A new classic of natural history that, by unveiling the meaning of one of nature’s greatest riddles, causes us to relearn ourselves
METAMORPHOSIS
A Natural and Human History
By Oren Harman
A search for the meaning of one of nature's greatest riddles: why do so many creatures transform?
“Beautiful... Entertaining... Inspiring.”—Nature
“A meditation on transformation . . . Warm [and] empathetic . . . wonderful.”—Science
“Startling . . . astounding . . . Animated by wonder.”—MIT's Undark
“Steeped in wonderment. . . hauntingly timely.”—Washington Independent Review of Books
“How many creatures walking on this earth / Have their first being in another form?” the Roman poet Ovid asked two thousand years ago. He could not have known the full extent of the truth: today, biologists estimate a stunning three-quarters of all animal species on Earth undergo some form of metamorphosis.
But why do tadpoles transform into frogs, caterpillars into butterflies, elvers into eels, immortal jellyfish from sea sprigs to medusae and back again, growing younger and younger in frigid ocean depths? Why must creatures go through massive destruction and remodeling to become who they are? Tracing a path from Aristotle to Darwin to cutting-edge science today, Harman explores that central mystery.
Metamorphosis, however, isn’t just a biological puzzle: it takes us to the very heart of questions of being and identity, whatever kind of change we humans may undergo. Metamorphosis is a new classic of natural history: a book that, by unveiling a mystery of nature, causes us to relearn ourselves.
In METAMORPHOSIS (Basic Books, renowned science historian Oren Harman traces a path from Aristotle to Darwin to cutting-edge science today, to explore this central mystery.
In the first panoramic treatment of the subject ever written, Harman beautifully unfurls the untold story of metamorphosis across two millennia, asking why it has obsessed and inspired us so profoundly. Along the way we meet poets, artists, philosophers, and a cast of scientists as colorful as the animals themselves: whether Aristotle determining cucumbers had souls, Maria Sibylla Merian painting bird-eating tarantulas in Suriname jungles, Sigmund Freud searching in vain for eel testicles, or a Japanese geneticist singing karaoke to a baby jellyfish.
Moving seamlessly between history, science and art, Harman illuminates how metamorphosis is not only a biological puzzle but a metaphor for identity, reinvention, and survival. Written both with great scientific precision and poetic flair, METAMORPHOSIS invites us to think about the nature of change: the wonder and tragedy and triumph it involves, the way it marks beginnings, but also endings, and continuations.
With incisive authority, boldly and enchantingly, Harman suggests that a broad evolutionary perspective allows us to see an electrifying truth: we are more similar to a butterfly than we imagine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Oren Harman is Senior Research Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and teaches at the Graduate Program in Science Technology and Society at Bar-Ilan University. His books include Evolutions and The Price of Altruism, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He lives in Berlin and Jerusalem.
Oren Harman shares:
What made him decide to write about Metamorphosis?
Why is metamorphosis such a great mystery?
You say that three-quarters of all animal species undergo some form of metamorphosis. Can you provide some examples, beyond the butterflies and frogs well all know?
If metamorphosis is so "expensive" to creatures who undergo it, why did it evolve?
What did the ancient Greeks think of metamorphosis? The early modern Christians? How have we progressed since then?
Who are some of the heroes of your book, and why are they special?
What's the deal with Sigmund Freud and eel testicles??
Do humans undergo metamorphosis?
Why do you think change is so difficult for so many people?
If we're changing all the time biologically, how do we retain a sense of self?
Advance Praise For…
METAMORPHOSIS
“An absorbing and beautifully written exploration of biological transformation and generation, winding through the startling history of this field, accompanied by an array of fascinating characters, and with a moving personal dimension.”—Peter Godfrey-Smith, author of Other Minds
“Oren Harman’s Metamorphosis is a soulful, genre-defying inquiry into the nature of transformation. Harman interweaves a history of scientific discovery with philosophy and memoir, introducing readers to astonishing characters and discoveries that bring us from the depths of the ocean to the furthest reaches of outer space. Metamorphosis asks difficult questions with great tenderness and deep humanity. It is a book full of wonder and revelation.”—Lauren Redniss, author of Radioactive
“A masterful tale of the long quest to understand one of the most wondrous and enigmatic phenomena in the animal world. Fueled by Oren Harman’s boundless curiosity and rich storytelling, Metamorphosis roams the globe to meet fascinating creatures and equally colorful naturalists determined to penetrate their secrets. A thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating journey.”—Sean B. Carroll, author of The Serengeti Rules
“Inspired by history, language, and biology, Oren Harmen explores a wonderland of animal lifecycles to tell a truly fascinating tale of transformations in body and identity. His story culminates in the growth of a human child and asks how is it possible to remain ourselves while changing all the time? A book to treasure.”—Janet Browne, Harvard University, author of Charles Darwin: A Biography
“Stranger than the strangest imaginings of ancient mythology or science fiction are the metamorphoses undergone by the most unprepossessing of organisms: the immortal medusa, the starfish that is simultaneously child and adult, the axolotl in which the parent is the child to its offspring. Oren Harman weaves together science, history, philosophy, and the musings of a parent‑to‑be in this beautiful book about the twists and turns in the plot of life.”—Lorraine Daston, author of Objectivity
Why is metamorphosis such a great mystery?
You say that three-quarters of all animal species undergo some form of metamorphosis. Can you provide some examples, beyond the butterflies and frogs well all know?
If metamorphosis is so "expensive" to creatures who undergo it, why did it evolve?
What did the ancient Greeks think of metamorphosis? The early modern Christians? How have we progressed since then?
Who are some of the heroes of your book, and why are they special?
What's the deal with Sigmund Freud and eel testicles??
Do humans undergo metamorphosis?
Why do you think change is so difficult for so many people?
If we're changing all the time biologically, how do we retain a sense of self?
Advance Praise For…
METAMORPHOSIS
“An absorbing and beautifully written exploration of biological transformation and generation, winding through the startling history of this field, accompanied by an array of fascinating characters, and with a moving personal dimension.”—Peter Godfrey-Smith, author of Other Minds
“Oren Harman’s Metamorphosis is a soulful, genre-defying inquiry into the nature of transformation. Harman interweaves a history of scientific discovery with philosophy and memoir, introducing readers to astonishing characters and discoveries that bring us from the depths of the ocean to the furthest reaches of outer space. Metamorphosis asks difficult questions with great tenderness and deep humanity. It is a book full of wonder and revelation.”—Lauren Redniss, author of Radioactive
“A masterful tale of the long quest to understand one of the most wondrous and enigmatic phenomena in the animal world. Fueled by Oren Harman’s boundless curiosity and rich storytelling, Metamorphosis roams the globe to meet fascinating creatures and equally colorful naturalists determined to penetrate their secrets. A thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating journey.”—Sean B. Carroll, author of The Serengeti Rules
“Inspired by history, language, and biology, Oren Harmen explores a wonderland of animal lifecycles to tell a truly fascinating tale of transformations in body and identity. His story culminates in the growth of a human child and asks how is it possible to remain ourselves while changing all the time? A book to treasure.”—Janet Browne, Harvard University, author of Charles Darwin: A Biography
“Stranger than the strangest imaginings of ancient mythology or science fiction are the metamorphoses undergone by the most unprepossessing of organisms: the immortal medusa, the starfish that is simultaneously child and adult, the axolotl in which the parent is the child to its offspring. Oren Harman weaves together science, history, philosophy, and the musings of a parent‑to‑be in this beautiful book about the twists and turns in the plot of life.”—Lorraine Daston, author of Objectivity
