Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Why cracking the code of human conception took centuries of wild theories, misogynist blunders, and ludicrous mistakes

Throughout most of human history, babies were surprises. People knew the basics: men and women had sex, and sometimes babies followed. But beyond that the origins of life were a colossal mystery. The Seeds of Life is the remarkable and rollicking story of how a series of blundering geniuses and brilliant amateurs struggled for two centuries to discover where, exactly, babies come from.

Taking a page from investigative thrillers, acclaimed science writer Edward Dolnick looks to these early scientists as if they were detectives hot on the trail of a bedeviling and urgent mystery. These strange searchers included an Italian surgeon using shark teeth to prove that female reproductive organs were not 'failed' male genitalia, and a Catholic priest who designed ingenious miniature pants to prove that frogs required semen to fertilize their eggs.

A witty and rousing history of science, The Seeds of Life presents our greatest scientists struggling-against their perceptions, their religious beliefs, and their deep-seated prejudices-to uncover how and where we come from.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Time Line (p. ix)
• Prologue England in the Early 1630s (p. 1)
• Part 1 Peering into the Body
• 1 Onward to Glory (p. 7)
• 2 Hidden in Deep Night (p. 15)
• 3 Swallowing Stones and Drinking Dew (p. 23)
• 4 Unmoored in Time (p. 37)
• 5 "Double, Double Toil and Trouble" (p. 52)
• 6 Door A or Door B? (p. 64)
• Part 2 The Search for the EGG
• 7 Missing: One Universe (Reward to Finder) (p. 81)
• 8 Sharks' Teeth and Cows' Eggs (p. 89)
• 9 The Egg, At Last (p. 96)
• 10 A World in a Drop of Water (p. 104)
• 11 "Animals of the Semen" (p. 114)
• Part 3 Russian Dolls
• 12 Dolls Within Dolls (p. 125)
• 13 The Message in God's Fine Print (p. 138)
• 14 Sea of Troubles (p. 148)
• 15 The Rabbit Woman of Godliman (p. 160)
• 16 "All in Pieces, All Coherence Gone" (p. 172)
• 17 The Cathedral That Built Itself (p. 185)
• 18 A Vase in Silhouette (p. 197)
• Part 4 The Clockwork Topples and a New Theory Rises
• 19 Frogs in Silk Pants (p. 209)
• 20 A Drop of Venom (p. 220)
• 21 The Craze of the Century (p. 228)
• 22 "I Saw the Dull Yellow Eye of the Creature Open" (p. 238)
• 23 The Nose of the Sphinx (p. 246)
• 24 "The Game Is Afoot" (p. 252)
• 25 Caught! (p. 258)
• Acknowledgments (p. 265)
• Illustration Credits (p. 266)
• Notes (p. 267)
• Bibliography (p. 289)
• Index (p. 297)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

While it was common knowledge in the 17th century that babies resulted from men and women having sex, it took some time before people became aware of the nuances of conception and reproduction. Focusing on the years 1650-1875, Dolnick (The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World), former chief science writer for the Boston Globe, narrates a story with many wrong turns and near misses, skillfully tantalizing modern readers with hints of a greater truth obscured by lack of information. He also does an excellent job of explaining the critical role that religion played for early modern biologists. Today, we sometimes think of faith and science as being in opposition to each other, but that was not the case during this period; rather, religion inspired and directed the work of these early scientists. The narrative ends somewhat abruptly in 1875, when egg fertilization was witnessed for the first time. -VERDICT An enlightening and quick read that delves into the details of a topic that readers might think they know all about. Those interested in the early modern period and the history of science in Europe will particularly appreciate this title.-Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Dolnick (The Clockwork Universe) traces the winding tale of European understanding of conception biology from the 16th through the 19th century, when the merging of sperm and egg was first physically seen. He examines the theories popularized by scientific luminaries in each period, following advances in anatomy, microscopy, and scientific method as well as changes in philosophy about the relationships between men and women, humans and animals, and the living world and God. Dolnick honors the history of ideas that seem ludicrous today, including that of preformation of tiny versions of all human bodies at the beginning of creation, and makes the point that even the most brilliant investigators can miss salient information they don't expect, as when Vesalius observed ovarian follicles a century before de Graaf but dismissed them as irrelevant. Substantive background on the work of such figures as William Harvey and Luigi Galvani may feel like a diversion to readers only interested in reproductive biology, but Dolnick composes a cohesive narrative around his central question while noting its appeal as a side topic to key thinkers in science. Illus. Agent: Philippa Brophy, Sterling Lord Literistic. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

CHOICE Review

This account is informative and entertaining. Dolnick, author and the former chief science writer for The Boston Globe, recounts the story of the eventual discovery of "seeds" that begin with nothing and produce life. The narrative is superb--a story book account of marginal successes and abysmal failures in the search of aspects that first produce an embryo that eventually grows into an adult. Dolnick's discussion of the individuals working to this end is quite good. He details how a major obstruction to the research was the staunch belief in God as the maker of all, with no errors. The initial successes in research were enabled by the manufacture and then improvement in microscopy. This was followed by curious individuals who refused to give up their research after coming close to success. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek contributed greatly with his microscopic observations--almost succeeding. A major hurdle in the research was the fact that non-mammalian eggs (e.g., from birds) presented as large and obvious objects, while mammalian eggs were difficult if not impossible to find, and semen was just a fluid with almost magical powers. The ultimate research goal was eventually achieved when "the union of sperm and egg" was observed. This text superbly documents the discovery of the origins of life. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Francis W. Yow, Kenyon College

Booklist Review

In this unexpectedly amusing history, the author investigates a question few readers will have ever considered: When did people figure out where babies come from? Dolnick (The Clockwork Universe, 2011), formerly the chief science writer for the Boston Globe, is well aware that the sexual act itself has been sorted out for centuries, but figuring out just what happened during sex to, sometimes, create a baby is where things got dicey. Dolnick explores all manner of experiments conducted from the seventeenth century forward by a long list of scientists (all male), many aimed at trying to understand just what role women had in the process, other than providing a necessary field for an able man's seed. From the bizarre, including a woman who claimed to have given birth to rabbits, to the divine some scientists insisted that God's hand was a critical component to conception Dolnick follows an array of trails. Combining first-class research and a truly delightful writing style, Dolnick shares his fascination with the history of science and our perception of reproduction in this enlightening and enjoyable read.--Mondor, Colleen Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A history of the "search for the solution to the sex and conception mystery," focused on the period between 1650 and 1900.As former Boston Globe chief science writer Dolnick (The Rush: America's Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848-1853, 2014, etc.) notes at the beginning of his latest book, "not everyone has wondered why the stars shine or why the earth spins," but "every person who has ever lived has asked where babies come from." Thoughtful scientists have confidently delivered the wrong answer, and the author provides a delightful history of what happened until they got it right. Everyone knew that an egg was involved, although brilliant anatomists (Vesalius, William Harvey) searched humans in vain. Semen was essential andas men were considered the superior sexthe most important factor, but its role remained mysterious. When Antonie van Leeuwenhoek turned his microscope on his semen in the 1670s, he believed that each of the innumerable wiggling creatures contained a tiny human. Most scientists disagreed, insisting that the tiny human resided inside the still-unobserved human egg. This was "preformism." To early scientists, making an embryo from nothing was absurd. More refined experiments and the discovery that cells make up all living things produced impressive advances, but it was not until 1875 that a German biologist who remains mostly unknown (Oscar Hertwig) first saw a single sperm penetrate an egg (of a sea urchin) and fuse with the nucleus, after which the cell began to divide. Researchers then turned their attention to what happens afterward, but, having effectively answered the big question, Dolnick stops there. The best sort of science history, explaining not only how great men made great discoveries, but why equally great men, trapped by prejudices and what seemed to be plain common sense, missed what was in front of their noses. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.