This was impeccably researched and footnoted. The author says he read over 200 refereed papers in preparation to write this book, and I think they are all noted. The author is himself a respected biological scientist. It formatted like a scientific paper, except written in lay language rather than "academic speak". That is a good thing.

And it is full of fascinating details. Perhaps my favorite chapter is the one on parasites. For example, you'll learn that the toxoplasmosis parasite (who's life cycle includes rats being eaten by cats) rewires the rat's brain so that it isn't terrified of cats, but is even sexually aroused by the smell of cat urine. This makes it much more likely the rat will be killed and eaten by a cat, which the parasite needs.

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