With evident delight for the head-scratching bits of evolution, such as why humans have only one tube for food and air, science writer David Stipp (The Youth Pill) dives into minute details, including the skunk's distinctly recognizable smell and caffeine's benefits in small doses but fatality in larger doses. In Why Rats Laugh and Jellyfish Sleep, Stipp invites readers to awaken their inner child, ask every "why" question they've ever wondered about, and partake in the "catnip" and "pleasure" that "exploring why living things are the way they are" can provide.
Though each chapter focuses on one organism and one trait--house sparrow invasiveness, bumblebee cannibalism--they are also wide-ranging in their coverage of evolutionary topics. Stipp draws on personal anecdotes and news items to illustrate these qualities in action or help readers understand animal characteristics in relation to human ones. Some of the research studies he cites are directly related to the organism, such as researchers' theories about the instinct of earthworms in the chapter on earthworm intelligence. Other studies expand the analysis of a species' behavior to encompass its broader contexts, like the research on terrible-smelling compounds concocted for military projects during World War II in the chapter on the olfactory weapon of skunk spray.
Beyond simply answering the question each chapter poses about an individual creature and trait, Why Rats Laugh and Jellyfish Sleep traces the evolutionary mechanisms that drive the development of these traits, giving readers tools for "participatory wonderment." Thus, they become a partner with evolution by exploring the beauty of life with a heightened sense of being part of nature. --Dainy Bernstein, freelance reviewer