dinosaur-in-a-haystack

Reflections in Natural History #7

by Stephen Jay Gould

From fads to fungus, baseball to beeswax, Gould always circles back to the great themes of time, change, and history, carrying readers home to the centring theme of evolution.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Natural History, History, Evolution, Essays

480 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation. Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Most of Gould's empirical research was on land snails. Gould helped develop the theory of punctuated equilibrium, in which evolutionary stability is marked by instances of rapid change. He contributed to evolutionary developmental biology. In evolutionary theory, he opposed strict selectionism, sociobiology as applied to humans, and evolutionary psychology. He campaigned against creationism and proposed that science and religion should be considered two compatible, complementary fields, or "magisteria," whose authority does not overlap.

Many of Gould's essays were reprinted in collected volumes, such as Ever Since Darwin and The Panda's Thumb, while his popular treatises included books such as The Mismeasure of Man, Wonderful Life and Full House.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[William2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the four Stephen Jay Gould collections I've read, this may be the best one. The essays on positive publication bias (#10) and evolutionary stasis and punctuated equilibrium (#11) may be the best in the book.

The title essay "Dinosaur in a Haystack" (#12) is a very interesting tale about how loathed Luis Alvarez's 1980 meteoric impact theory--with its link to the Cretaceous-Palogene extinction event that killed off all the dinosaurs and made way for the expansion of mammal life--was by paleontologists generally when it was first published. The reason for this stubbornness was a long standing belief in geologic gradualism first espoused by the great Lyell. Gould counts himself among the sceptics and its intriguing to get his account of the fall of this well established theory. He then moves onto a discussion of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts on Jupiter in July 1995 and how this hammered home the Alvarez extinction theory, by then already confirmed by much earthly evidence. The thing about Gould is the way he can make the most recondite material not only understandable, but cogent.

In "Left Snails and Right Minds" (#16) he runs down why pre-1700 conchologists printed their snail illustrations in mirror image. This seems abstruce at first but ultimately provides insight into how conventions among 16th century conchologists have changed over time. For science, as Gould tells us, is as much bound by cultural preconceptions and personal worldview now as it was then. "Dinomania" (#17) is fun because it's a real palentologist's review of what Steven Spielberg got wrong and right in his film version of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. For example:

An amalgamated code of, say, 80 percent dinosaur DNA and 20 percent of frog DNA could never direct the embryological development of a functioning organism. This form of reductionism is simply silly . . . Moreover, frogs and dinosaurs are not even close evolutionary relatives, for their lines diverged in the Carboniferous period, more than 100 million years before the origin of dinosaurs. Jurassic Park's scientists should have used modern birds, the closest living kin to dinosaurs.

Another favorite essay is "The Most Unkindest Cut of All" (#24) in which Gould discusses his reading of the Wannsee Protocol which was inspired by the fiftieth anniversary of that document's promulgation by Adolph Eichmann in 1942. The perspective of a modern-day evolutionary biologist of conspicuous intellectual gifts who happened to be Jewish on the oft overlooked Part 2 of the protocol--with its horrible requirements for the treatment of so called half-Jews and quarter-Jews (Mischlinge)--I found riveting and fresh.

A few of these essays, I can see now, will require a second reading. "Speaking of Snails and Scales" (#27), for example, combines observations from linguistics (with regard to Creole languages), multivariate statistical analysis of the snail genus Cerion, narrative conventions, and fractal geometry. Such wild discursiveness is what I've always found so thrilling in Gould, but this bucking bronco has left me a bit discombobulated. Oh well, it's late.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, author of the thirty-four natural science essays collected in 'Dinosaur in a Haystack' (most of them originally published in Natural History magazine) was a genius in my opinion!

Many subjects interested him: history of science, literature, biology, plants, zoology, geology, paleontology, religion. Despite the depth and density of his knowledge, he was able to explain scientific and philosophical theories, ideas, concepts, inventions, research, and history in a plainspoken manner. He connected seemingly disparate topics into a cogent historical timeline, often with a playful tone and a wide-ranging intellectual walkabout. He often reprints the poetry and literature written shortly after historical science discoveries were being publicized which incorporated those new science concepts as topics for their literary imaginations.

I enjoyed reading these essays very much. I am a retired secretary, but I was able to follow Dr. Gould's discussions and explanations perfectly. He discusses fossils, eugenics, fungus, ancient leaf DNA and flower sex, and extinct animals. There be examinations of snails and snail illustrations, banknotes and Kings, and of course, Evolution. He discusses ears and hooves, dinosaur skulls and whale legs. The movie 'Jurassic Park' is taken apart with affection.

These essays are a delight! However, gentle reader, they are meant to be savored and gradually absorbed. Each essay is dense with information. Read them slowly. Take your time. It is worth it.

There is an extensive Bibliography.


From Wikipedia:

"Stephen Jay Gould (/ɡuːld/; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation.

Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In 1996, Gould was hired as the Vincent Astor Visiting Research Professor of Biology at New York University, where he divided his time teaching there and at Harvard.

Gould's most significant contribution to evolutionary biology was the theory of punctuated equilibrium, which he developed with Niles Eldredge in 1972. The theory proposes that most evolution is characterized by long periods of evolutionary stability, which is infrequently punctuated by swift periods of branching speciation. The theory was contrasted against phyletic gradualism, the popular idea that evolutionary change is marked by a pattern of smooth and continuous change in the fossil record.

Most of Gould's empirical research was based on the land snail genera Poecilozonites and Cerion. He also made important contributions to evolutionary developmental biology, receiving broad professional recognition for his book Ontogeny and Phylogeny. In evolutionary theory he opposed strict selectionism, sociobiology as applied to humans, and evolutionary psychology. He campaigned against creationism and proposed that science and religion should be considered two distinct fields (or "non-overlapping magisteria") whose authorities do not overlap.
Gould was known by the general public mainly for his 300 popular essays in Natural History magazine, and his numerous books written for both the specialist and non-specialist. In April 2000, the US Library of Congress named him a "Living Legend"."

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I place Gould in the company of the finest essayists, along with George Orwell, Walter Benjamin, and Lu Xun. He has a fine sense of place and humor and was probably the last gasp of the interconnected, "rabbit-hole" essay before the Internet ruined our brains. Rabbit-hole here was by Gould's own design, not by advertisers or the monolithic Wikipedia hyperlinking, brain-devourers, because as a scientist who specialized in evolution in his writing, random happenstance and puncturings of punctuated equilibriums were his forte. The essays here cover a wide range of subjects, all eventually circling back to the said theme: evolution. Standouts include a study of Poe's forgotten work on conchology; the addiction to all things dinosaurian, errors made in taxonomy and classification, extinctions, Beethoven, eugenics, women in science, and pornographic flower poetry.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wonderful. Intelligence, curiosity, enthusiasm, and a low tolerance for bullshit and intellectual short-cuts. A joy to read from page one to the end.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long enjoyed the essays on natural history ( emphasizing the workings of evolution ) written by Stephen Jay Gould. My goal is to read all the books that are collections of his essays. This one is from 1995 and so covers his essays from the early 90s. As with other books, Gould covers a wide range of topics--dinosaurs (of course!), whales, and "water bears," hermit crabs, and a humongous fungus, Comet Shoemaker-Levy, "Lucy," Papiamentu, the poetry of Erasmus Darwin,and Edgar Allan Poe's book on conchology, Linnaeus's "unmasking" of nature, eugenics,and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
And blaauwbocks--in his essay "Four Antelopes of the Apocalypse" which I think is my particular favorite of the thirty-four essays in the book. This essay is about a South African antelope-its Afrikaans name means "blue buck"-which became extinct in 1799. Gould describes the animal-and what happened to it- and his visit to the Leiden University Natural History Museum (in Holland) where he was permitted to view a rare treasure of the museum-one of only four mounted specimens of the blaauwbock remaining in the world. His conclusion is a powerful one: "But we knew this species for a few years during part of a century, and we did save a few scraps and records....as the only witness to a first loss in an accelerating series. They are watching us from Leiden, Paris, Vienna, and Stockholm. Four antelopes of the apocalypse, silently watching to see how many we will bring to their sorry fate."

[M. D. Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Jay Gould is a shameless over-writer -- I swear his books could be half the length if you cut out the ponderously funny asides and unconvincing self-deprecations...still, I keep reading his essays for the really smart scientist back there. I learn stuff.

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't finish because my dog ate it. Seriously.

[Jacko Cabrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para poder hablar con soltura de este libro seguramente tendría que haber tomado notas durante mi lectura, cosa que no he hecho, pese a la facilidad que te dan los libros electrónicos para subrayar aquello que te parece curioso o importante. Es uno de esos textos (un compendio de pequeños ensayos sobre naturalismo) donde, a veces, te pierdes en una plétora de términos científicos al que no estamos acostumbrados el común de los mortales, aún así me lo he leído con hambre, con las ganas de comprenderlo a fondo y a la mitad del libro, me ha enganchado. He aprendido a que la información científica siempre se entiende mejor cuando las metáforas acompañan a las explicaciones más crudas, que el ser humano tarda en bajarse de un pedestal autoimpuesto como raza única y especial y que lo que dábamos por sentado en siglos pasados pasan de ser dogma a fábula, que la religión sólo sirve para rebatir sus creencias con más ciencia y que las casualidades son menos habituales que las causalidades. Un 8/10

[Elliot Condous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gould is really good at sifting through historical records, unearthing and connecting some great info. Most of the essays are really interesting and I love his theory of punctuated equilibrium. A lot of biblical references which I could have done without. Loves a Shakespeare quote too lol.

[Heman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Dinosaur in the hay stack” is a busy book, but one that imparts knowledge and insight while remains entertaining. This seems to me one of Gould’s more varied collections of essays on science with an attempt at mixing science, history, and literature; a thorough geek-out.
The first essay, for example, delves into the details of the anomaly of how millennium years are not truly marking the millennia. This is all apparently due to the negligence of a sixth century Monk, Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the shorty), who did not set the year of Christ’s birth as year zero. In his ecclesiastically commissioned calendar, year 1AD followed 1BC with no zeros in between! So, the year 2001 is the beginning of the 21st century.
Another delightful essay is ‘the late birth of a flat earth.’ Here it is shown that a lot of "shade" that is literally thrown on the Dark Ages is bunk. One such claim is that they thought the earth is flat. This is shown to be a fabrication of historians of the late 19th century. Then, as now, there were a bunch of crazy people who made such claims, but nobody really paid them any attention or respect in the scholarly and scientific circles.
In particular, the story of Columbus and the fear of falling off the edge of the earth is totally apocryphal. When Columbus proposed the journey to the Indies through a western route, the commission that reviewed his proposal (including the clergy) mostly opposed him because they (correctly) interjected that Columbus is underestimating the size of the globe. He thought Japan was roughly 2000 miles from the coast of Spain, the correct figure is more like 12000 miles! The rest is history; Columbus, getting lucky in several respects, landed on the wrong continent because of poor math.
I briefly mention some of my other favorites in this series:
The right-handed vs. left-handed seashells.
The excellent critique of Hollywood’s one-trick-pony scripts when it comes to depictions of science and scientists (Jurassic Park as the main example here, but perhaps if Gould were alive he would have written on the fear and loathing of AI in our time)
Edgar A. Poe’s unfairly derided "conchologists hand book".

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Stephen Jay Gould's books that collect popular science essays he's written over the years. I find his writing to be an alternation between highly fascinating passages and tedious stretches. Some of his essays cover great topics - the huge slime mold out in Michigan, the history of eugenics thinkers, etc. - and some are on minutiae that I just found incredibly dull. On a more detailed level you see the very same alternation: paragraphs of great insight interspersed with distracting and meandering tangents that Gould's editor should really have insisted on cutting. And on an even more micro level you see the same thing: measured and eloquent diction mixed with a Dickensian propensity towards verbosity. So this book gets three stars, although you can really decompose that into half of one and half of five. Best essays are the first (which is a wonderful ode to the natural human love of science), one on fossilized magnolia leaves, and one on eugenics and the Nazis. Be warned that some topics appear repetitively, as this is a collection of essays written at separate points in times by the same person.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection of essays. Even the least of them are consistently engaging, and several of them are true masterworks, moving seamlessly between seemingly disparate subjects, highlighting the previously unseen thread that connects them.

And then there's what I consider to be the centerpiece of the volume, "Four Antelopes of the Apocalypse." Simultaneously a fascinating detective story, a heartbreaking elegy for every lost thing destroyed by humanity, and a hymn for curators, archivists, librarians, and everyone else whose job is remembering, it's one of the most brilliant essays of any kind that I've ever read. The volume would be worthwhile if there was nothing else good in it.

But there's so much that's beautiful here. I felt educated, entertained, and even inspired reading it.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I inadvertently read this book out of order before 'The Lying Stones of Marrakech', the next in the series. Like that one I found this a mixed bag, but again a decided improvement on the earlier 'Three Little Piggies'.

As usual, what comes across is Gould's admiration for Charles Darwin, and his own co-written contribution to the field of palaeontology with 'punctuated equilibrium': the idea that lifeforms remain static for great periods and then undergo comparatively rapid evolution at intervals, often due to mass extinction events. Again he bemoans the lack of understanding among the general public of how evolution works: relatively rapid changes occur in small populations isolated from the main body of their originating species, and that life does not automatically become 'better' or 'higher/more complex' but changes randomly. Accordingly, in his view the advent of human beings and consciousness was never preordained.

Topics roam quite widely and include essays on the contributions of leading figures of the 19th century such as Erasmus Darwin, Charles' grandfather, and Linnaeus the Swedish scientist who first came up with a way to label lifeforms in a taxonomy not based upon their utility to human beings but more on their resemblances to each other: a system still in use, with modifications, today.

Among the more interesting for me was an essay on Edgar Allan Poe's publication of a guide to molluscs. Most Poe scholars preferred to draw a veil over this, but Gould's investigation shows it was co-written with an expert who already had a book out but an expensive one and wanted a modestly priced guide to sell on lecture tours, which in the nineteenth century were essential to such people in order to make a living. A lucrative side-line was the selling of related books when delivering a series of lectures at one of the many lyceums and other venues in the USA. The book was part-plagiarised from a British author - the plates mainly - and partly taken from the scientist's own work, but with a couple of innovations. At the time, most books on molluscs concentrated on the shells, ignoring the animals inside. A respected French scientist had written a book on them, and Poe was probably engaged because he was fluent in French due to his background and was able to translate that work and add the information (more plagiarising, but at the time foreign works were fair game in the States). Apparently the guide was also organised differently than such books at the time, so Gould viewed it as not an unworthy effort, after all.

Other essays of note concern the interest in eugenics in early 20th century America and the taking of such policies to their logical conclusion in Nazi Germany. Altogether there was enough of interest, but I also found the early part of the book and some of the essays along the way slow going. So I had to dip into it over an extended period, and it has taken me about three months to read, a lot longer than anything else of equal or even greater length, so I'm awarding a respectable 3 stars.

[Abe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dinosaur in a Haystack is the seventh in a series of essay collections by evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould. These essays were published monthly in the magazine Natural History. The book contains 34 essays of various lengths on a variety of topics. Include but are not limited to discussions of natural history or the history of scientific thought. Due to the book’s nature as a collection of monthly essays, the topics often include scientific discoveries that were recent at the time of writing. The book was published in 1995, and due to its subject matter it provides a view into the scientific ideas of the times.
The book is split into 8 different sections each of which have several essays that relate back to the central topic of the section. Some sections such as section three titled “Origin, Stability, and Extinction” are split into several subsections. Each of the eight sections has its own purpose and most essays have their own claims; however, the book does have some central ideas that exist across the entirety of the book. One of the overlaying purposes is the idea of evolution not being a structured progression but a completely random set of events. The central claim throughout the book based on this is the concept of punctuated equilibrium. Punctuated equilibrium is the concept that most species are evolutionarily stable for most of their existence.
Gould is well known as one of the premier authors of scientific theory and based on this book, I would say this reputation is earned. From the in depth manner Gould discusses complex scientific concepts, it is clear that he is highly educated and intelligent. However, what sets Gould’s writing apart from the writing of other scientists is his commitment to full explanation of complex ideas. His down to earth tone contributes to effective communication of his complex ideas. By using simple terms, Gould is able to bring readers who may not understand these complex biological concepts into his line of thinking. This leads me to my favorite aspect of this book, the honest discussion of scientific concepts without the use of obfuscating terms or ancient quotations. This book is one of the best pieces of scientific writing simply because of Gould's willingness to walk with the reader.

[Michael Reilly]

This 1995 book is the sixth collection of the monthly columns which Gould (1941-2002) wrote for "Natural History" magazine. He was a brilliant essayist. His basic approach was to start from an odd fact or a question which nagged at him and then unfurl the answer and the consequences and implications that followed.

He was also one of the great science writers. He did not pander or simplify. He seemed to relish the challenge of explaining subtle and complicated scientific riddles in clear sentences.

His great subject was evolution and Darwin. His big insight was that evolution was not typically a gradual process of change. He argued that the fossil record showed that species would go through periods of relative rapid evolution, "rapid" in the evolutionary scale of millions of years, followed by much longer periods of very little change. He called the theory "Punctuated Equilibrium".

It is interesting that he developed this theory while he was writing these essays. When he started them in 1977, he was an orthodox Darwinian. By this book in 1995, he was committed to his new view.

This is an excellent collection, but not as good as his earlier ones. He seems to be more of a preacher than an explorer. More of these essays start with a grand point or theory and then find a fact or story to illustrate it. His earlier essays tended to start with the specific and move to the general.

It is interesting to see his excitement about the introduction of the sophisticated DNA technology which revolutionized paleontology. He is still somewhat suspicious of it.

He still comes up with great stories. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a hack book on mollusks, clams etc., which was cribbed from a scientific book on the subject. Gould weaves a fascinating story of how that happened and the interesting scientific points to be learned from Poe's book.

Gould was a very smart guy. He was passionate and learned about a very important subject. He had a unique skill to translate that passion to non-scientists without losing its complexity. All of these collections are invigorating to read.

[Jason Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great example of Natural Science writing for popular audiences. Reading through this series has been a journey through the evolution of scientific theory. Essays in this volume discuss the excitement of Shoemaker-Levy, the growing consensus around extraterrestrial origin for the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, and the rise of claddism as a way of describing biological life.
As always, Gould uses metaphor and analogy to open complex concepts to a general audience. A diverting read, 4 stars.

[Jason Moderzinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gould taught me many things with this collection of his essays.

That just because there is a dinosaur on the cover, doesn't mean it's about dinosaurs. And that's okay.

That you can be at once a working scientist, extremely literate, competent at higher mathematics, and a humanist, all at the same time.

That I didn't really 'get' evolution. Not really. Not until I read "Can We Complete Darwin's Revolution?"

And, it forced me to get out the dictionary and look up 'opprobrium'. I hadn't looked up a word since grade school...

Thank you Gould.

[Judd Street · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I really wanted to like, but it was just an absolute chore to pick it up, and it took me over a month of convincing myself to come back to it to finally get through it.

There are a couple of bright spots (Cordelia's Dilemma on publication biases being a good example), but, man, it was just a slog. As someone who loves science writing, I just found it painfully self-indulgent and written as though increasing the difficulty for the reader was some sort of art form. I wish I didn't, but I guess sometimes it just doesn't land.

[Evan Kostelka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Stephen Jay Gould book to read and I really enjoyed it. He is a little wordy but has some fascinating essays. Among my favorites were: The Late Birth of a Flat Earth, The Monster's Human Nature, Poe's Greatest Hit, Dinomania, and Hooking Leviathan by its Past.
All of his essays are well researched and usually bring together multiple perspectives on the topic.
A few of the essays were a little too verbose for me, but most of them are well worth the read.

[Henry DeForest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a slam dunk; through his essays, Gould manages to expertly amalgamate vastly differing subjects to some of the more interesting facets of evolutionary thinking. In particular, I was especially drawn to his essay on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the several essays about eugenics, and the essay from which this book derives its name. All around, this book was highly engaging, and I would eagerly recommend it to anybody interested in a polymath's view of evolution.

[Davidg · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second collection of Gould’s essays in a row, after “Bully for Brontasaurus”. On the whole, I enjoyed it but thought that the earlier book was the better and more informative read. A lot of the essays in this book are about language and its use. There are a lot more literary references than before. That’s all very interesting but I turn to Gould to read about science and the consequences of its discoveries.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of thought provoking essays that really made one think about things. Too bad you Trumpers couldn't understand 5% of what this guy was talking about. Evolution? Compromising? Understanding that science changes as knowledge is gained? Wow...stick to OAN, Newsmax, Fox, Gab and Parler...they are easier for you to understand. Just leave us out of your world...

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard of this author on an episode of The West Wing. When I found this book at a library sale, I decided to read it knowing almost nothing about the author or the book. I was pleased to see the essay mentioned on TWW, but much of the book was over my head. That being said, I did learn tidbits from almost every essay in the book.

[Behizain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro maravilloso libro de ensayos de Gould con todo lo que siempre suele haber en ellos: curiosidades sobre la evolución, cosas que no sabíamos sobre naturalistas de siglos pasados, referencias a Shakespeare, Gilbert y Sullivan, al béisbol... Nunca me aburro de leer estos libros.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wissenschaftliche Essays. Sehr kurzweilig. Nett beispielsweise wie er ausführt, dass die Legende, Menschen, aber eigentlich nur Wissenschaftler, hätten früher an eine flache Erde geglaubt, erst im 19. Jahrhundert entstanden ist.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many interesting essays in this book, though they are not all about paleontology like the cover may make you expect. There are some more dense and niche essays as well but it is overall a solid read.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of essays from Gould. Not much to say specifically about the contents of the book, but I will note that I finish each essay in a more curious, thoughtful mindset. A terrific way to start the day.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

These science articles are wonderful to read and very insightful. Also I love museums and paleontology and quirky people

[Daniel Maigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to expand your mind in a fun way, read this book!

[Anirhosin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great