In Freaks of Nature, malformations such as the Elephant Man and the Bearded Lady take us beyond mere fascination to a deeper understanding of the intimate connections between development and evolution. Also shows how fragile and plastic are the processes that guide early development and how even dramatically malformed individuals can exhibit elegant, adaptive solutions that mirror those typically expressed by the rest of us packaged in 'normal' bodies, and helps us appreciate what make us---all of us---who we are.