The story of evolution in 25 discoveries The evidence and the people who found it

Review by Choice Review

Prothero (currently adjunct, California State Polytechnic Univ., Pomona, and research associate, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) continues to be one of the most prolific proponents of the fundamentals of Darwinian evolution, writing in an engaging style that is accessible to anyone. This series of 25 essays on evolutionary thought brings together many of the foundational ideas on which our modern understanding of evolution is based. The topical coverage includes everything from the discovery of the expansion of the universe to linking the transition between fish and amphibians to the evolution of Homo sapiens. These are historical essays emphasizing the nature of discovery itself while focusing on the stories of the people who made them. Prothero's personal narrative approach leaves the reader with a sense of familiarity, almost as if one were reading firsthand accounts of the scientific discoveries rather than dry scientific descriptions as found in literature reviews. For those who teach about evolution, at any level, this book may serve as both a useful reminder and a source of examples for the specific evidence of evolution. For the student, the text provides a clear and easily understandable survey of many of the underlying tenets of paleontology and classical Darwinian evolution. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Paul K. Strother, Boston College

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Booklist Review

Nearly 150 years after Charles Darwin's death, Prothero adduces a raft of new reasons to join the great biologist in marveling at how "from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." In 25 freestanding chapters--loosely organized in five thematic sections--Prothero examines fresh evidence of evolutionary theory's power to explain the universe, from the Big Bang in the deep cosmic past to the emergence of post-human species in the future. Some readers may question Prothero's interpretation of astrophysics as an extension of Darwin's evolutionary paradigm. But that paradigm does show why wasps lay eggs in living caterpillars, why the anatomy of giraffes manifests a fishlike nervous system, and why human DNA very closely resembles that of chimpanzees. In arguing for evolutionary theory, Prothero repeatedly takes polemical jabs at religion, portrayed as a superstition preventing acceptance of that theory. But when Prothero emphasizes the complete amorality of evolution, readers may understand--at least partly--why some scientists fully invested in evolutionary theory retain a religious faith.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Paleontologist Prothero (The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries) introduces the evidence and scientists behind 25 major discoveries in this accessible overview of the history of the idea of evolution. Prothero explains the age of the universe, Darwin's discoveries, macroevolution in the fossil record, genetics, and ends with a discussion of evolution in humans. He places discoveries in their historical context--for instance, Darwin's speculation that "species were not fixed and stable" was "considered impossible at the time because most people believed God had created each species," and Henrietta Swan Leavitt's 1913 study on stars' brightness gave scientists "a reliable tool to measure how far away a star or galaxy was from Earth" at a time when "most women were barred from scientific careers completely." A chapter on horses shows how the animals have contributed to human understanding of evolution, while another shows how the eye--as it evolved from those of light-seeking protozoans to complex vertebrate eyes--is a test case for Darwin's theory. Prothero is skilled at translating specialist material into entertaining stories. Those well-versed in evolutionary matters will find little new, but curious lay readers will find this to be an engaging introduction. Photos and illus. (Dec.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Compelling lessons by the veteran science writer. Though he sticks to his traditional 25-chapter layout--e.g., The Story of Life in 25 Fossils, etc.--geologist and paleontologist Prothero usually describes more than one discovery per chapter. He delivers thorough, lucid lessons in evolution so comprehensive that science buffs may skip the most familiar parts but eat up gems such as an entire chapter on the evolution of the elephant and the whale. The author devotes several chapters to astronomy, describing the evolution of the universe and the discovery, barely a century ago, of the Earth's great age. Darwin makes his entrance in the third chapter and rarely leaves the narrative, both because of his discovery--not evolution, an ancient concept, but natural selection--and his simple charisma as a subject of study. On the Origin of Species, published in 1859, was a bombshell that galvanized his contemporaries and generations of scientists that followed. He sorts out several ancient conundrums. That evolution cannot explain the dazzlingly complex eye is an ancient conundrum, but Prothero explains it. Many readers have seen the smooth progression of horse evolution from the dog-sized eohippus to the modern stallion, but that turns out to be wrong. In the concluding chapters, the author dutifully reviews the human family tree, fossils, and DNA, but he adds spice by emphasizing that we are continuing to evolve--although not into the giant-headed creatures often depicted in science fiction. Evolution, Prothero reminds us, aims for adaptation, not improvement. Brains have changed little in the past few hundred thousand years, but our teeth continue to shrink. White skin evolved about 20,000 years ago, adults acquired the ability to digest milk 8,000 years ago, and we're becoming more resistant to disease. Like many science writers, Prothero cannot resist the temptation to urge creationists to examine the evidence, a futile effort because creationists believe they possess the truth, and truth--unlike theories such as evolution--doesn't require evidence. An outstanding update on evolution. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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