microbiologists elsewhere. The high cost of this rapid manuscript reproduction will deter many individuals but
it is recommended for purchase by microbiology and biochemistry libraries. G. A. Codd Photodissociation and Photoionization. Edited by K. P. Lawley. Pp. 474. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f47.50. ‘Advances in Chemical Physics’ and its sister journals are well established amongst the foremost of scientific reviews. They are written by specialists for specialists, but the present volume on Photodissociation and Photoionization should have wider appeal. As an atomic physicist. this is hardly my line, but I found the articles surprisingly comprehensible and succinct. At the same time they offer expert summaries, informed comment, and a host of references to the active researcher, and the contributors were drawn from as far apart as the USA, UK. USSR, Canada, and Israel. Lasers. as everyone knows, acquired the tag of ‘a solution looking for a problem’. But if a general reader is inclined to wonder what use chemists are making of lasers. he could hardly do better than browse through this book; where he will discover that they are doing very well indeed. Laser light is highly monochromatic and so (in a number of ingenious ways) it can resolve the fine vibrational, rotational. and electronic spectra of molecules with beautiful precision. The light may also be intense so that photons may be considered to arrive at a molecule or atom in rapid succession and so ionize it in successive stages. Or the photons may arrive ‘all at once’ so that their energies add together. Many applications are described in these reviews. e.g. the production of deuterium to moderate a heavy water reactor or to separate isotopes of uranium for naughtier purposes. The book describes such a host of ingenious experimental and theoretical work that I found it fascinating. Which. I suppose, shows that chemistry really is a wonderful subject when it merges with physics Ken Dolder
Semi-empirical Methods of Quantum Chemistry. By Joanna Sadlej. Pp. 386. Ellis Hot-wood, Chichester. 1985. f42.50. This book presents a comprehensive account of semi-empirical methods, and reviews a plethora of results of many kinds. Its stated aims are to popularize these methods as an additional research tool and to present them in a suitable manner for the non-theoretician. The recent advances in computers and in a6 initio quantum chemical methods may call in question the timeliness of such a lengthy discussion of semi-empirical methods. However. in spite of some heroic calculations, ab inirio methods are still not routinely applied to molecules larger than IS atoms say. Also, a large number of ordinary chemists are still using ‘black-box’
Bernard Dixon
The Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy. Edited by J. Audouze and G. Israel. Pp. 432. Cambridge University Press. 7985. f29.95 until 31.72.85, then f40.00. This is a splendid book, as much an encyclopaedia as an atlas. An international team of more than 40 specialists has combined to produce a work which is a veritable mine of information on astronomy today. ‘The Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy’ contains five main sections - Sun, Solar System, Stars and the Galaxy, the Extragalactic Domain and the Scientific Perspective. Well over one hundred individual topics are covered. A typical two-page spread (many entries are longer) is full of facts and figures in an easily readable form. Subjects covered are as diverse as the solar wind, the Martian soil, Wolf-Rayet stars, the intergalactic medium, and the history of astronomy. There is also a useful glossary of more important terms. Throughout the book, the text is profusely illustrated with 1100 photographs and diagrams, 650 of which are in colour. Photographs are of high quality, ample use being made of the latest images from space. In general, diagrams are clearly and attractively executed. The publishers describe this work as ‘the most comprehensive reference book on astronomy available in a single volume’. It would be difficult indeed to dispute such a claim. This fine work should appeal to a very wide readership - from the professional astronomer to anyone with only the most casual interest in astronomy. It is an excellent buy. F. R. Stephenson
Active Galactic Nuclei. Edited by J. E. Dyson. Pp. 383. Manchester University Press. 1985. Paperback f20.00. In 1963, some starlike objects associated with cosmic radio sources were discovered to have large redshifts. If this redshift were due to the expansion of the universe (the Hubble law), then these objects had the amazing property of being hundreds of times more luminous than entire galaxies, even though the power output was concen
trated in a region smaller than our Solar System. Thousands of these ‘quasars’ are now known; moreover. it has become clear that quasars are just the most extreme instances of the general phenomenon of ‘violent activity’ in galactic nuclei. Some runaway catastrophe seems to have occurred in the centres of many galaxies. leading probably to the formation of a black hole millions (or even billions) of times more massive than the Sun. Theorists are now trying to understand how this happens, and how gravitational energy is efficiently converted into the optical, radio, and x-ray emission that is observed. This enterprise is at the same level as our knowledge of stellar structure and evolution was 50 years ago: we are still unsure of the primary energy generation mechanism in active galactic nuclei; nor do we understand how the power is reprocessed (often in much more extended region) into the radiation actually seen. Quasars still engender boisterous controversy: the subject has not yet reached the stage where definitive textbooks or monographs can be written. The proceedings of specialised conferences are therefore the basic literature available in book form. The ‘coming of age’ of quasars in 1984 was marked by an international conference held which offered a timely in Manchester, opportunity to assess progress. The published proceedings report the latest data in all wavebands, and discussions of some currently-favoured theoretical models. Scientists seeking to learn the Havour of the subject could do no better than read the introductory chapter by Hazard (himself the co-discoverer of quasars), and the summary chapter by Pagel. The 3X)-odd pages between these two fine contributions, though generally of high quality, are primarily of specialist interest. M. .I. Rees
Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics. By C. M. Will. Pp. 342. Cambridge University Press. (Hardback version 1987.) Paperback, 1985. f 75.00. Until quite recently relativistic theories of gravitation had a reputation of being difficult to refute. Their testable predictions were often either indistinguishable from Newtonian predictions or beyond the powers of experimental detection. C. Will has attempted the task of testing theories of gravitation using modern experimental techniques and a PPN (pdrameterised postNewtonian) formalism that looks for effects that supplement the classical Newtonian effects. His classification of different theoretical models owes much to a hierarchy of ‘equivalence principles’ and the role played by the metric in such theories (models based on connections with torsion or non-metric connections are dismissed in passing). As one who has always regarded the equivalence principle as useful scaffolding in the development of gravitational theory rather
than as a foundation for the whole edifice, I was eager to understand the logical structure that followed from such a classification. The book’s theoretical development, however, followed a traditional componentoriented approach and resorted to ‘rules of thumb’ when the curved space prescriptions became ambiguous. I felt somewhat uneasy in many calculations where physical terms were being used at crucial steps without being precisely introduced. I would have wished to avoid a not truly measurable spin precession’ half way through a calculation on the inertial drag experienced by a gyroscope. However, the book has much to recommend it. It contains a wealth of modern experimental information that I found fascinating and is not to be found succinctly elsewhere. It leaves one feeling that the author is contributing to a developing and exciting area in gravitational physics. R. W. Tucker
Surnames and Genetic Structure. By G. W. Lasker. Pp. 148. (Cambridge Studies in Biological Anthropology) Cambridge University Press. 1985. f 75.00 ($24.95). This book is concerned mainly with the use of the frequencies of marriages between people of the same surname to estimate the level of inbreeding in a population. The coefficient of inbreeding of an individual is the probability that the two genes of any locus are identical by descent; that is, copies of some single gene possessed by a common ancestor of the individual’s parents. The coefficient is important in human genetics because of its implications for the probability that an individual is homozygous for genes that are harmful when present in ‘double dose’. In many societies the family name is the male surname. Then, in the commonest cases of marriage of relatives, such as marriage of first cousins. the inbreeding coefficient of the children will be four times the probability that the husband and wife had the same surname before marriage. The overall frequencies of the surnames in the population can be used to see if there is any tendency for marriages between people of the same surname, who may therefore be related, to be more or less frequent than would be expected by chance. The use of the frequency of same-name marriages to estimate the average inbreeding in a population has advantages and disadvantages compared with the study of pedigrees. Pedigrees are often available for only a limited number of generations and only for selected families. The main difficulties with the use of surnames are the assumption of the unique origin of every name and the complications caused by migration and by geographical and social stratification affecting the choice of marriage partners. This book presents the ideas and limitations of the method with many examples based on real data. Unfortunately, it is not
51
easy to read and is in places. sometimes due to errors, confusing. A more careful development would have been much easier to follow. This could have been achieved, without lengthening the book, by omitting some of the long series of maps of surname distributions over the UK. The book is certainly useful for its comprehensive bibliography. This reviewer has doubts whether this very specialised corner of anthropology has a great deal to tell us about the genetic structure of populations. The topic described in this book is perhaps most fascinating in being so precisely defined and self-contained. R. N. Curnow
Genome Multiplication in Growth and Development. Biology of Polyploid and Polytene Cells. By V. Ya. Brodskya and 1. V. Uryvaeva. Pp. 305. Cambridge University Press. 1985. f39.50 ($79.50). The authors’ aims, achieved with a remarkable degree of success, are to explore ‘polyploidy and polyteny as phenomena of normal development’ and ‘the modes of and reasons for genome multiplication’. After a brief introduction, which gives historical perspective and clarifies terminology. the authors present some of the 300 cases of polyploidy and polyteny known in animals. plants, and protozoa. The accounts have extraordinary precision and there is critical evaluation of technique. The emphasis is on function, rather than merely description, and on the search for unifying concepts. The section on the mechanisms for changing the number of genomes is broad and extends to DNA amplification and diminution; in addition, biochemical and physiological information is woven into a satisfying, coherent account. The final chapters are devoted mainly to the quest for functional significance in polyploidy and polyteny. Structural, biochemical, and genetic consequences of genome multiplication are considered; inevitably, in a partly speculative exercise; the arguments are not uniformly persuasive. but all are stimulating. The volume is well produced, and the authors have been served excellently by their translator. In its breadth, its 900 references. and its particular approach. this book is likely to have enduring value for biologists who wish to see polyploidy and polyteny in a wide context. J. A. Roper
A Dictionary of Genetic Engineering. By Stephen G. Oliver and John M. Ward. Pp. 153. Cambridge University Press. 1985. f 12.50 ($19.95). The term ‘genetic engineering’ is a potent prod for stimulating the imagination. Important to realise, however, that today’s genetic engineers are still primitives - they have
52
invented their wheel and lever, but some development is needed before a man can step on the moon. And this dictionary is honest there: ‘genetic engineering’ is given as ‘a popular term for the use in virro techniques .‘_ Best perhaps to take this book rather lightly, as a source of sometimes illuminatand ing. sometimes amusing definitions facts. It does not achieve the status of a systematic reference work. and indeed rather stumbles over thoroughness of coverage. A significant omission: no mention of vaccinia. A really major shortfall: no treatment of synthesis and uses of oligonucleotides (which are real genetic cngineering). The book’s target audience remains hazy to me. Although it is not comprehensive enough for serious professional use. it might be incomprehensible to anyone else. But this may be a limitation of the view from my desk. The potential, non-technical reader should remember that effort will be required, and that one book is not enough. To this person, wishing to know about cutting and running, entrapment and enrichment, ARS elements and JUGFET, day-minus, freeze-squeeze, sex-factors, and dideoxynucleoside triphosphates - read on, and remember, it really is another culture. D. J. McGeoch
Environmental Regulation of Microbial Metabolism. Edited by 1. S. Kulav, A. E. Dawes, and 0. W. Tempest. Pp. 515. Academic P&s, Orlando, f/a. 1985. $49.00 (f49.00). The Federation of European Microbiological Societies held a symposium at Puschino (USSR) in June 1983 and the edited proceedings of the meeting comprise this book. The fifty-two contributions include plenary lectures and research papers on the environmental regulation of metabolism in heterotrophic and autotrophic microbes; the secretion of macromolecules; solute and metabolite transport in eukaryotes and prokaryotes; and the biogenesis of cell structure. The contents are wide-ranging and inelude numerous insights into microbial physiology and biochemistry. The impact of the environment on cell metabolism is not, however, always apparent. Much laboratory-based research on microbial ecophysiology and metabolism, as reviewed here. is traditionally performed with pure cultures, isolated by enrichment with high levels of the nutrient of interest. The importance of studying microbes isolated from nutrient-limited locations. which often prevail in natural environments, and their scavenging ability is emphasised. Almost half of the contributions are from laboratories in the USSR and these, with their bibliographies, provide a useful and accessible record of research which is often overlooked by microbiologists elsewhere. The high cost of this rapid manuscript reproduction will deter many individuals but
it is recommended for purchase by microbiology and biochemistry libraries. G. A. Codd Photodissociation and Photoionization. Edited by K. P. Lawley. Pp. 474. Wiley, Chichester. 1985. f47.50. ‘Advances in Chemical Physics’ and its sister journals are well established amongst the foremost of scientific reviews. They are written by specialists for specialists, but the present volume on Photodissociation and Photoionization should have wider appeal. As an atomic physicist. this is hardly my line, but I found the articles surprisingly comprehensible and succinct. At the same time they offer expert summaries, informed comment, and a host of references to the active researcher, and the contributors were drawn from as far apart as the USA, UK. USSR, Canada, and Israel. Lasers. as everyone knows, acquired the tag of ‘a solution looking for a problem’. But if a general reader is inclined to wonder what use chemists are making of lasers. he could hardly do better than browse through this book; where he will discover that they are doing very well indeed. Laser light is highly monochromatic and so (in a number of ingenious ways) it can resolve the fine vibrational, rotational. and electronic spectra of molecules with beautiful precision. The light may also be intense so that photons may be considered to arrive at a molecule or atom in rapid succession and so ionize it in successive stages. Or the photons may arrive ‘all at once’ so that their energies add together. Many applications are described in these reviews. e.g. the production of deuterium to moderate a heavy water reactor or to separate isotopes of uranium for naughtier purposes. The book describes such a host of ingenious experimental and theoretical work that I found it fascinating. Which. I suppose, shows that chemistry really is a wonderful subject when it merges with physics Ken Dolder
Semi-empirical Methods of Quantum Chemistry. By Joanna Sadlej. Pp. 386. Ellis Hot-wood, Chichester. 1985. f42.50. This book presents a comprehensive account of semi-empirical methods, and reviews a plethora of results of many kinds. Its stated aims are to popularize these methods as an additional research tool and to present them in a suitable manner for the non-theoretician. The recent advances in computers and in a6 initio quantum chemical methods may call in question the timeliness of such a lengthy discussion of semi-empirical methods. However. in spite of some heroic calculations, ab inirio methods are still not routinely applied to molecules larger than IS atoms say. Also, a large number of ordinary chemists are still using ‘black-box’