BOOKSHELF

Natural History, Nov, 2000 by William R. Clark

Are We Hardwired? The Role of Genes in Human Behavior, by William R. Clark and Michael Grunstein (Oxford University Press, 2000; $27.50)

Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect, by Paul R. Ehrlich (Island/Shearwater, 2000; $29.95)

Microbiologists Clark and Grunstein analyze the relative roles of genes and environment in shaping Homo sapiens. Taking a more panoramic look at human evolution, population expert Ehrlich proposes that our multiple natures are determined as much by culture and environment as by genes.

John James Audubon in the West: The Last Expedition, Mammals of North America, by Sarah E. Boehme, with essays by Annette Blaugrund, Robert McCracken Peck, and Ron Tyler (Abrams/Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 2000; $45)

Published in conjunction with an exhibition organized by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, this compilation of essays and vivid illustrations tells the story behind Audubon's Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, published after the artist-naturalist's death in 1851.

The Dying of Enoch Wallace: Life, Death, and the Changing Brain, by Ira B. Black (McGraw-Hill, 2000; $24.95)

The protagonist of this tale of disorders and discoveries in the field of neurology is NGF, or nerve growth factor--a hormone that extends the life of neurons affected by diseases such as Alzheimer's and may be the key to treating them.

Dear Mr. Darwin: Letters on the Evolution of Life and Human Nature, by Gabriel Dover (University of California Press, 2000; $27.50)

In a spirited and informed imaginary correspondence with Charles Darwin, geneticist Dover brings the author of the Origin of Species up to date on what's been happening in the field of evolutionary biology.

The Invisible Enemy: A Natural History of Viruses, by Dorothy H. Crawford (Oxford University Press, 2000; $25)

Plague Time: How Stealth Infections Cause Cancers, Heart Disease, and Other Deadly Ailments, by Paul W. Ewald (Free Press, 2000; $25)

Microbiologist Crawford argues that viruses, with their amazing ability to mutate, pose one of the greatest challenges to science. According to Ewald, a biologist of evolutionary medicine, viruses may be responsible for everything from heart disease to diabetes and anorexia.

Weather: How It Works and Why It Matters, by Arthur Upgren and Jurgen Stock (Perseus/Helix, 2000; $25)

Tying Down the Wind: Adventures in the Worst Weather on Earth, by Eric Pinder (Tarcher/Putnam, 2000; $24.95)

Inside the Hurricane: Face to Face with Nature's Deadliest Storms, by Pete Davies (Henry Holt, 2000; $25)

Three informative volumes look at various aspects of the swirling ocean of air that surrounds and sustains the planet.

Mahale: A Photographic Encounter with Chimpanzees, by Angelika Hofer, Michael A. Huffman, and Gunter Ziesler (Sterling, 2000; $24.95.)

For fifteen years, zoologist Huffman has been studying a community of chimpanzees in Mahale Mountains National Park, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika--vividly documented here in photographs, drawings, and text.