Wells (English literature, U. of Roehampton) and McFadden (molecular genetics, U. of Surrey) and contributors link science and the humanities in this collection of ten essays that address whether human nature is written in our genes or in our books, if science and literature collaborate to define human nature, what biology has to do with imagination, and whether we need a theory of human nature to tell us how to act. Topics of responses include the biology of fiction, literature and evolution, the relevance of the genetic blueprint, the ways the brain can play with truth and survive a predator, the role of culture in biology and imagination, the limits of imagination, human nature and human difference, what science can and cannot tell us about human nature, and the filters imposed by theory. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)