I would not have thought it possible to meaningfully connect bacterial evolution, the developmental differences between various zebra species, and Cezanne’s work in the same book. However, in his new book, Cells to Civilizations, Enrico Coen has managed to do just that.

After a long and stressful school year, I was really looking forward to a relaxing summer with some light summer reading. However, when I saw the title of this book, it raised many questions in my mind and I decided to give the book a try. Although it was far from easy summer reading, this was worth the time I spent with it. The writing is clear and logical, the author’s ideas thought-provoking and engaging. The examples that are used throughout the book to illustrate very complex ideas are really comprehensible and engaging.

Coen is a plant molecular geneticist based at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, United...

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