Simple enough even a science retard like me can understand! I should take this when I go the Creation Museum & wave it about shouting, "Please read this! Don't drink the Kool-Aid!"

Nice overview of evolution, natural selection and the life of Charles Darwin. Great as an introduction and easy for- biologists and people like me with short attention spans to read.

A very youthful and helpful guide to the basics of evolution. I really liked it when I read it 10+ years ago, although I'd have to check it again to see if it's out of date at all now with all we've learned in the past decade. But, since it was mainly exploring the history and general concepts of evolution - it's probably still good. Best for young adults.

good

A perfect way to unferstand highlights in evolution. 100% recommended for undergraduate students and also for teachers because of the many examples mentioned there about evolutionary processes.

The book format is an A-Z nutshell history of evolutionary theory - quick notes for those pressed for time. Presented this way, the following thoughts leap out about Darwinian theory:

Darwin was said to have been influenced heavily by Malthus - population pressures outrun food supply, thereby eliminating the weak in the competition for food. That seems not quite right. It is one among many factors - resistance to disease, drought, cold being others, for example. In other words, competition is with the environment writ large and, internally, life’s fitness to adapt to it.*

Lamarck gets a lot of flack for his inheritance of acquired characteristics notion, but Darwin himself seems to be not altogether opposed to it. And maybe for good reason: If genes operate within a range, those at one end of that range might have an advantage over those at the other end, resulting in relative reproductive success. The giraffe’s long neck evolved not from stretching, but because those that had this extended potential took advantage and reproductively thrived. It’s the same with other characteristics that manifest themselves, singly, in an individual’s lifetime, with such tendencies being passed along in succeeding generations.

A good part of Darwin’s The Descent of Man was on sexual selection. This part of Darwin’s theory doesn’t get much attention. Seemingly useless traits get passed on even though they have no impact on survival (though they do enhance reproductive success). This bumps into a broader argument about natural selection: it’s not the favoring of good traits so much as it is the passing along of neutral traits (via mutation) that don’t intersect with natural selection.

Another issue that gets insufficient attention is genetic variability - physically and behaviorally - within a species and humans. We think in terms of species-wide characteristics (a human and not a dog), but not in terms of innate individuality (and a resultant, true self).

While it’s not in vogue to say this and understandably so, the bottom line motivation of a good part of humanity - reflecting inherent genetic variation - is, in a way, survival of the fittest. We see this within our own group (tribe, nation) - with those individuals who care only about themselves, not others, and we especially see it in international relations where one country tries to out-best others. In the end, the stronger (not the best) prevail, though I don’t see how this translates necessarily (genetically) to the reproductive success of the strong and the lack thereof for the weak. The downtrodden continue to do well, reproductively.

The writer repeats the theory of kin selection as an explanation for altruistic behaviors but, as with others, he also brings in reciprocity as a supplementary explanation. It could be that the latter is all that is needed to explain altruism if it’s understood, as Darwin knew, that individual survival depended on the group and that evolution designed us to merge (imprint with?) our group, beginning developmentally with the parent-child bond. Later as the child matures to adulthood, this develops into a two-way reciprocal relationship whereby the individual supports the group and the group supports the individual. The first group, in other words was (and is) the parent-child unit. Later, particularly early in hominid evolution, the group consisted of extended kin and then non-kin that is more typical of today's groups.

*Eduard von Hartmann, writing just post Darwin, makes this point well: “Every plan, every animal, has in two respects to carry on a struggle for existence: first, negatively to defend itself against the enemies threatening to destroy it, as, e.g., the elements, and the robbers and parasites, who would prey upon it; and, secondly, positively to compete in acquiring or retaining what is necessary for the continuance of life, as food, air, light, soil, &c. The fleetest animals, those which know best how to conceal themselves, or least attract notice by their colour and form, will most easily be able to elude the persecutions of their enemies. Of animals and plants, those will least fall a sacrifice to the injuries of weather, storm, frost, heat, wet, dryness, &c., which are most capable of resistance to these circumstances by their external or internal organization. Of beasts of prey, only the most active, quickest,most powerful and craftiest will be able to escape hunger when there is dearth of of good, of plants, those which maintain themselves more vigorously under like circumstances will become more luxuriant in growth than others, and, as regards the enjoyment of light, air, and rain, will attain so decided an advantage as to stifle those lagging behind.”

This book was very interesting and had a lot of information. I enjoy reading nonfiction like this, and I really like science. I found it amazing to learn more about evolution and things like how long it takes, where things happen, and why we and the world, evolve. I read another book by this author, "Get a Grip on Genetics", and both were very well laid out, and carried tons of information. I think there are more books in the "Get a Grip" series and I would like to read them also. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in evolution and science, and people who read other books in this series.