Rating: 
Summary: Stellar resource for both the layperson and professional
Review: Carl Zimmer has done a masterful job of presenting the modern synthesis of Evolutionary Theory. The format is accessible and nonconfrontational. The examples are quite lucid and prolific. I especially appreciate the extensive historical context of the rise of Evolutionary Theory and the difficulties facing it..... As a scientist I can say that both the presentation of the theory and its religious implications are fair and balanced. The author has no need for dishonest rhetoric, he strives for historical accuracy, and ultimately leaves the theistic interpretations for the reader. If you are looking for a well-written introduction to evolution, look no further. This book will serve you well. I would also recommend this book to those looking to increase their understanding of Evolution. You might notice that this book draws comments that appear to be completely polarized. Bottom line-- read it for yourself. Draw your own conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: A Definitive Guide to Evolution for lay men
Review: Carl Zimmer wrote a solid account of evolution in the book "Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea". The text is accessible to practically all ages. Serious lay men and people with no knowledge of evolution may find the book rewarding and entertaining. Zimmer begins with an elegant life story of Darwin - his family, his voyage on HMS Beagle, his friendship and discussions with other naturalists, publication of Origin of Species and other details. I was particularly interested in how Darwin's theory and ideas were debated at the time. As the book explains, Darwin earned many loyal friends (Thomas Huxley) and bitter enemies (Sir Richard Owen) after publishing his work. Also, Zimmer provides some information on carbon dating and emphasizes its importance as a method and introduces Lord Kelvin and Marie Curie to his readers as well. When Zimmer moves on to discuss genetics and heredity he rightly introduces Gregor Medel. Readers should pay special attention to the evolutionary tree of whales that show a divergence of species that are actual intermediate forms. Due to the compactness of the text I understand that Zimmer was writing under deep constraint, however, I was surprised by the fact that Zimmer only briefly mentions trilobites that surpassed 300 million years of existence during Paleozoic Era and the dinosaurs (150 million years during Mesozoic Era). At times Zimmer presents only one theory when it is known that several theories exist that confirm to the available evidence suggesting there is some favoritism going on. Graphs and illustrations seem to be up to date and are well picked but I wish he included more of these. Visual information is just as valuable as verbal. Zimmer describes several theories that try to account for mass extinctions (90% of species 250 million years ago, the demise of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and other 4 mass extinctions): volcanism and cataclysmic asteroid collisions with earth. Zimmer attributes the mammalian rise to dominance to the mass extinction that happened 65 million years ago. He explains that mammals were no bigger than present day shrews at the time dinosaurs ruled. Only after the extinction could the mammals grow in size unconstrained. Zimmer predicts that future extinctions may be possible but this time it is Homo sapiens that are causing it. He explains that humanity has already left a deep mark on environment through carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation. According to him, we are frustrating the evolution of other plants and animals. If this is thrown out of whack the consequences may be catastrophic. Later on, Carl writes about sexual selection and sexual/asexual reproduction. He explains evolutionary advantage sexually-reproducing animals have over those that reproduce asexually. For describing sexual selection and female choice Zimmer uses old established example of peacock's tail. As we approach Part 4 we are headed into evolution of hominids. I was rewarded by the reconstructions of hominids: Australopithecus afarensis and Homo ergaster. Here Zimmer dwells into the theory of mind, human migrations, hominid interaction, and emergence of modern human behavior, symbolic thinking, and other areas. He gives some clues as to why Neanderthals went extinct about 27,000 years ago. Homo neanderthalensis did not seem to interbreed with Homo sapiens. They left no progeny. Zimmer is clearly a proponent of a theory of sudden emergence of human behavior that arose, according to some anthropologist, as early as 50,000 years ago and led to the use of jewelry, cave paintings and other forms of symbolic expression. I personally sway toward the theory that suggests that modern human behavior arose gradually in Africa without taking any sudden leaps. Recent archeological findings of shell beads dated to about 75,000 years ago and other digs may be suggesting that modern human behavior has existed way before Africans began expanding into Europe in several migration waves. The last chapter deals with the idea of God. Zimmer walks his readers through history of American education and its battle with Darwinism. He explains that Darwinism has historically been abused and used to justify xenophobia, violence, and eugenic polices in Europe. This type of Darwinism was dubbed "Social Darwinism" and left a deep gash on the reputation of Darwinism as a healthy science. Additionally, if you are interested about Intelligent Design movement and Earth Creationists then you will definitely like this chapter. Zimmer finishes off his book splendidly. He portrays Darwin's own battle with his religiosity. Darwin's transformation from a devoted Christian to an agnostic was gradual. Deaths of his loved ones left deep marks on his mentality. At the end Darwin himself succumbed to his illness and passed away in solitude and peace.
Rating:
Summary: A Definitive Guide to Evolution for lay men
Review: Carl Zimmer wrote a solid account of evolution in the book "Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea". The text is accessible to practically all ages. Serious lay men and people with no knowledge of evolution may find the book rewarding and entertaining. Zimmer begins with an elegant life story of Darwin - his family, his voyage on HMS Beagle, his friendship and discussions with other naturalists, publication of Origin of Species and other details. I was particularly interested in how Darwin's theory and ideas were debated at the time. As the book explains, Darwin earned many loyal friends (Thomas Huxley) and bitter enemies (Sir Richard Owen) after publishing his work. Also, Zimmer provides some information on carbon dating and emphasizes its importance as a method and introduces Lord Kelvin and Marie Curie to his readers as well. When Zimmer moves on to discuss genetics and heredity he rightly introduces Gregor Medel. Readers should pay special attention to the evolutionary tree of whales that show a divergence of species that are actual intermediate forms. Due to the compactness of the text I understand that Zimmer was writing under deep constraint, however, I was surprised by the fact that Zimmer only briefly mentions trilobites that surpassed 300 million years of existence during Paleozoic Era and the dinosaurs (150 million years during Mesozoic Era). At times Zimmer presents only one theory when it is known that several theories exist that confirm to the available evidence suggesting there is some favoritism going on. Graphs and illustrations seem to be up to date and are well picked but I wish he included more of these. Visual information is just as valuable as verbal. Zimmer describes several theories that try to account for mass extinctions (90% of species 250 million years ago, the demise of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and other 4 mass extinctions): volcanism and cataclysmic asteroid collisions with earth. Zimmer attributes the mammalian rise to dominance to the mass extinction that happened 65 million years ago. He explains that mammals were no bigger than present day shrews at the time dinosaurs ruled. Only after the extinction could the mammals grow in size unconstrained. Zimmer predicts that future extinctions may be possible but this time it is Homo sapiens that are causing it. He explains that humanity has already left a deep mark on environment through carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation. According to him, we are frustrating the evolution of other plants and animals. If this is thrown out of whack the consequences may be catastrophic. Later on, Carl writes about sexual selection and sexual/asexual reproduction. He explains evolutionary advantage sexually-reproducing animals have over those that reproduce asexually. For describing sexual selection and female choice Zimmer uses old established example of peacock's tail. As we approach Part 4 we are headed into evolution of hominids. I was rewarded by the reconstructions of hominids: Australopithecus afarensis and Homo ergaster. Here Zimmer dwells into the theory of mind, human migrations, hominid interaction, and emergence of modern human behavior, symbolic thinking, and other areas. He gives some clues as to why Neanderthals went extinct about 27,000 years ago. Homo neanderthalensis did not seem to interbreed with Homo sapiens. They left no progeny. Zimmer is clearly a proponent of a theory of sudden emergence of human behavior that arose, according to some anthropologist, as early as 50,000 years ago and led to the use of jewelry, cave paintings and other forms of symbolic expression. I personally sway toward the theory that suggests that modern human behavior arose gradually in Africa without taking any sudden leaps. Recent archeological findings of shell beads dated to about 75,000 years ago and other digs may be suggesting that modern human behavior has existed way before Africans began expanding into Europe in several migration waves. The last chapter deals with the idea of God. Zimmer walks his readers through history of American education and its battle with Darwinism. He explains that Darwinism has historically been abused and used to justify xenophobia, violence, and eugenic polices in Europe. This type of Darwinism was dubbed "Social Darwinism" and left a deep gash on the reputation of Darwinism as a healthy science. Additionally, if you are interested about Intelligent Design movement and Earth Creationists then you will definitely like this chapter. Zimmer finishes off his book splendidly. He portrays Darwin's own battle with his religiosity. Darwin's transformation from a devoted Christian to an agnostic was gradual. Deaths of his loved ones left deep marks on his mentality. At the end Darwin himself succumbed to his illness and passed away in solitude and peace.
Rating:
Summary: A Splendid Companion to the PBS series
Review: Carl Zimmer, one of our finest science writers, has written an elegant companion to the PBS NOVA miniseries which stands on its own as an excellent introduction to evolution, covering topics which should be of interest to all, ranging from the evolution of sex to fighting disease, and of course, the search for humanity's origins as the only extant member of a once-flourishing tribe of hominid species related to the great apes. Each of Zimmer's chapters corresponds with the NOVA episode related to it. He gives us a mesmerizing, compelling portait of Charles Darwin and his intellectual struggles with his understanding of biology, geology and faith, as he recognized that his detailed observations of biotic diversity could only be accounted for by a theory of evolution via natural selection. Zimmer gives a riveting account on the history of life, highlighting such notable episodes as the evolution of multicellular organisms, the Cambrian explosion, the invasion of the land by plants, insects and tetrapods, the Permo-Triasic and Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary mass extinctions, to name but a few. He also notes the significance of chance and constraint in the evolution of animal life, pointing out the significance of tiny changes in certain genes in creating vast differences in the structures of animal skeletons and organs. He emphasizes the importance of co-evolution as a constant struggle between predators and prey. And he clearly shows the importance of natural selection in understanding the spread and control of such virulent diseases as tuberculosis. Zimmer's account of the role of God - if any - with respect to evolution and the widespread appeal of so-called creation science, most notably, "Intelligent Design", is replete with excellent arguments and examples demonstrating why Intelligent Design and other forms of creation science are not scientific. This well written, highly engrossing, popular account of evolution deserves to be read by all.
Rating:
Summary: Superb and thorough
Review: Evolution the Triumph of an Idea is a superbly written synthesis of the theory of evolution and its history. The author, Carl Zimmer, is a science journalist rather than a professional anthropologist, geologist or historian, which means that the book is eminently readable. It is also well researched with an extensive bibliography for each chapter. While it is clearly enough framed for the average reader without a background in the subject, it also presents enough new information to keep the serious student of the topic interested as well. Although the volume was intended to accompany a PBS series on evolution, it would make an excellent source text for a high school or college survey course on the subject, as it covers the theory, the data supporting it, the newer thoughts on human evolution, the issues of ecology and conservation, and the character of science. It even touches upon the issue of God and science. As an overview, Part 1 covers the autobiographical history of Darwin and the metamorphosis of his theory and the intellectual and emotional environment into which it was introduced. Part 2 introduces the actual theory and how the web of life has come to exist as it does. It also discusses the impact of human activity on the natural world and what the likely outcome will be if we persist in pursuing our present behavior with respect to the environment. Part 3 describes the coevolution of species and its impacts on relationships such as those in agriculture: natural plants, bioengineered plants, and insect and microbial pests. It also discusses the probable origin of some of the human diseases, the use and abuse of antibiotics, and the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs and AIDES. Part 4 contains some of the most pertinent information in that it points out the risks of dropping the subject of evolution from the core curricula of the nation's high schools. In his defense of evolution, Zimmer points out that it is not simply a theory of biology that is at stake, but the scientific method itself. Some of my favorite quotes from Part 4 are: 1) "The scientific method does not claim that events can have only natural causes but that the only causes that we can understand scientifically are natural ones. As powerful as the scientific method may be, it must be mute about things beyond its scope. Supernatural forces are, by definition, above the laws of nature, and thus beyond the scope of science (p. 332)." And 2) "When microbiologists study an outbreak of resistant tuberculosis, they do not research the possibility that it is an act of God. When astrophysicists try to figure out the sequence of events by which a primordial cloud condensed into our solar system, they do not simply draw a big box between the hazy cloud and the well-formed planets and write inside it, 'Here a miracle happened.' When meteorologists fail to predict the path of a hurricane, they do not claim that God's will pushed it off course (p. 333)." And finally 3) "Science cannot simply cede the unknown in nature to the divine. If it did, there would be no science at all. As University of Chicago geneticist Jerry Coyne puts it, 'If the history of science shows us anything, it is that we get nowhere by labeling our ignorance 'God''(p. 333)." As we get closer and closer to bringing about a total collapse of the environment of which we are an integral part, it behooves us to come to a clearer understanding of how our biosphere came to exist, how the various parts of it interrelate, and how our tinkering with it can have disastrous consequences. The teaching and learning of evolutionary theory is an important part of that understanding. This book helps further that goal.
Rating:
Summary: A true triumph indeed!!
Review: Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea is a book that I recommend to anyone and everyone. It tells the story of evolution, how it came to be, and how it has changed and, indeed, evolved since its conception by Darwin. Using science to back up evolution, it clearly and concisely demonstrates that evolution is indeed the gold-standard of sorts when it comes to explaining how everything from the human eye to the chichilids of Lake Victoria have evolved and continue to do so.
If anyone has any doubts what so ever about the theory of evolution, this book is a must-read. Buy it, check it out at your library, just make sure that you read it. Doing so will enlighten you to the world of science, while amazing you at the ingenuity of our natural world. We are a product of evolution, just lake every other living thing on the planet. This is the #1 book I site whenever I talk about evolution with friends, family, and classmates. All one has to do is talk about Lake Victoria in Africa, explain the wonders that have occured there (and the horrible destruction of biological diversity which is occuring today) to amaze, astound and enlighten any and everyone on evolution.
What a triump it truely is! What a triumph!!
Rating:
Summary: Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea
Review: Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea written by Carl Zimmer is one of the best books that presents a rich and up-to-date view of evolution that explores the far-reaching implications of Darwin's theory and emphasizes the power, significance and relavance of evolution to our lives today. Reading this book leaves no doubt that Darwin was right... evolution is fact, whether the creationists want to believe it or not. "Evolution" tells in riveting detail the story of a remarkable scientific journey, from the emergence to the triumph of an idea. This book is an easy read filled with a rich narrative, award-winning science writting, illustrated with more than 150 color illustrations making this book a dazzling companion to the PBS series of the same name. "Evolution" is divided into four parts covering a wide scope, but bringing a clear focus to the reader as to the truth about evolution. Starting out in part one: Slow Victory: Darwin and the Rise of Darwinism. From Dawin's trip on the Beagle, to the writing of "The Origin of Species," to putting date to our History of Life, and a very clear "Witnessing Change: Genes, Natural Selection and Evolution in Action. Each of the sub-sections is well written and cogent, bring a foundation to the book bringing to reader upto speed. Part Two: Creation and Destruction, where we read about "Rooting the Tree of Life;" From Life's Dawn to the Age of Microbes; next "The Accidental Tool Kit:" Chance and Constraints in Animal Evolution; to "Extinction:" How Life Ends and Begins Again. Here the reader sees life's will to survive. It is at work on all species everywhere on the planet, and it has been at work ever since life first emerged. Part Three: "Evolution's Dance, featuring "Coevolution;" Weaving the Web of Life; "Doctor Darwin;" Disease in the Age of Evolutionary Medicine; to "Passion's Logic:" The evolution of Sex. This section brngs to light reasoning to save endangered species from extinction because we can find among them lessons about how evolution works. As man evolves, so does his enviornment, making all life part of the whole picture of survival. Part Four: "Humanity's Place in Evolution and Evolution's Place in Humanity" where "The Gossiping Ape:" The Social Roots of Human Evolution; next, "Modern Life, 50,000B.C.: The Dawn of Us; to "What about God?" This whole section should ruffle the skirts of the creationists, as I found this section to be the most interesting. This section places man in the mix of evolution, just as everything else in nature, is a obvious survivor of evolution to this point in time. Ever since the publication of "Origin of Species," people have been pondering the significance of evolution for the meaning of their lives, and of life in general. Are we just a biological accident or a cosmic imperative? Well, if this question is left to the facts alone, then man is part and parcel of Earth's evolutionary process. But, there are those who contemplate, where is God's place if everything does have a natural cause? Might I suggest that, maybe "God" is an evolution in our mind's thought as a succor to portray evolving to loftier heights.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting fairy tale, file under fiction....
Review: How could such nonsense of a THEORY be presented as fact? In todays society we choose to believe the lie. The lie of evolution. I use to be an advocate of this, until I decided to non-boiasedly reserch both evolution and creationism and intelligent design, and science, the very thing evolution depends on for evidence, has debunked rather than validate a theory that has been used to justify hitler's actions in the holocaust. Sorry not enough evidence to support such a theory. If anyone can show any evidence for evolution, go for it, you won't find any.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should read this book!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! As someone working in molecular biology I often get these types of books from friends on birthdays and special occasions. Not all of them are good, and many of the ones that seem fine at first, in terms of content, are boring to read. With Evolution, I was entranced from the first page. Even though many of the facts of this book were known to me before, I have never seen them put together in such a logical, and pedagogical, fashion. The book also strikes the perfect balance between explaining difficult concepts in a way that people can understand, and treating the reader as an intelligent person. I think everyone should read this book. People may think that they know what evolution is all about, but very few actually fully understand the theory and its implications. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A marvelously entertaining and important book
Review: I got this book (having seen some of the PBS series) to see whether it could be readily recommended to non-scientists with whom I've gotten into discussions about evolution (I'm a developmental biologist). Although much of this was not "new" information to me it still made gripping and delightful reading.
I think the greatest value of this book is its synthesis and connection of information from many different fields into a whole that should be highly entertaining reading even for those who don't generally enjoy such topics...Whales with feet, fish with antifreeze, why the descendants of black plaque survivors have greater HIV resistance today...the anecdotes are fascinating, the science should be required knowledge for everyone alive today. Now we have the ability to trigger a mass extinction on this planet, to wipe out much of the biodiversity generated over vast gulfs of time, to alter climate and habitat worldwide. We have the ability to do good as well, to uncover cures for once deadly diseases, to alleviate starvation through higher food production. Evolution lies at the center of literally all that we have been, are now doing, and will become as a species.
Given what was not known in Darwin's day, it is perhaps remarkable how well the theory of evolution has held up. Darwin drew his conclusions about evolution almost exclusively from the morphology of existing creatures. Radiographic techniques to define the age of the earth and calculate the age of fossilized remains did not exist, our understanding of chromosomes and genes as carriers of inherited information was not yet present, little of the fossil record we now have was existent.
Now a host of disciplines (biochemistry, developmental biology, molecular genetics, paleontology, geology, etc.) have and will continue to confirm Darwin's theory in spades and to use the information to manage many critical aspects of our modern lives. We can comb the genomes of bacteria, viruses, mice and men trying to understand the basis of human disease and the underpinnings of the remarkable diversity on our planet. We can look at the common genetic blueprint driving formation of many structures in mice, men, and fruit flies. We have genetic data to place ourselves on a family tree with all other living creatures. And we drive the evolution of many creatures each day, through both our intentional and unintentional behaviors.
Evolution is too important a concept to be left to scientists. Hopefully this book will help all wonder at and appreciate how evolution has and will continue to shape the diversity of life and the pattern of our own lives.
|
