Darwin's Radio (1999)
By Greg Bear
Adaptation; Chaos theory; Epidemics; Evolution; Extinction; Genetic discrimination; Legislation; Mutations; Posthuman; Retrovirus; Speciation; Thriller
An ancient retrovirus long dormant in human genes activates, causing a rash of miscarriages that presage the births of a new species of humans, one which evokes terror and confusion from an unprepared society.
Epidemiologist Christopher Darwin has been tracking sporadic outbreaks of spontaneous miscarriages throughout Eastern Europe. Once he returns to the United States, his investigative skills are tried on a rash of miscarriages afflicting American women. The fetuses are grossly misformed – little more than operating ovaries – and immediately provoke fear and disgust from the populace. The taskforce appointed by the President to investigate this epidemic of “Herod’s flu” uncovers the source: a human endogenic retrovirus (HERV) inserted into the genome millions of years ago. This virus, nicknamed SHEVA, has been laterally transferred from parent to offspring without expression for thousands of generations, so researchers are confounded as to why it emerged now. Kaye Lang, who wrote seminal papers on HERV long before the appearance of Herod’s flu, suspects that SHEVA is related to evolution, particularly since the initial miscarriages are followed by second-stage pregnancy. Her theory that SHEVA signifies a burst of adaptive speciation is reinforced by archaeologist Mitch Rafelson, who has discovered a SHEVA-infected Neandertal couple with a homo sapiens infant. As millions of women contract the “flu” from their mates, panic oversets the nation. Pregnant women are ostracized for fear of contagion, riots spread as quickly as SHEVA, religious groups divide over the use of RU-486, and after the President is assassinated, martial law is declared. Few researchers believe Kaye’s theories, instead relying upon prospective vaccines to halt the outbreak. When Kaye and Mitch become pregnant with a SHEVA child, they must negotiate the unique pregnancy while avoiding threatening government agencies.
Kaye theorizes that human society is organized along a feedback loop, and when the genome registers persistent stressors, it modifies itself through the release of SHEVA to create a more adaptive species. Her theories counter the existing paradigm of gradual evolution, in which mutations – typically more detrimental than beneficial – accumulate in the genome. Though it appears SHEVA mutates, Kaye senses that the genome is loaded with alternate versions of the retrovirus in case the initial presentation of the virus is insufficient or ineffective in modern society; she equates it to an important message conveyed by several messengers rather than only one, to ensure it is delivered. Her own SHEVA baby demonstrates advances which will serve her well in a society of advanced communication; Stella can speak from the moment she is born, and her face is marked with melanophores which allow for extralingual exchanges. Kaye and Mitch evolve as well, developing their own set of melanophores so they can communicate on their daughter’s level. The disfiguring marks, while evolutionarily advantageous, mark the family as different, a source of fear in a panicking society. This outbreak also illustrates a scientific reluctance to embrace radical theories, as well as a society unprepared for outbreaks. Because the evolutionary change occurs spontaneously, the researchers must constantly discard old theories to incorporate new discoveries; scientific ignorance allows room for political action to interfere with the natural evolutionary progression.
Evaluation: Bear’s plot is both complex and interesting, and the hypothetical social trauma that arises from potential evolutions reflects a social stasis somewhat at odds with the constant transformations born of natural selection. In this way, Bear points to the dangerous inflexibility of society while revealing its potential for adaptation through open-minded characters and unexpected plot developments
– Natalie Champ