The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution

OK, I know I shouldn't do this; but the frothy carping of the creationists is forcing me to say something. I wonder if the creationist critics of Mr. Dawkins: 1. Have read his book 2. Can read English or understand basic logic 3. Can understand what science is and how it works If your purpose in life is to shove your religious beliefs down other people's throats, then I guess logic, meaning, and science are not required. Remember everyone, this is science class, not comparative religions. My jaw clunks off the desk every time I see creationists claim that Mr. Dawkins gives no evidence for his statements. Actually, he gives copious references to real hard scientific studies. He is not afraid of the evidence: all of it (all of it) - supports evolution by natural selection. What scientific evidence do creationists point to? "My mind is too weak to think of a way an eye evolved therefore, a miracle had to have occurred, the laws of nature were suspended and GOD designed the eye." Everywhere, the creationists will explain: "a miracle occurred here." Sorry, that doesn't count as science. No evidence supports the creationist position. The Bible (scientifically speaking) is evidence that some people wrote in Hebrew and Greek a long time ago and these writings have been passed down for a couple of millennia - and only that. Faith is faith and should stay where it belongs, in church. When religious zealots want to replace science with their irrational myths, we had all better take note and be warned and fore-armed. If you want your kids to mouth driveling dogma, then let the creationist, anti-science cabal take over your schools. If you want them to be able to think, then wake up and act up. Belief in a creator God and recognizing evolution by natural selection as the only plausible explanation for the evolution of humans, the diversity of life, the structure and processes of living things, the microbiology of living things, and the fossil record are NOT mutually exclusive - except to religious zealots. Even the Vatican accepts evolution. The creationists would like you to swallow a doozie: some few thousand years ago, GOD created the earth [hey, let's experimentally test that one!] and "designed" every detail of every thing in it. GOD put all the fossils where they are, placed the radioactive elements in the matrix of rocks and fossils in just the right proportions so they would decay to today's time just right to fool us into thinking they are millions of years old, placed all the rock strata, put all the magnetic reversals arrayed on either side of the spreading sea floor ridges [oops, they don't actually spread, sorry], "designed" the meteorite impact craters like the one at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, "designs" earthquakes to punish sinners (they are not the result of plate tectonics): all this just to fool geologists and paleontologists. GOD "designed" the blind cave tetra without eyes (and "designed" the various spe

Richard Dawkins has a wonderful writing style, and his name on a book is a guarantee of a witty, erudite, and lucid exposition on evolution and how it works. In this book he needs all of this literary artillery, not because he is arguing any contentious issues-in fact he's probably preaching to the choir for most readers-but because the work is lengthy, covers a wide range of topics, and does so in considerable detail. The clever format of the work is a Chauceresque "pilgrimage" to the ancestor of all life, hence the title. Just as individuals join Chaucer's tale of Canterbury and entertain us with their personal tales, so too do the various life forms who join our trip back into time. The author picks certain species to clarify what new is introduced to the complexity of life ways at each bifurcation on the genetic tree. Throughout, he makes it very evident that this is not a tale of organisms but of the genes they contain, and he does a superb job of it. The reader is never allowed to forget what the point of the migration is. I found some of Professor Dawkins' points particularly illuminating because he made things I thought I understood even clearer still. I also found the author's capacity to arrange such a massive amount of information in such a logical order, weaving in important details at key points, amazing to me. Although I know quite a lot of the information, I doubt I could have arranged it in anywhere near such a comprehensible order as the author has. The problem with the work is that it is almost too detailed for the average reader-and this despite the fact that the author does not get drawn into discussing material he has covered in earlier works. With frequent references to his own titles and to those of others on specific topics, he manages to keep to his specified goal. Still, the work is a lengthy 614 pages, and it covers a lot of territory. It is almost encyclopedic. I have to admit, though, that should a beginner make an attempt to get through it, he/she would have a very clear and comprehensive understanding of the workings of evolution. For those with only a casual interest, this is probably more than you want to tackle. I am a fairly fast and persistent reader, and I had difficulty staying on track. I read the book in small increments, sometimes stopping in the middle of chapters. It required time to digest the new material or the new way of looking at old material. One aspect of the book from which both the enthusiast and the casual reader will benefit, is the extensive bibliography. The books listed under "further reading" are current and diverse. Those from the general bibliography include both periodicals and books on specific topics. Some are a little dated, but all give a comprehensive coverage of discussions in evolutionary biology from which the reader may select follow-up information that more suits their level of and specific interests. All appear to be in English. Some of th

The science is, of course, irrefutable - but what always strikes me with Richard Dawkins' work is the beauty of the writing. As ever, he presents complex issues with a grace and wit that never cease to give a fresh insight into the way the natural world came into being - not by the act of an all-knowing creator but through the wonderful simpicity of Darwinian evolution. Like one of the other reviewers I feel this is a 4 star book, not quite up to Dawkins' usual standard, but have given the extra star to balance other reviewers who seem more intent on pushing a creationist agenda than enjoying the true beauty of the world around them.

A magnum opus from a scientist isn't common these days. Usually, their writings are in stacks of journal papers, with the occasional monograph highlighting a career. Journal articles remain buried in academic libraries, down the aisle from dusty tomes. Dawkins, however, is charged with the task of improving the "public understanding of science". With such a mandate, he is free to indulge in some innovative techniques. In this epic journey through time, he accomplishes that with his usual finesse. Add the lavish illustrations enhancing the text, and you have an outstanding depiction of evolution's saga. Unlike most general surveys of evolution, this one offers some novel approaches. First, of course, is its structure. Instead of vague beginnings, Dawkins opens with a period familiar to all his readers - the scenes around us today. Moreover, that focus is on the part of Nature of most concern to us - "All Humankind". We like to consider ourselves the "point" of evolution? So be it, Dawkins declares, but warns that a change in outlook will likely result as you read this book. From that point, he begins to work backward in time. He stands Chaucer on his head by adding "pilgrims" to our journey at certain waypoints. The "pilgrims" are the Most Recent Common Ancestor of the present population of creatures. Since he begins with Homo sapiens, the most recent common ancestor, which Dawkins [rather, one of his graduate assistants] deems a "concestor", is of course the ancestor of today's chimpanzee. It is a shock to most readers to learn we can make the traverse of nearly 4 billion years in but 39 steps [Hitchcock would have loved it!]. In tracing our mammalian ancestry, Dawkins is able to aid us in peering at the innermost secrets of our bizarre relatives. We meet colugos and tree shrews, mammoths with tusks like shovels, tarsiers and tigers. Nearly halfway along the track we are confronted with a superb essay on our nervous system. Using recent studies of the Platypus, we learn how our brain interacts with the rest of our bodies. A model human, proportioned to show how much our limbs are represented in the brain confronts us. Huge hands and lips extend from a minuscule torso perched on spindly legs. Our grasping abilities clearly helped drive the enlargement of that organ taking so much of our body's resources. In Platypus' case, the lips play the major role, since this creature uses its unusual properties to investigate its environment. As we progress along the path, the information about our ancestors grows less certain. Is this creature in the proper genus? Is this miniature swimmer indeed unique in its classification? What is the divergent point between mammals and reptiles? With the introduction of reptiles, the birds finally join the trek. Dinosaurs, not being in the direct line leading to humans, are given short shrift. No matter, the books on these long-successful creatures are beyond counting - and the number gro