On the Origin of Evolution: Tracing ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ from Aristotle to DNA

by John Gribbin

A Waterstones Best Book of 2020.

The theory of evolution by natural selection did not spring fully formed and unprecedented from the brain of Charles Darwin. Rather it has been examined and debated by philosophers the world over for thousands of years.

This lively history traces the evolution of the idea of evolution, showing how it has changed and been changed by different societies over time. It will put 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea' into its proper context, showing how it built on what went before and how it was developed in the twentieth century, through an understanding of genetics and the biochemical basis evolution. None of this diminishes the achievement of Darwin himself in perceiving the way evolution works at the level of individuals and species, but his contribution was one link in a chain that extends back into antiquity, and is still being forged today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Evolution, History, Biology, Nature, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2020

About the author

John R. Gribbin is a British science writer, an astrophysicist, and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His writings include quantum physics, human evolution, climate change, global warming, the origins of the universe, and biographies of famous scientists. He also writes science fiction.

Reviews

[Crazytourists_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and informative book that covers approximately 2,5 thousand years of scientific knowledge around evolution. If you are a science geek like me, you'll probably love it. If you are a woman like me, you'll get frustrated about the exclusion of women from science and knowledge for more than a thousand years. If you are a woman in STEM like me, you'll get i furiated by the constant underestimation of the participation of women in scientific breakthroughs, the denial to acknowledge their efforts and the blatant robbery of their work.
For the little it's worth, a big shoutout to the women mentioned and those unmentioned in this book for their contribution in natural sciences, biology, and genetics.
The ones mentioned here, two nobel prize winners amongst them and one that should have been are:
Ida Laura Pfeiffer
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
Martha Chase
Rosalind Franklin
Barbara McClintock

[John King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book which covers a vast amount of progress in a fascinating and wonderful ride through history. Its just a tragedy that all the stupid people who fail to grasp that evolution is a fact can't be given a copy of this. I have read other books on the history of science and none of them has achieved the brilliance of this. if you only ever read one book about science just make sure its this one.

[Nicole Simovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read on the history of thinking about evolution. I studied evolution in grad school but this book offered lots of new insights pre-darwin that i was unaware of. Accessible overview and great book for those unfamiliar with the history of evolutionary thinking and the modern synthesis.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the Origin of Evolution is a meticulous examination of Charles Darwin's intellectual forebears, though struggles somewhat with the post-Darwin era. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, historical overview of how the natural law of evolution was discovered, and how that discovery really was an achievement of not one but many curious minds. My only point of criticism is that some parts were very dense, lots of people and their story included in a couple of sentences. That made it sometimes difficult not to lose focus. Nevertheless, a must-read for anyone interested in evolution.

[Jack Wowiwat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as a second handed book. Din't read the table of contents (bad habits). So, I thought it will be about the biology but turns out it not pure biology. It's a history book about biology, biologist, scientist and theories. Actually it's a pretty good book and when I finish the book every theory about biology start making sense. In conclusion, great to know the history of the theory that we are using and believing and relying now a days.

[Sher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! It was well written and full of information! Very engaging style of writing too. I grew up religious and consequently didn't learn much about evolution. I found it to be a great tool in helping me to catch up on all I'd missed out on!

[Oscar Preuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and very thorough examination of how the concept evolution has, well, evolved over the last few thousand years. Despite being a pretty quick read, the authors make you feel like you've absorbed an impressive amount of information by the end, though I'll need to reread it soon to hold onto most of it for sure!

Beyond just being interesting, the authors seem to have written this with 2 main messages in mind. First, that the fact evolution (or the theory of natural selection) is still a work in progress, and it's up to future generations to uncover its remaining mysteries. Secondly, that great scientific leaps are very rarely made by lone geniuses. Instead, every discovery builds on top of those before them, and usually alongside their contemporaries. For example, the common myth about Darwin's theory was that he spent 40 years locked in his house, not speaking about his idea, until he was pushed to release it due to pressure from rivals. Through letters and journal entries, though, this book shows that there were several scientists collaborating on evolution, combining their expertise from various fields.

Even so this book isn't incredible. The writing style is pretty desolate, and with the exception of Charles and Wallace, hardly any scientists are given much characterization or a compelling story, so the book sometimes made me wonder why I should care about the events described. The book also takes a really hard left turn in the last 50 pages or so. Earlier on, all the concepts described like Natural Selection and Lamarckism were easy to wrap your head around. But that goes out the window once DNA comes into the picture, and I began to wish I had a biology textbook with me.

Even so, this book is pretty much what it seems like. If you wanted a book about evolution before you read this review, then you'll enjoy this one.

[Bihter İyidir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aslında bu kitap adına rağmen evrimin kökenini anlatan bir kitap değil. Çağlar boyunca insanlığın kökenini felsefik ve bilimsel yöntemlerle anlama çabalarının nasıl geliştiğini, nasıl üstüste eklenen bilgilerin bizi bugünlere getirdiğini ve kimbilir daha nerelere götüreceğini anlatan bir kitap.

Bir kuramı bilmenin ötesine geçiriyor bu kitap insanı. Kuram bütünlüklü bir şekilde ortaya konuncaya kadar geçen yüzyıllar içerisinde fikirlerin gelişiminin izini sürmek, hangi fikirlerin önce benimsenip sonra hataların nasıl tespit edildiğini anlamak, çeşitli fikirlerin ortaya atılıp onları destekleyecek kanıtlar arayışına eşlik etmek kurama dair kavrayışımızı da çok daha derinlere götürüyor.

Yazar kitabı Antik Çağlar, Ortaçağ ve Modern Zamanlar olarak üç bölümde ele almış. Süreç içerisinde fikirlerin, gözlemlerin ve sonrasında deneysel çalışmaların üstü üste eklenmesiyle ortaya çıkan birikim öyle etkileyici ki hele hele Modern Zamanlar kısmına gelindiğinde Mendel’den başlayan süreçle gelişmeler öyle baş döndürücü bir hızla ve pek çok koldan ilerliyor ki adı geçen onlarca belki yüzlerce bilim insanını düşünüp geleceğe dair, insanlığa dair içim heyecanla umutla doldu. Çok iyi yazılmış bir kitap.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explained in a very understandable way,how the theory of evolution came about,the people who considered it in antiquity and in theologically troubled times,to reach Darwin and Wallace,who shaped it in a more modern manner,so that it became the leading belief for how life flourished into existence.

We see how the existence of fossils and strata in the ground and mines gave decisive proof of it,along with the remnants of extinct species without modern equivalents,and how the survival of the fittest only works for the species depending of when,where and how they live.

A species adapted to thrive for one environment and in a specific time period,would struggle in circumstances that are the opposite of what it knows and lives in,and that includes humans,regardless of how well we think we’ve mastered the planet.

I really recommend this book!

❤️❤️💯💯💯😍😍😍

[Daniel Kvick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ganska intressant i början, men sedan blir det lite för mycket fokus på människorna som förde fram de tidiga teorierna om evolutionen. Jag hade nog trott att det skulle bli mer av en genomgång av evolutionsteorins utveckling, och det får man till viss del, men mycket annan fokus läggs på yttre omständigheter kring upptäckarnas liv. Inte fullt så intressant. Orkade inte lyssna klart på boken, tyvärr.

[Vladimiro Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting and easy to listen, love the authors, their explanation and presentation make it a wonderful book to read. Also felt that open my horizons toward more ideas and other authors. I love that in a book.

[Marcella]

The book is interesting and it is quite broad in scope. However, one point of criticism - it seems the two parts of the book - tracing Darwin's idea and the DNA are disconnected. Only at the very end the connection between these two parts is mentioned and not explored in depth at all.

[trijnewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erg interessant onderwerp, goed gebracht en ik stak er veel van op. Ik was alleen iets te veel verwend met humor bovenop de informatie in de Bill Bryson boeken die ik hiervoor luisterde om het meer sterren te geven.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fascinating read. Part 3 was heavier on the science and so a little harder for me to really understand, but I thoroughly enjoyed the boo overall.

[Caner Ertay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bilim tarihi açısından mükemmel bir kitap...

[Tony Bertram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept up with it to Mendel. After that ... well ,the eyes and mind glazed.

[ReadingSloph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information around the key people who influenced the theory. A good base to work from.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already knew that John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin were great science writers, so I had high expectations for this book. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this book. The tone of the book is very conversational, more like having coffee with the two Gribbins than reading a book. The book covers a lot of ground and surprisingly contains up-to-date information. There are a lot of quotes from people who in the past, distant or not, wrote about evolution, so I was able to read what these people thought. I was concerned that the language of the quotes would be too abstruse but this was definitely not the case. Overall this is a great book and I recommend it for anyone interested in the history of science. Thank you to Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield, Prometheus for the digital review copy.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of evolution didn't originate with Charles Darwin. He and Alfred Russel Wallace were the first to identify natural selection as the mechanism for evolution. But throughout the ages, many thinkers puzzled over the possibility that organisms might change over time. This book traces the roots of evolution, the work of Darwin and Wallace, and the effect on the modern world. It does so in an engaging narrative style that makes it a compelling read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.