Echos of the Cambrian Explosion still resonate in the genomes of modern bilaterian animals. Relics of that ancient 'operating system' have recently been unearthed by the burgeoning field of evolutionary developmental (evo-devo) biology, but these discoveries are not widely known. Like the artifacts in Tut's tomb, they offer a window into the distant past, and they deserve wider notice. To that end, Drosophila geneticist Lewis I. Held, Jr has written a trilogy of books: Quirks of Human Anatomy shows how the human body is sculpted by bilaterian gene circuits. How the Snake Lost its Legs surveys how other animals acquired their distinctive anatomies. And Deep Homology? compares humans and flies so as to triangulate the urbilaterian ancestor. All three books are encyclopedic but accessible in their exposition: scholarly, yet light-hearted. Overall this timely trilogy should appeal to a broad audience, from undergraduates to experts, especially young researchers aspiring to solve deep mysteries.
