Mahesh wrote:
>A English scientist by the name of Crawford has written a book on how diet
>may have shaped evolution.

The book is "Nutrition and Evolution" (1995), by Michael Crawford and David
Marsh.  I've read only the first half of it so far (I'm easily distracted by
other, competing reading material), but the ideas it presents are definitely
interesting.  The book shows how adaptations requiring the simultaneous
modification of multiple traits (for example, a giraffe with a longer neck
also needs a larger heart) can guided by nutrition and other environmental
influences.  Unfortunately, the authors have a strong seafood bias, and
support the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis.  On a less controversial note (?), they
also explain that predators tend to be more intelligent and have more
sophisticated nervous systems than their prey, because their diet is more
nutritious.

A review of the book is available at
http://www.i-wayco.com/niin/knowledgereport/knowlg.nutrition.html.

Cheers,
-- Aaron Wieland