Ecological Balance

The theme of a fragile ecological balance is a vital one to 'State of Wonder.' In the book, Dr. Annick Swenson has been working with the Lakashi tribe in the Amazon jungle for many years, claiming to work on a fertility drug, when in reality, she has been working on an drug to inoculate against malaria. The Lakashi eat the bark of a tree, called the Martins, which allows them to be extremely fertile, having children well into their 70s. A local moth, the martinet, in turn lays its larvae in the open tree bark and this appears to inoculate those who eat the bark against malaria. At the base of the trees are small, hallucinogenic mushrooms, called Rapps that are vital to the Lakashi and their customs, and way of life. The overproduction of babies in this tribe is vital because of the high death...