Explores both the development of the science of evolution and the potentials of new technologies to change future evolution, as well as examining the implications of these developments

Reviews

As taught in most science courses, the discovery of biological evolution is dry stuff. By contrast, in this wonderfully engaging book from the coauthors of Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind , the researches of Lamarck, Mendel, Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace and modern evolutionary biologists add up to an intriguing human drama. How Darwinism survived the critical onslaughts of creationists and scientists alike makes for a tale of stubborn persistence, ingenuity, sheer luck and ultimate vindication with the advent of geneticists who unravelled the workings of DNA. Paleoanthropologist Johanson, discoverer of "Lucy," a three-million-year-old fossil of an upright- walking African hominid, and Edey, former Life writer-editor, enliven their tale with down-to-earth cameos of scientists at work. In the closing section, they outline a tentative Homo family tree that posits our descent from Miocene apes, taking into account Lucy and the 1985 discovery of a fossil popularly known as the "Black Skull." It would be hard to imagine a more readable, comprehensive survey of the story of evolution. Illustrated.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

To readers who enjoyed Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind ( LJ 2/1/81), another book by the same authors is a welcome event. This new collaboration is a recounting of evolutionary theory from its roots in the 18th century, through Darwin's and Wallace's revolutionary interpretation of natural selection as evolution's moving force, to the 20th-century unraveling of the genetic code. As in the authors' earlier book, clear writing, clever analogies from the everyday world, and portrayal of scientists as living personalities help make a complex subject approachable for the thoughtful lay reader. The authors are best at telling the genetic story, a sequel to the more often-told Darwinian history and essential to today's understanding of evolution as a well-established scientific dogma.
- Margery C. Coombs, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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