Léo Grasset from the channel DirtyBiology sign with The big mess of evolution, published by Flammarion, his third popular science book. On the program, a series of strange but very real facts, evolutionary biology and a (big) hint of humor for a book that may well turn your brain!
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Since 2014, Leo Grasset, the face of the YouTube channel ” DirtyBiology », popularizes biology with a clever mix of humor and scientific rigour. A project that continues in the form of a book, The big mess of evolution published on November 3, 2021 by Flammarion. Fans of Leo’s video work will be on familiar ground. For others, a series of mindfuck, as the author likes to call them (a term that is difficult to translate into French, but expect to have the brain overheating), awaits you throughout the pages.
life is complicated
The big mess of evolution is not made to be read in one go, but rather pecks at the whim. Each independent chapter begins with an unusual scientific anecdote, a quirk of nature, which becomes the pretext for unraveling the invisible – and sometimes very tangled – threads of evolution. Simple questions at first sight but which are well developed, without losing the neophytes. Léo Grasset writes as he speaks to us, it is not a scientist who lectures you, but a friend who shares his best anecdotes with you.
The first part of the book answers the big questions, seemingly simple, but which hide scientific notions and philosophical thrusts. The second part focuses on the human being. What is the essence of our humanity? Are we still evolving? Everything is accompanied with simplicity by the illustrations of Alice Mazel. Special mention for the chapter on Australian rabbits which has everything to please: cute animals, a slightly crazy experience and mutating viruses.
The scientific rigor does not suffer from the light and accessible tone of the book – evidenced by the abundant bibliography which closes the book and which will delight those who want to deepen the concepts presented. Often neglected, here the footnotes are unmissable! In conclusion, The big mess of evolution is a pleasant moment of reading and popularizing science. The mindfucks promises are there, so I advise you not to read it before bed, unless you want to ruminate all night on life, sex and how naked mole rats are perhaps superior to human beings.
The big mess of evolution by Léo Grasset has been available since November 3, 2021 in all bookstores and online.
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