Evolution Now

by David Penny

This is a very Popperian approach to evolutionary study. Karl Popper was a philosopher of science, who took science very seriously, and had a profound influence on the chemists and zoologists where I did my undergraduate degree. The book starts from about 1600, when people accepted that life continued to arise -naturally, - and then moves to the pre-evolutionary concept of the fixity of species. Darwin started as a geologist in the Hutton-Lyell tradition and quickly became convinced that current causes were sufficient to explain geology, and he then moved to biology. I gave an account of his theory in some detail. However, there is also an update on what we have learned since Darwin. This is followed by a chapter on human evolution, especially human speech and the Out of Africa theory. This is followed by two chapters on beliefs that maybe incorrect (one of which is the extinction of dinosaurs from the extraterrestrial impact at the K-Pg boundary--maybe incorrect). The other is the direction of change between eukaryotes (which have a true nucleus) and akaryotes (without a true nucleus). The book finishes with a section on what is left for the future. In good Popperian style, there is a lot left for us to discover!

226 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2017

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evolution Now offers a broad examination of evolutionary thought, beginning with pre-Darwinian ideas and tracing the development of evolutionary theory through Darwin and subsequent discoveries.
Its explicitly Popperian approach gives the book a distinctive framework, particularly in treating scientific knowledge as something that remains open to questioning and revision.
The discussion extends from Darwin and geology into human evolution, human speech, and the Out of Africa theory, giving readers several interconnected areas to explore.
The chapters questioning established interpretations, including the K-Pg extinction event and the direction of change between eukaryotes and akaryotes, add an intentionally challenging dimension to the work.
The closing emphasis on what remains unknown gives the book a strong discovery-oriented angle for readers interested in evolution as an ongoing scientific process.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from "Good Reads".
Obviously a lot of research & work has gone into this book, but I am afraid I am completely out of my depth with this subject. Sorry.