Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea

In this dazzling companion to the most important PBS television series this fall, award-winning journalist Carl Zimmer collaborates with leading scholars to tell the compelling story of the theory of evolution―from Darwin to 21st century science

Darwin’s The Origin of Species was breathtaking―beautifully written, staunchly defended, defiantly radical. Yet it emerged long before modern genetics, molecular biology, and contemporary findings in paleontology.

In this remarkable new book, a rich and up-to-date view of evolution is presented that explores the far-reaching implications of Darwin’s theory. At a time when controversies surrounding creationism and education are bursting into public consciousness, this book’s emphasis on the power, significance, and relevance of evolution will make it a catalyst for public debate. Evolution marks a turning point in the 150-year debate and will be an indispensable asset to any serious reader with an interest in the life sciences, a passion for truth in education, or a concern for the future of the planet.

CARL ZIMMER, guest editor, writes the Origins column for the New York Times. He is the author of fourteen books, including Life’s Edge and She Has Her Mother’s Laugh, both of which were finalists for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Zimmer has written for magazines including The Atlantic, National Geographic, Time, and Scientific American. He has won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science Journalism Award three times, and is a two-time winner of the National Academies Communication Award. Zimmer is professor adjunct at Yale University