Mr Flannery is a respected biologist with plenty of published papers to his name, but the book feels dilettantish, with a dizzying array of concepts introduced, briefly discussed, then dispensed with before the reader has had time to digest them.

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I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DD) : This Delaware-based materials giant operates in about 80 countries, making products for a wide array of industries, including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, construction and apparel, to name a few.

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