{"product_id":"the-monkeys-voyage-alan-de-queiroz-9780465020515","title":"The Monkey's Voyage: How Improbable Journeys Shaped the History of Life","description":"Throughout the world, closely related species are found on landmasses separated by wide stretches of ocean. What explains these far-flung distributions? Why are such species found where they are across the Earth? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Since the discovery of plate tectonics, scientists have conjectured that plants and animals were scattered over the globe by riding pieces of ancient supercontinents as they broke up. In the past decade, however, that theory has foundered, as the genomic revolution has made reams of new data available. And the data has revealed an extraordinary, stranger-than-fiction story that has sparked a scientific upheaval. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey's Voyage\u003c\/i\u003e, biologist Alan de Queiroz describes the radical new view of how fragmented distributions came into being: frogs and mammals rode on rafts and icebergs, tiny spiders drifted on storm winds, and plant seeds were carried in the plumage of sea-going birds to create the map of life we see today. In other words, these organisms were not simply constrained by continental fate; they were the makers of their own geographic destiny. And as de Queiroz shows, the effects of oceanic dispersal have been crucial in generating the diversity of life on Earth, from monkeys and guinea pigs in South America to beech trees and kiwi birds in New Zealand. By toppling the idea that the slow process of continental drift is the main force behind the odd distributions of organisms, this theory highlights the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the history of life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the tradition of John McPhee's \u003ci\u003eBasin and Range\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey's Voyage\u003c\/i\u003e is a beautifully told narrative that strikingly reveals the importance of contingency in history and the nature of scientific discovery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alan De Queiroz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0465020518\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780465020515\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Basic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/07\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.10w x 1.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/28\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/15\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/15\/2013 pg. 5\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/19\/2014 pg. 17\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2014 pg. 93\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/26\/2014 pg. 26\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/14\/2014 pg. 16\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLJ Best Books of Year\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2014 pg. 34\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist Editors Choice\/Adult\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2015 pg. 9","brand":"Alan De Queiroz","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46172933423359,"sku":"9780465020515","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d8da3a4a-b5fd-4352-9488-e09c0581f0ed.jpg?v=1727179523","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-monkeys-voyage-alan-de-queiroz-9780465020515","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}