Why do gazelles that escape from lions spend time leaping instead of
running? Why is the paradise wydah’s tail twice its body length. And what about
the peacock’s train? Conundrums such as these, which were a puzzle to Darwin,
are explained by The Handicap Principle, one of modern evolutionary biology’s
fundamental tenets. This clear, popular exposition by Amotz and Avishag Zahavi,
spangled with perception-changing examples, provides a highly accessible
introduction and a springboard for future research. Published by Oxford
University Press, USA, £18.99/$30, ISBN 0195100352.
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