Book Description

This engaging, up-to-date, chronological introduction presents human prehistory within a framework of themes, issues, and debates. Featuring a consistent chapter format and an appropriate level of detail for students with no previous exposure to archaeology, it also offers outstanding pedagogy including maps, timelines (interactive on the companion Online Learning Center), chapter summaries, lists of key terms, 16 pages of full color photos, and more! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Putting more than the past into perspective
Kenneth Fader's "The Past In Perspective" is a book designed for those who wish to learn the basics regarding the field of archaelology. Focusing on the cultural evolutions of mankind, Fader never lapses into the jargon so popularly found in some textbooks. This is a book designed to introduce over five million years of human evolution, so naturally it is best for those who are new to the topic. Although I used this book for my archeology class, it contains information that could interest anyone with a flair for history. All in all, it is easy of to follow and does its best to represent all sides of arguments that are presented, although at times it seems to stress a war between religous and evolutionary ideas that may, or may not exist as much as the author would like them to. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Triune Brain...A Provocative Theory Goes Unchallenged

Paul D. MacLean has distinguished himself as a foremost figure in neuroscience. His early contributions to the understanding of the brain lie most notably in the area that he has named the limbic system. For the past thirty years, he has dedicated his research efforts at the NIMH Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior, which he heads, to the promotion of his theory of the triune nature of the modern mammalian brain. His latest work, _The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions_, is the paramount testament to that effort. The book is an impressive volume incorporating research from evolutionary biology, neuroscience, physiology, animal behavior, ethology, etc., into an insightful framework from which he draws many interesting, provocative conclusions, implications, and suppositions.

The triune theory has gained wide recognition, attention, and application in fields as diverse as psychiatry, education, and theology. However, neuroscientists have made little comment on the theory, pro or con, and, for the most part, have ignored it. Although chapters dedicated to the topic have appeared in a number of symposia, MacLean is usually the author. Since MacLean's peers, professional neuroscientists, have almost unequivocally declined comment, it thus becomes quite difficult for a novice to gain a critical view of the theory. In fact, since MacLean's review of the field is seemingly so complete, he is free to present the established thought on the evolution of the brain as he wishes. The novice is left only with his own efforts to sort things out. ... Read more

Book Description

Oxford University Press is proud to present GENES VII--the latest edition of Benjamin Lewin's best-selling textbook. This authoritative work provides an integrated account of the structure and function of genes and incorporates all the latest research in the field.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REORGANIZATION TO DATE

The power of direct analysis of the genome has made a significant difference in the approach of GENES VII. In a departure from previous editions, which started with a traditional analysis of formal genetics, the new edition begins with the molecular properties of the gene itself. The text is now reorganized to begin with the concept of genes as a segment of DNA coding for protein, and then proceeds directly to the characterization of the genome in terms of its content of genes.

INTEGRATED APPROACH

GENES VII first explains the structure and function of the gene as a means to revealing the operation of the genome as a whole, and offers an integrated approach to prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The gene is considered from all aspects, including:

* Basic forms

* The numbers and relationships among genes in a genome

* Their packaging into chromosomes

* The process of gene expression from transcription through translation

* The reproduction and safeguarding of the gene structure

* Aspects of the overall circuitry through which genotype determines phenotype

STREAMLINED, FULL-COLOR DESIGN

GENES VII has been considerably restructured and reorganized to highlight the latest research and technology. It contains more that 800 full color illustrations that are extremely useful in teaching the key concepts presented in the book.

GENES VII CONTAINS NEW, GROUNDBREAKING INFORMATION ON:

* New technologies that count and compare expressed genes

* Accessory proteins (chaperones)

* The role of the proteasome

* Licensing

* Reverse translocation

* Connections between repair and recombination systems and human diseases

* Connections between the structure of chromosomal material and control of gene expression in eukaryotes

* The process of X chromosome inactivation

* Imprinting

* Control of gene expression by epigenetic changes

* The enzymatic activities that control chromatin structure and affect the regulatory process

* Archeael enzymes

* The mechanism of RNA editing in lower eukaryotes

* The role of RAG genes

* Interactions within and between pathways

* The use of protein degradation to control passage through the cell cycle

* Programmed cell death

* Telomerase and its role in carcinogenesis. And much more! ... Read more

Reviews (21)

It's earned a spot on my bookshelf
Although many of my college textbooks have been packed away into neat little boxes and shoved into an attic, this one sits on my shelf and will be called into duty in the future. In an ideal world, the author would have written just for me: reordered the chapters, gone into greater detail for some topics and less for others, and inserted images that pertained to the level of detail I needed. However, the world isn't ideal. The book comes as close as any text can to meeting the needs of readers who need the book as a fundamental learning aid and as a reference guide. However, although it's jam-packed with information, it's a little tedious reading through the elementary text to get to what you need. Perhaps he needs to split the book into two texts: an Introductory Genes (Green Genes?) and an advanced text. Overall, worth the money.

Thumbs down from a frustrated professor
Lewin's Genes series has dominated the market in Molecular Biology textbooks ... Unfortunately, its monopoly status seems to have insulated Lewin, his illustrators, and his editors from the corrective influences of a competitive market...so far.

I am in my second year of teaching from this book and I find it very frustrating. Lewin's writing style is unclear, difficult and distracting. Tangential ideas and subjects appear out of nowhere in the middle of chapters for no logical reason. As I write this, I should be preparing my lecture for Chapter 26 (Signal transduction). Why does this chapter start with a discussion of transporters? Later parts contain sentences that are almost unreadable and way too much detail about the alphabet soup of different kinases.

Although it is much better than some earlier editions, Genes VII still contains a variety of major and minor errors, including serious problems in explaining how lagging strand DNA synthesis is coordinated in the replication fork - several experts tell me that the model in figure 13.16 is simply wrong. The holoenyme does not lose one of its catalytic subunits with each cycle of Okazaki fragment synthesis. The clamp simply lets go and the clamp loader grabs the next fragment with a new clamp. I realized this semester that I had been ignoring the book and teaching what I knew from seminars.

Even when the content they describe is basically correct, figures in Genes VII can be astonishingly bad. Homologous recombination is illustrated with DNA strands that are only color coded and where the 5' and 3' ends are not labeled (Chapter 14). Unlabeled spliceosomal proteins change their color codes in the middle of the pathway - transesterification to form the lariat also seems to change U2 into U1 (Figure 22.10).

I am hoping that one of the newer competitors for Genes VII will prove to be a suitable replacement. I am examining Robert Weaver's Molecular Biology - I like what I've read so far - and should get a review copy of T.A. Brown's Genomes soon. ...Disclaimer - I have no financial interest in the success of any of these. All of them are available on Amazon.

By the way, I do have a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. I'm not an expert in all of the material covered by Genes VII, but I was trained in labs whose work is cited in Genes VII.

the best book
In my opinion it is the best book i have partly read by far and every time when i have a free time i intrestingly like to read this book. In fact, i have found it very usefull to undrestand basic meaning of celular and molecular phenomenons and genes.

Great book
This book is well written and provides an excellent introduction to the subject matter. It's a comprehensive text for anyone who wishes to gain a thorough exposure to the genes, genomes and gene regulation. However, this book does have it's drawbacks. Recent advances in genomics maybe covered on a later textbook. Perfect for an undergraduate or a beginning grad student. I suggest this book as a companion for a more comprehesive text such MBOC by alberts et al. If you are faced with a choice of either alberts or Genes VII, I suggest alberts. For the seasoned molecular biologist I urge you to look elsewhere.

Good
This book is useful but if your new to genetics and want a nice reference book that is easy to read I recommend "Concepts of Genetics" by Klug and Cummings. I have the 6th version and even though it is not as popular as Lewin's texts it reads well and has great pictures. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews (236)

Just like on PBS
I like Bill Bryson's writing style. This is a book one wishes they read as a teenager. It really brings science alive. One feels like they are witnessing events as they occur in the first person. I like how Bryson takes scientific topics and makes them simple too understand. Bryson puts numbers in perspective and helps the reader understand the spatial enormity or complexity of the elements, atom, planets, and stars. Its easy to retell a Bryson story because they have good imagination well connect ideas that flow into an interesting story without sounding too intellectual. Like, "What is it like to be inside of an Cell? How do cells work? Who discovered DNA and why?" Question like these.

I think reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a great introduction to science, astronomy, biology, and geology. Bryson keeps the narrative down to earth, terminology to a minimum, and brings out interesting viewpoints on the birth of the cosmos, the self-repairing DNA, life on planet earth, and the composition of the earth.

Bryson did a job not boring the reader with the mysteries of science. Its entertaining reading and not difficult material to understand. Bryson presents thought provoking material that makes one want to read many other published books by Bryson.

He Really Does Cover Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson is one of those rare non-fiction writers who can combine anecdote, humor and actual information, all in one book. Here he covers the history of the earth, starting with the big bang and covering all sorts of ground since then, including why you should be really afraid of meteors (by the time we spot the big one it'll be too late) and why you should think twice about that next visit to Yellowstone (the big one is about due).

As with most of his books it's clear he's done a lot of research, and the book is larded with the kind of stories about Famous Scientists that you've probably never heard...but also full of the sort of survey scientific information that will leave you thinking you've learned something really interesting.

Definitely worth picking up.

Who will like it: lovers of pop science, lovers of Bill Bryson, people willing to read a thick book from start to finish.

Who won't like it: people bored by pop science or any science at all.

Rediscover what you learned in school and forgot
This book is aimed at people who either know very little about science, or who studied it in school and then forgot it all (my case). I read some of the reviews here and was shocked at how people criticize Bryson, especially saying he got scientific terms mixed up or had errors in his book. He is not a scientist and in my opinion that makes this book that much more impressive! Bryson devoted years of his life to learn this material, and to think we can take it all in by reading a book.. well it just doesn't seem fair! I was sad when I reached the end of the book, I wanted it to continue. I learned so much from this book, and it's interesting how many times the subject material in this book comes up in every day conversations.

Bryson approaches history from two angles: Astronomy and what we know about the universe, and Evolution and what we know about life on Earth. I learned so many things I didn't know. Fascinating facts such as that meteorites are used to date the earth with carbon dating (they're the same age). Meteorites contain proteins needed to build life. Human like species have been on Earth for 1 million years. After finishing this book, I find myself thinking about topics like these during my free time. That's how impressive this book is. If you love science, this won't be a book you just read and forget. It's a book that will teach you things you'll be thinking about for a long time.

Honestly I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you're interested in science, it is a must read.

Michael

Tabloid history of science
The book's title is very gripping but somewhat misleading - it is in fact a book of science tabloids - in a good way. It covers basic findings and histories of almost all major areas of natural sciences in a shallow but easy to follow manner. It is not intended to be introductory to science and science history (find a textbook instead), it is a fun-fact book of science and science history.

This book is full of interesting anecdotes of science and scientists behind scene, which makes the reading stimulating and gives the readers a joyful sense of "discovery". Here are just a few examples top of my mind:

- Components of your daily household cleaning powders like Comet and Ajax are made from the huge ash deposit in eastern Nebraska - they are leftover volcanic ashes from the ancient monstrous eruption of Yellowstone.

- Marie Curie, the only person to win Nobel prize in both chemistry and physics, was never elected to the French academy of sciences largely because she had an affair with a married fellow physicist after Pierre Curie died in a traffic accident. Madame Curie eventually died of leukemia and her papers and lab books (even her cookbooks) are so dangerously contaminated by radiation that those who wish to see them must wear protective clothing.

- Clair Patterson (a University of Chicago alumnus), who in 1953 gave the definitive measurement of the age of the Earth (4,550 million years - plus or minus 70 millions) by analyzing lead/uranium ratios in old rocks and meteorites, was also the leading expert in atmospheric lead poisoning and the early advocate of cleaning lead additives from manmade product. To his credit, Clean Air Act 1970 eventually led to the ban of leaded gasoline in United States in 1986. Almost immediately the blood lead level in Americans dropped 80%.

Informative tabloids like these are all over the book. Bryson did a perfect job of bringing dull facts in history of science into fun everyday life experience. He compiled a huge amount of anecdotes from otherwise hard to find sources and weaved them together seamlessly in fluid and humorous writing. It makes the reading of science fun.

The best book you would be able to read in your lifetime!
By reading this book you realize how lucky you are to be here right now. To be reading this in front of your computer is an acomplishment that you may not realize. It shows how much we know about ourselves and the enviroment around us. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" explains in full detail how we became who we are, how we survived, and how impossible it is to do so. If you are interested in science and are looking for something to read, this well-written story is a great page-turner. ... Read more

Book Description

Referring to Lewis Carroll's Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass, a character who has to keep running to stay in the same place, Matt Ridley demonstrates why sex is humanity's best strategy for outwitting its constantly mutating internal predators. The Red Queen answers dozens of other riddles of human nature and culture -- including why men propose marriage, the method behind our maddening notions of beauty, and the disquieting fact that a woman is more likely to conceive a child by an adulterous lover than by her husband. Brilliantly written, The Red Queen offers an extraordinary new way of interpreting the human condition and how it has evolved.

Reviews (39)

Great Intro...
A fine intro, even excelllent, into the subject of "why and wherefore sex." But it does not offer a satisfying discussion of human nature, and is, I think, mistitled. Sex, says the Red Queen, is about keeping ahead and evolving a little faster than your parasites through a process that offers your offrspring a little genetic diversity with each generation.

While the book does look at how males and females approach sex, it virtually ignores the question of how sexual selection, how male and female choice, might have played in developing human nature. The only apsects of human nature discussed here are thoserelated to sex per se and not sexual selection, parenting, disply, aggression, risk, social bonds, etc. Still it does offer for a wonderful and clear overview of the history of "why sex" theories and some nifty insights into some behaviours.

My major complaint is that book does create a bit of a straw man in later chapters with respect to feminism, and, I think, unfairly characterizes the intersection of gender politics and evolutionary psychology.

Read this book first, then read Miller's The Mating Mind and Hrdy's Mother Nature for a deeper but still easy to grasp and accessible discussion of how evolution shapes human nature. Also recommended is the brilliant biologist Zuk's book, Sexual Selections--really wonderful!

Superb Read
This book is absolutely filled with interesting theories on the evolution of sexual behavior and of the effects of selection preferences on the evolution of various species. I found particularly interesting the notion that gender is not a necessity for reproduction nor even necessarily a good plan for projecting one generation's genes into the future. It hardly occurs to a member of a species that places so much emphasis on sex and gender that their occurence and persistance actually need some explanaton. Ridley does this with flare, illustrating with examples from other species what is possible and mathematically what is likely to occur genetically with various approaches to reproduction. He also provides an overview of most of the theories of why gender occurs and reasons why most theories don't quite hold up when examined against what actually occurs in nature. His own theory of parasite and infectious disease resistance and an "arms race" of sorts between host and parasite seems quite plausible as an explanation for the rise of gender. He also gives a thorough account of how selection of certain noncounterfitable traits exhibiting the health of prospective mates has caused a similar Red Queen stalemate between the sexes and has led to the types of behavior seen as characteristic of male and female humans. An interesting book.

Interesting, But Dense
One of the mysteries that I've been struggling with for the past few years is why so many people engage in extramarital affairs. If most people agree that it's wrong to break marriage vows, why do so many people do it. Another way of looking at the question is by asking why we are so obsessed with sex that it overcomes our better judgment.

Although I don't agree with everything in Mr. Ridley's book, it adds a dimension to the debate that I hadn't really considered, which is that almost all human behavior is driven by sexual urges and reproduction at an evolutionary level. The behaviors that lead to successful reproduction are likely to be passed to later generations, while the only trait that cannot be passed along is abstinence. From this model, people will engage in all kinds of seemingly irrational behavior when doing so is biologically advantageous.

My fundamental distress with this premise is that it diminishes the value of human reason, which is something that evolved through generations just as much as the biological drive to reproduce. While Mr. Ridley premise is that one of the main values of being smart is that it allows the brainy people to outwit their sexual competitors, I get depressed when I think of us as essentially no more than reproductive machines.

Mr. Ridley writes a good story that adds some nice twists to understanding human behavior. The writing did not move as quickly as I would have hoped, and some of the details about other species' sexual behavior dragged at times, but I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for explanations for behaviors that might not otherwise make sense.

Sexy Reading
Sex sells. And so it should. Zoologists recognise sex as a major driving force in evolution. In this enthralling book, Matt Ridley turns his attention to the implications for humans. Polygamy, monogamy, infidelity, beauty, sexual jealousy; all can be understood anew in the light of evolution.

There are surprising conclusions to be drawn. For example, polygamy may not serve the interests of men, since it excludes many from sex entirely. Monogamy may be the result of the male majority competing for a slice of the sexual pie (mmm... sexual pie).

Ridley is an excellent guide in this exploration of human nature. His style is seductively easy to read, sometimes lulling you into accepting his arguments uncritically. But keep your wits about you and you will enjoy an engaging and clear - if somewhat whistle stop - tour of how sex has shaped humanity. This book can be read by anyone interested in what makes us human, from school pupils to professional scientists.

One final tip: the first section of the book concentrates on animals other than humans. This is necessary to set the scene, but for the really juicy stuff, skip to the later chapters.

If you're deciding whether to buy this book...
To summarize anything I might say below - this is an incredible book. Mind-blowing. If you're reading reviews (as I do) trying to find the few people who didn't love the book so you can have an "unbiased" view, very good for you. (that's how I choose books, usually) My unbiased view is this - I *very rarely* give out fives. This is one of the few books that deserves it.

Matt Ridley explains in the epilogue of The Red Queen that half of his ideas are probably wrong, just like those of Freud, Jung, and many others. But this common-sense attitude, projected onto the evolution of reproduction, is EXACTLY what about this book makes it so incredible.

Ridley is grounded in a reality unfettered by religion, social science, social mores, or really any sort of external "moral" influence. (Not that he's the antichrist or anything - he's just not letting standard social concepts influence his ideas.) A few people who don't usually want to accept reality (ultra-conservatives) will hate this book. Fine. If you believe in creationism, go elsewhere. Otherwise, read this book! This is not a political or an ideological work - this is a scientific text on human evolution, and how it has been influenced by sex.

I have been able to RIVET people with discussions of facts and theories from this book. It's the best money I've spent on a single book in quite a long while. And in case I sound like way too much of a suck-up - I haven't read any of Ridley's other works, not because I haven't bought them, but because I looked through them in bookstores, and every one I looked at seems either uninteresting, wrong, or awful. But this one is GREAT! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The theory of evolution is regarded as one of the greatest glimmeringsof understanding humans have ever had. It is an idea of science, not ofbelief, and therefore undergoes constant scrutiny and testing byargumentative evolutionary biologists. But while Darwinists may disagreeon a great many things, they all operate within a (thus far) successfulframework of thought first set down in The Origin of Species in 1859.

In The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, a monumental labor ofacademic love, Stephen Jay Gould attempts to define and revise thatframework. Using the clear metaphors and personable style he is so wellknown for, Gould outlines the foundation of the theory and attempts touse it to show that modern evolutionary biology has lost its way. Hethen offers his own system for reconciling Darwin's "basic logicalcommitments" with the critiques of modern scientists.

Gould's massive opus begs a new look at natural selection with the fullweight of history behind it. His opponents will find much to criticize,and orthodox, reductionist Darwinists might feel that Gould has giventhem short shrift. But as an opening monologue for the new century'sbiological debates, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory sets amountainous precedent in exhaustive scholarship, careful logic, andsheer reading pleasure. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (52)

The most important book on evolutionary theory since Darwin
Gould's Structure must surely rank as one of the most important contributions to evolutionary theory since the publication of Origin of Species. In brief, this massive book consists of two parts, the first being an extensive historical review of theories of evolution beginning even before Darwin and extending up to the Modern Synthesis in the 1960s, and the second a critique of key elements in evolutionary theory as formulated by Darwin and codified in the Modern Synthesis. Theoretical controversies introduced in the historical section are shown to persist even in today's discussions. Incidentally, in the first chapter there is a 40 page "abstract" which is an excellent chapter by chapter summary of the book's major points.
Some of the key Darwinian conceptions and Gould's counterproposals are as follows:
1) Darwin: natural selection at the level of the individual organism is the sole, or at least by far the most important, contributor to evolution.
Gould: There is a hierarchy of natural selection, with selection at the species level, not the organismal level, as the most important for macroevolution.
2) Darwin: natural selection operating on (hereditable)variation is by far the most dominant factor in causing evolution.
Gould: constraints on hereditable variation imposed by developmental mechanisms play a very important evolutionary role (this is where Gould gives a superb discussion of some of the recent advances in evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo") integrated into evolutionary theory.)
3) Darwin: Gradual transformation over geological time spans leads to the development of new species.
Gould: In fact, the paleontological evidence is that the vast majority of species develop with great rapidity (in geological terms) and then remain stable before extinction and/or replacement by a new species (punctuated equilibrium). Additionally, global catastrophic events such as the meteorite hit at the end of the Cretaceous era cause massive, sudden, and unpredictable changes in evolution.
I really can't praise this book highly enough. Yes it is long, but Gould's keen analytic abilities and his penchant for introducing interesting analogies (such as spandrels, and their classification into "franklins" and "miltons") kept my attention throughout. This is not a conventional "textbook" of evolution; you won't find here a systematic survey of how and when various different animal groups evolved. But it is an absolutely masterful survey of the theory behind evolution, buttressed by numerous in-depth examples. However, I would strongly suggest to those without much of a background in these matters reading an introductory book like Carl Zimmer's Evolution before attempting to tackle Structure.

More of the same
Gould is famous for his writings in Natural History Magazine, and he has many volumes of reprints. Over the 25 years of producing these volumes his style has changed. Originally, he 'taught' evolution, including the enormously valuable historical perspective that simply was not available elsewhere. It was wonderful reading. Gould really shines here.

But over time his style changed; his articles spent more and more column inches trying to demonstrate that his personal ideas in evolutionary theory must be true since he could find so many examples in other fields of human endeavor. Architecture is a favorite. It's not that architecture isn't interesting; I even think spandrels are interesting mathematically, too. The structural origins of spandrels really doesn't contribute as much to evolutionary thought as the presentation would suggest. His recent writing simply go too far out of the way to demonstrate that he can take any field of human knowledge (those in which he has an interest, and numerous they are) and find some connection with evolution. But, as a friend of mine says, "The juice isn't worth the squeeze."

Gould's 'big idea' has been Punctuated Equilibrium. It is an insightful view of the evolutionary record, and an important contribution to the field. It stands shoulder to shoulder with the idea of Population Thinking; how to view the world through the eyes of a biologist.

I think Gould wasn't very happy with the modest reception his big idea received. Many of his later publications, along with those of Eldredge, were more pleading than persuasive. It was A big idea, but not THE big idea. It was not a revolution in evolutionary theory; it is consistent with the modern synthesis.

Gould opens this book by telling us that it, too, is 'one long argument', as Darwin referred to his own "Origin of Species". It is also the title of a recent book by Ernst Mayr. This is an on-going, perhaps unconscious, effort of Gould's to be more Mayr-like in his writing. In many ways "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory" is an attempt to replicate Mayr's "Growth of Biological Thought" and "Towards a New Philosophy of Biology".

In fact, this book begins with almost one hundred pages that seem to be a book within the book; I think Gould finished his 'big book' early and then felt compelled to write an 80 page 'paperback' introduction to it. Feel free to skip these and go right to the meat. Still, the meat is tough.

Reading Gould, the prose always seemed to get in the way of the content. TO a great extent, it still does. If you put in the effort, you will find some great ideas to think about.

Interesting book....but long-winded and bloated
As a non-biologist I found this book tough to read. First, at nearly 1,400 pages the book suffers from a complete lack of editing or even clear sense of organization. SET does not really flow, but, rather, vomits forth sections and subsections in an unending torrent of seemingly ill-planned and overly huge chapters. Second, the book was filled with duplication, uneeded "I'm-so-smart" self-congratulation, and varied in how readable it was. It often went from being a broad conceputal overview focusing on clear theoretical argumentation -- the justification for species-level selection, for instance -- to (me at least) mind-numbing excursions into jargon-filled technical studies. The result was that Gould ended up writing a book ill suited for laymen or experts in the field -- a mish-mash resulting from writing for too broad an audience.

On the plus side, there is a hell of a lot of stuff in there. I feel I now have a fairly good grasp, for an interested layman, of evolutionary theory, especially the drawbacks of "conventional" Darwinian natural selection, and how Gould's suggested theoretical "fixes" -- punctuated equilibrium, hierarchical selection, and species selection -- improves upon Darwin. The deep historical detail Gould goes into when discussing the history of Darwinian thought is also nice, especially for an outsider with little knowledge of evolutionary theory. I also enjoyed Gould's take on "Galton's Polyhedron", explanation of "spandrels", and the connection he draws between structural constraint and selective forces -- concepts I can use when thinking about outcomes in my field, the social sciences.

On the whole, I would say SET is very rich in detail, informaton, and explanation, but gets low marks for exposition. The book could clearly benefit from further editing which is why I give it only 3 stars.

Gould fails to get out of his own way
I agree wholeheartedly with the review by "A reader from Vic, Australia." This book is a classic example of what happens when an author gets too big for his editor. The notion that he even had one must be taken as a matter of blind faith, as there is no empirical evidence for it.

Gould might well have had something important to say in this book; certainly, that was my hope when I bought it. Unfortunately, however, he was too busy stringing together endless chains of metaphors and inventing analogies -- many of which are dead ends -- to tell us what it was.

For hardcore enthusiasts only
This is a massive book and a fitting final achievement for the immensely popular intellectual. I would recommend it to people who are interested in a deep understanding of Gould's point of view. Gould was undoubtedly a great thinker and his view of evolution is more complex and sophisticated than that of the vast majority of biologists. His most notable real achievement may have been counteracting certain misconceptions about Darwinism, although it is not entirely clear that anyone ever held the misconceptions he claims to have dispelled.

So, why the two stars?

1. His writing is appalling: pretentious, long-winded and cluttered with irrelevent and misleading literary and sporting analogies. For people who want to understand the arguments, rather than admire florid prose and elegant historical rambles, this is very irritating. The Chronicle quotes Gould as saying: "If I'm competent in anything, it's writing." He couldn't be more wrong.

2. The book is desperately in need of a good editor, not just to correct (1) above, but to eliminate a massive amount of repetition. Gould had no tolerance for editing, never redrafted and composed solely on a typewriter, and that shows very painfully. As Library Journal put it - "bloated, redundant and self-indulgent".

3. It's said that the book was written with the intention of establishing Gould in the popular imagination as Darwin's successor. With this aim he pulls a lot of dirty tricks on the reader, ranging from misleading metaphors, to straw men, to selective quotations. These are cleverly structured and stated with great authority, making them very difficult for the non-expert to pick.

4. Just because his view is sophisticated, complex, historical, and rich in literary allusion, doesn't mean it's correct. In fact, the vast majority of evolutionary biologists remain skeptical of Gould's claims, for good reasons that he does not explain.

In summary, the book may be worth reading for evolutionary biologists. It is a terrible book for the laypeople who are Gould's main readers. In contrast, Richard Dawkin's books are highly accessible, enjoyable, and convey core concepts very clearly. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fantastic
A really interesting and informative book by a wonderful author, who has a real talent in writing. I found it simple and easy, (in a good way) and was sad to turn the last pages. It also has beautiful pictures.

ambitious, panoramic view of life on our planet
Thirteen chapters matching the thirteen programs of the BBC series on which it was based. Follows the evolution of life on earth, presenting fascinating observations about the likely functional reasons life unfolded as it has. Offers the grand sweep of life in an engaging and integrated presentation, with a very readable and even charming tone, and including more than 100 excellent color photos. TOC:
1 the infinite variety
2 building bodies
3 the first forests
4 the swarming hordes
5 the conquest of the waters
6 the invasion fo the land
7 a watertight skin
8 lords of the air
9 eggs, pouches, and placentas
10 theme and variation
11 the hunters and the hunted
12 a life in the trees
13 the compulsive communicators
... Read more

Book Description

Charles Darwin's health improved substantially in 1866 under a dietary and exercise regime prescribed by his physician Henry Bence Jones. With renewed vigour, he worked steadily on his manuscript of Variation of Plants and Animals under Domestication, submitting all but the final chapter to his publisher in December. He also worked on the fourth, and much revised, edition of Origin which was delivered to printers in July, and preparations were begun for a third German edition of Origin.His improved health allowed him a more active social life. At Down, Darwin entertained a number of scientific colleagues whom he had known previously only through correspondence. He also made his first appearance in London scientific society in many years, touring the Zoological Gardens at Regent's Park, and appearing at a soirée at the Royal Society. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

A Useful Revisionist Exercise
Riane Eisler marshalls compelling evidence from many disciplines to assert that the struggle between a "gylanic" social structure based on male-female partnership exemplified in ancient Crete and Turkey, and a male dominated "androcracy", has been the major unseen force shaping western history and is once again in our time coming to a head."

Eisler writes that the "root of the problem lies in a social system in which the power of the blade is idealized." In contrast to this male-oriented power, Eisler describes the power of the chalice, "the power to transform death into life through the mysterious cyclical regeneration of nature." Her book poses a radical revisioning of the past which pushes the advent of civilization further back into the Neolithic era to include cultures which practiced a "gylanic" form of society. Regarding biblical history and morality, Eisler notes that "to the extent that it reflects a [male] dominator society, it is at best stunted."

Continuing with biblical history as she advances her analysis forward to the present day, Eisler writes that "the more gylanic followers of Jesus tried to transform the cross on which he was executed into a symbol of rebirth- a symbol associated with a social movement that set out to preach and practice human equality and such "feminine concepts as gentleness, compassion and peace." Eisler also details the attempt by some Gnostic Christians to establish a continuum of psycho-sexual identity in the face of opposition from church patriarchs as another instance of the gylanic retreating in the face of androcratic political power. I found this revisionist adventure to be very useful, and I recommend it to those seeking the reintegration of a culture mesmerized by scientism, materialism, and the faux enlightenment of prosperity.

The MOST IMPORTANT book I've ever read...
Based on the work of the remarkable archaeologist Marija Gimbutas and many other scientists and scholars, Riane Eisler discusses Truth after Truth of our world's wonderful Prehistory in which, rather than the caveman Lie, our ancestors were peaceful, highly artistic, compassionate people who loved and celebrated all Life and worshipped the Goddess. The remains of their cities prove that they lived communally with no slaves and no signs of war for 2000 years until the cruel, bloody invasions of the peripheral, nomadic Indo-Europeans. Our "civilization" has ever after been based on the Dominator model: a history filled with wars, slavery, murder, rape, violence; men dominating women, children, and other men; in which values of compassion and peace are set aside or suppressed. I was continually amazed that in each chapter, Eisler brings up new points for discussion, speaking directly to the Soul about our history and the Present. And from the Truth of our Prehistoric past, when people were developing a truly peaceful and egalitarian society, we definitely can make this a reality for our future. This can be a world in which every Person is truly Free and Equal, a world without war or violence, in which the Arts flourish, creativity has no bounds, and we live at peace with all of Nature and ourselves: "the power of creativity and love - symbolized by the sacred Chalice, the holy vessel of life - is the governing principle."

Truth and enlightenment at last . . .
I LOVE IT! THIS IS REQUIRED READING FOR EVERYONE!

Excellent scholarly comprensive work....
Riane Eisler's CHALICE AND THE BLADE is one of those books that had to be written. In it, she asks "Did humans at some point in history create a culture that was far more civilized than the so-called civilizations moderns have been and are experiencing?" And, more importantly, can we do it again? Her answer is a resounding YES and YES and YES. To illuminate and support her thesis Eisler presents the reader with a comprehensive and thoroughly researched synopsis of some of the most salient and scholarly material on this subject published in the late 20th Century when Joseph Campbell was completing an academic career researching and writing about myths, James Mellaart had been excavating and writing about Catel Huyuk, and Elaine Pagels was beginning to rock the theological world with her research on the Gnostic gospels and the Nag Hammadi scrolls.

Eisler's work was first published in 1987, when the right-wing lock on US society was only beginning to choke the great social movements that had been ignited in the preceding decades. These movements were initially viewed as somewhat antithetical to the 'Archie Bunker' school of thought and the mainstream academic views promulgated by conservative Western scholars (Jewish, Christian, and Islamic). Main steam scholars had long ago settled on an androcentric canon of beliefs and world view that saw males as superior to females, and promoted the manly enterprises of war and destruction of the natural environment. The scholars Eisler cites expressed different and non-canonical points of view. Eisler explores their works and the works of others as she examines the art, social mores, beliefs, and technology of the Neolithic Age.

According to Eisler, the extant information supports the notion that humans once worshipped a Mother Goddess who was viewed as the source of life unlike the later Gods who were War Gods and all about death and dying.The followers of the Mother Goddess were probably centered in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, particularly Crete. Their cultures were destroyed by blade-wielding fiendish tribesmen whom Eisler names 'Kurgans'. These Kurgans, were herders who entered the agrarian areas from the periphery and destroyed what they found. Eisler suggests the Kurgans and their militaristic namesakes have controlled the area as well as the rest of the world ever since, although brief periods of gylanic (female, Humanistic) resurgance occurred in periods demarcated by Christian love (agape), Renaissance Humanism and the 20th Century "New Age" movement.

I found this book illuminating and provocative. It seems "He who lives by the sword (blade) dies by the sword" and the sooner we change that the better. Eisler seems to think we should spend more time looking for the grail (chalice of love) and I agree.

If you like reading influential visionary books read this!
Riane Eisler's The Chalice and The Blade is a great book for many reasons. One is that is has influenced many other writers, including men. Another is that it is a books which influences aspects of feminism today. First published in 1988, it is also a book that has created controversy down to this day. It is spurned and embraced by feminists and non-feminist, philosophers and historians. Some feminists either want to add this book as a great item to their lexicon, or burn it and look elsewhere.

Non-feminists also want to burn it. Philosophers love or hate the vision and ethics of the book. Historians scorn the book or are intrigued by its posssibilities. These are all signs of greatness, when great emotion and reaction is incited. I credit Riane Eisler with great vision, for that is what this book is: A vision of how things could have been, are, and may be. Visions are meant to expand the mind and open people's eyes to different possibilities. Eisler's famous vision fueled by Marija Gimbutas's work on goddess anthropology from the same time period. Eisler envisions a past where the chalice was worshipped, a golden age of peace that did not involve the subjugation of women in their "proper place" before everything went wrong in the Garden of Eden, but an age when men and women lived together in peace.

She writes of a Utopian Society attacked from outsiders who believed in subjugation and social hierarchy. (You may want to check out Catal Huyak, the controversial Turkish site where fodder for much of this began)I understand criticisms that dislike Eisler's laying the entire blame for all that is wrong at the feet of men, but really, who has been in power? It's not just about wether women are cruel, it's about who has the power. That's been men for millenia. It's a very recent phenomena that women are getting equality at all. Patriarchy isn't all bad, there are many good things about it, and men. (My husband is one, and Lord of The Rings is another:)We're all human. Looking back at Eisler's landmark work knowing what we now know, gives rise to many more speculations. Recently in the Black Sea there were found what looks like actual ones of Women Amazons, or Riders who carry weapons. This isn't that far from Catal Huyak. I'm not sure what it all means but I hope we find out. Chalice and the Blade is a speculative vision, which means, like fiction or a political treatise that it is not meant to be taken as actual history. It is, yes, a revision, of history, and what is wrong with that?

People are always speculating about history, novels written about it. If people are so upset about a book, chances are, you should read it. The Cahlice and the Blade is a vision of what might be another aspect of history, and done to keep humanity's minds open to a diferent future. Since it was written in 1988, it's good to keep up on material that has been researched since and been discovered. For instance, thanks to Paula Gunn Allen, we know that while not being a Ridiculous Utopia, she does write in her essay, When Women Throw Down Bundles: Strong Women Make Strong Nations, that certain tribes of Indians did live in a Society much like Eisler describes before their people were cruelly and methodicaly tortured and killed. Eisler's book is a landmark in feminism, and women's alternative spirtuality movements, and philosophy and for that reason, should be read to see the big picture.

In an age where many men are still misogynists, this book is empowering. I reccommend this book to those with open minds, and those with questions. I recommend as additional reading and viewing: The Frailty Myth, by Colette Dowling, The Paula Gunn Allen Essay I mentioned. I give the book four stars because of it's influence and vision. I would've given it five if it was updated with new info. ... Read more

Book Description

Ideas about heredity and evolution are undergoing a revolutionary change. New findings in molecular biology challenge the gene-centered version of Darwinian theory according to which adaptation occurs only through natural selection of chance DNA variations. In Evolution in Four Dimensions, Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb argue that there is more to heredity than genes. They trace four "dimensions" in evolution -- four inheritance systems that play a role in evolution: genetic, epigenetic (or non-DNA cellular transmission of traits), behavioral, and symbolic (transmission through language and other forms of symbolic communication). These systems, they argue, can all provide variations on which natural selection can act. Evolution in Four Dimensions offers a richer, more complex view of evolution than the gene-based, one-dimensional view held by many today. The new synthesis advanced by Jablonka and Lamb makes clear that induced and acquired changes also play a role in evolution.

After discussing each of the four inheritance systems in detail, Jablonka and Lamb "put Humpty Dumpty together again" by showing how all of these systems interact. They consider how each may have originated and guided evolutionary history and they discuss the social and philosophical implications of the four-dimensional view of evolution. Each chapter ends with a dialogue in which the authors engage the contrarieties of the fictional (and skeptical) "I.M.," or Ifcha Mistabra -- Aramaic for "the opposite conjecture" -- refining their arguments against I.M.'s vigorous counterarguments. The lucid and accessible text is accompanied by artist-physician Anna Zeligowski's lively drawings, which humorously and effectively illustrate the authors' points. ... Read more

Book Description

An introduction to local area networks, this book is intended to prepare the reader to take and pass the CompTIA's Network+ exam.Covers what a network is; the OSI model; how to build a network; major protocol suites, including TCP/IP and IPX; the most common network operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Linux, Novell NetWare); and the common network services (including DHCP server, DNS server, email, web server, and file sharing). This book also details the entire TCP/IP protocol suite, including looking at a TCP/IP packet, IP addressing, subnetting, and CIDR/VLSM of the TCP/IP.For anyone working towards Network + (Net+) Certification. ... Read more

Book Description

The national bestseller that reveals how we are descended from seven prehistoric women. One of the most dramatic stories of genetic discovery since James Watson's The Double Helix, The Seven Daughters of Eve reveals the remarkable story behind a groundbreaking scientific discovery. After being summoned in 1997 to an archaeological site to examine the remains of a five-thousand-year-old man, Bryan Sykes ultimately was able to prove not only that the man was a European but also that he has living relatives in England today. In this lucid, absorbing account, Sykes reveals how the identification of a particular strand of DNA that passes unbroken through the maternal line allows scientists to trace our genetic makeup all the way back to prehistoric times, to seven primeval women, the Seven Daughters of Eve. ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Educational, Evocative and Entertaining
Of the many science books I have read, very few have been as well-written and sheerly entertaining as they have been educational.

In "The Seven Daughters of Eve," Bryan Sykes broadens the view of human evolution, tracing migrations through time and around the globe. His descriptions of the discovery and his defense of the paradigm shift of using mitochondrial DNA in anthropology are clear and easy to understand.

The heart of the book is the fictionalized reconstruction of the lives of the seven European "clan mothers" discovered by mitochondrial DNA analysis. Mr. Sykes weaves stories of the day-to-day struggle for survival of women at different points in human history. The stories are evocative, and connected me with the actual women more than simply reading "25,000 B.C." would have done. I enjoyed the stories very much. I only wish that Mr. Sykes had footnoted which of the objects mentioned in the stories had actually been found by archaeologists.

I loved Mr. Sykes' use of the word "feminine" to describe the traits that have nurtured and supported human survival. This book is an antidote to superficial definitions of femininity.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in human evolution. I would especially recommend the book to women who want to feel a closer connection with their fore-mothers.

Wonderful book! Accessible science for non-scientists
First of all, this is not a book for those already thoroughly familiar with the workings of genetics. Yes, this book is written in a very popular style but I do not believe this is a flaw, but rather its strength. I found Prof. Sykes' writing style extremely engaging and enjoyable, and quite literally could not put this book down.

He manages to draw the reader in and share his great excitement on his journey of discovering the secrets of DNA. He discusses his DNA analyses on the "iceman" discovered in the Alps, the Cheddar man discovered in a cave in southern England, and even on the bones of the Tsar of Russia, and how all of these led him to realize how DNA analysis could be applied to the greater question of how we are all related. He also naturally adds chapters on what exactly DNA is and how it works, but these are never dry or boring.

The seven chapters in which Sykes fictionalizes the daily life of the seven women he has traced to be the common maternal ancestors of most Europeans are the weakest part of the book. However, while I share reviewer D. C. Smith below's doubts about the monogamous nature of prehistoric male-female relationships and while those lines he cited in his review did have me cringing a bit, overall I would have to say that even these chapters served their purpose quite well, as after reading them I have a much clearer idea of the KIND of existence that these women would have lived. The only drawback I can see is if people take these chapters literally, and after having their own DNA analyzed begin seeing themselves as the descendant of the actual individual depicted in these chapters. These seven chapters are only intended to give us an IDEA of how they lived.

In conclusion, I'd have to say that I really did enjoy this book very, very much and have no problem with giving it a rip-roaring rave review! I hope that soon we will see further works providing more detail on the other maternal clans outside of Europe tantalizingly introduced in this book's final chapter.

In the mean time, I can't wait to have my own DNA analyzed by Prof. Sykes' labs at Oxford at the service listed at the back of the book, and find out just where my own ancestry fits into the big picture. I know it sounds extremely corny to say this, but I really do feel this book has to a tiny extent changed my life!

Absolutely painful to read is this book!
Either this stuck up English twit Sykes is writing all about himself or he's writing stupid, phony stone age stories. If I want dumb stone age fiction I'll watch The Flintstones.

The Journy of Man is a better book!
It was on here i read that Spencer Wells's Journey of Man book was better than this conceit-trip by Bryan Sykes (TSDOE is a book of which I have had the bad misfortune of reading since---one of the worst reading expeiences of my life). I have since gotten JOM and loved every bit of it. Wells's book is full of much more important facts and there's also a neat section in JOM on the Aryans. Get Spencer Wells's far superior book and learn more about the aryans possibly in your genetic background. Skip this garbage!

Not much good comes from this ego trip
Outside of the following. Sykes, in spite of his egomania, conveys the important fact that the all important and numerous British have a good deal of mitochondrial DNA of the Syrian kind. This explains why, say, Charlton Heston (Britsh) looks like Ralph Nader (Syrian). As a British person myself (now residing in the USA) I find it interesting that I have so much arab blood from 10,000 years ago. Everything else in the book is worthless. Basques and Polynesians are too few in number the world over so explaining their origins was a total waste (besides what was an explanation of polynesian dna doing in this book anyway, they aren't even Europeans). Also, we already knew (from Paabo!) that Neanderthals aren't in our dna (at least not very much). And the whole stone age historical fiction concept is really dumb and totally fake. An overall rotten book. ... Read more

Book Description

This collection of revised and new essays argues that biology is an autonomous science rather than a branch of the physical sciences.Ernst Mayr, widely considered the most eminent evolutionary biologist of the 20th century, offers insights on the history of evolutionary thought, critiques the conditions of philosophy to the science of biology, and comments on several of the major developments in evolutionary theory. Notably, Mayr explains that Darwin's theory of evolution is actually five separate theories, each with its own history, trajectory and impact. Ernst Mayr, commonly referred to as the "Darwin of the 20th century" and listed as one of the top 100 scientists of all-time, is Professor Emeritus at Harvard University. What Makes Biology Unique is the 25th book he has written during his long and prolific career. His recent books include This is Biology: The Science of the Living World (Belknap Press, 1997) and What Evolution Is (Basic Books, 2002). ... Read more

Book Description

This book describes the dynamics of evolutionary change at the molecular level, the driving forces behind the evolutionary process, the effects of the various molecular mechanisms on the structure of genes, proteins, and genomes, the methodology involved in dealing with molecular data from an evolutionary perspective, and the logic of molecular hypothesis testing. The Second Edition incorporates newly acquired evolutionary insight from genome projects involving bacteria, plants, and animals, as well as analytical tools that have been developed and perfected in the last decade, and has been brought up to date in line with the many advances in genomics, protein engineering, computational biology, and bioinformatics.

The authors explain evolutionary phenomena at the molecular level in a way that can be understood without much prerequisite knowledge of molecular biology, evolution, or mathematics. Both mathematical and intuitive explanations are provided, and examples that support and clarify the many theoretical arguments and methodological discussions are included. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

C value Chart
Its a pretty ok book. They didn't do alot of true research for it. They did alot of "adaptist story telling" in the book. For example: In the chart about C value. They took a chart from another reference and they called Amphiuma means a newt. Amphiuma means i by no means a newt. Its a long aquatic salamander with 4 small useless legs and gill slits.

Very interesting...
I read this book for pleasure, and I found it very informative since I was interested in the subject matter prior to buying it. It is mathematically intense at parts, and I skipped those parts. Well worth the money if you have a passion or budding interest in this field.

In depth, informative
This is a very complex, indepth, informative book on molecular and genetic evolution. Explainations of genetic drift, mutation rates, times to fixation, patterns in evolutionary changes. Lots of statistical information on how allele frequencies change. Written for a knowledgable audiance with a good understanding of evolution and genetics. Gives informative understanding of trends in evolution beyond natural selection. Supports neutral theory of evolution quite strongly. ... Read more

Book Description

The Origin of Life: The Earth is an island, swirling in an ocean of space, and life has been washing ashore since the creation.

Cosmic collisions are commonplace, not only between meteors and planets, but entire galaxies, and life has been repeatedly tossed into the abyss... only to land on other planets.

The genetic seeds of life swarm throughout the cosmos, and these "genetic seeds," these living creatures, fell to Earth encased in stellar debris which pounded the planet for 700 million years after the creation. And these "seeds" contained the DNA instructions for the metamorphosis of all life, including woman and man.

DNA acts to purposefully modify the environment, which acts on gene selection, to fulfill specific genetic goals: the dispersal and activation of silent DNA, and the replication of life forms that long ago lived on other planets. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Fascinating, Intriguing, Important
A unique, fascinating, intriguing discussion of the genetics of evolution and the origin of life on earth.This book is cutting edge, up-to-date, ahead of its time, heavily referenced with hundreds of scientific citations including detailed discussions of findings from the Human Genome Project. It is science at its best. Joseph definitely thinks "outside the box." He frees us from the chains of conventional wisdom which piously proclaim that life emerged from an organic soup, and that it evolved randomly, or that the Universe began with a "big bang;" that is, at first there was nothing and then a big explosion, what the author calls: "The Nothing Happened Theory of Creation." In the first several chapters, the author explains the astrobiology, genetics and origins of life, and in the second half of the book, the genetics of evolution. The author makes it convincingly clear that since a single cell and its DNA is so amazingly complex, it could not been manufactured in an organic soup on earth, particularly as all the necessary ingredients did not exist on this planet at the time life first appeared, which was following a 700 million year bombardment from outerspace. Complex life, and its DNA must have hitchhiked to this planet. Joseph points out that the "seeds of life" hypothesis was first proposed thousands of years ago. Joseph, however, turns a hypothesis into a viable theory founded on DNA and the most recent research on genetics. Life and its DNA must have first originated on other planets. Joseph then astonishes the mind by pointing out that since even the DNA of microbes contains human DNA (verified by findings from the Human Genome Project) the first microbes on earth may have also contained human DNA, and the genetic instructions for the creation of all life, including humans. Joseph calls this theory, "Evolutionary Metamorphosis," and then explains, and provides convincing evidence from genetics and the fossil record that does not just support his theory, but which refutes Darwin's theory. Thinking outside the box, Joseph takes the theory of evolution and revolutionizes it. He explains that DNA acts on the environment, which acts on gene selection, to activate silent intronic genes which contain the genetic codes for the metamorphosis of all life. After life arrived on this planet, its DNA began to genetically engineer the envionment, changing the environment, e.g., releasing oxygen, calcium, and so on, all of which acted on gene selection to activate silent genes thereby giving rise to not just variable creatures, but more advanced forms of life, which in turn acted on the environment. Evolution is therefore under genetic control, which explains why the emergence of increasingly complex and intelligent species has followed a predictable linear progression. There is nothing random about genetic expression or evolution. This theory, evolutionary metamorphosis, is truly revolutionary, and clearly, it is well ahead of its time; and because it is ahead of its time, and because it is revolutionary and overturns conventional wisdom, most people, including most scientists, are going to resist these idea and the facts, clinging instead to the myths they have grown accustomed to. This is an intelligent, astonishing book. The author is also a world renowned neuroscientist and evolutionary neurobiologist, and probably stands alone as one of the few "experts" with a genuine understanding of the biology, genetics, and environmental foundations of life and evolution.

A Work of Revolutionary Genius
OK,I'm biased. I am familiar with this author's previous work; he pioneered research in neuroplasticity back in the 1970s, was the first to demonstrate neuroplasticity and recovery of function in the primate brain (again back in the 1970s), and pioneered research on the sexual differentiation of the brain (again, back in the 1970s); repeatedly making discoveries that repeatedly overturned established scientific dogma. I have also read and reread his classic neuroscience text. So, I'm biased. But this is truly a fantastic, ground breaking book--which is exactly what you would expect of a man with his background. It is also more than that. It is revolutionary. Joseph details the prevailing theories as to the origin and evolution of life, explains their strengths and weaknesses, and then presents well researched viable alternatives to the mainstream view. What is the origin of life? He tells us: The earth is an island and life has washed ashore. The universe is probably crawling with life. How did life evolve? He tells us: In a predictable,step-wise molecular clock-like fashion and in accordance with the genetic engineering of the environment, and presents the genetic and astrobiological evidence to support his conclusions. This book differs from all others on this topic in that the author is actually a pioneering evolutionary and developmental neurobiologist, he presents the only viable alternative to the mainstream scientific view (instead of simply echoing that view as is standard practice in all other books on the topic), and, more importantly, I would guess that in about 10 years most scientists will not only completely embrace Dr. Joseph's conclusions, but they will wonder how anyone could have ever thought otherwise. Read this book and you too will be years ahead of your time. Read this book, and feel enlightened. Read this book and you will feel like a genius.

not even science fiction; pseudo-science
The theories presented in this book are not only baseless and poorly presented, but also a tragic step in the wrong direction for the infant science of Astrobiology. The author should clearly have stuck to neuro-science, because his lack of understanding in the fields of biology, Archaeology and espescially Astronomy are overwhelming and frustrating throughout the book. I say this book is a step in the wrong direction because it might mislead people seeking to gain real knowledge about the subject into false and ridiculous ideas. In addition, Joseph comes off as more biased and defensive than even the Rare Earth scientists do. This book is not a total waste of money as there are many ideas within it that are at least worth debating. Yet, I would not recomend it as an introductory work to the field, rather I would recomend it as food for thought to an educated reader. Joseph must refrain from his one sided arguments, UFO stories, and seemingly emotional outbursts if he wants to be taken seriously by scientists.

Dangerous and Revolutionary
A book should never be judged by its cover, but my its contents. A book which generates high praise and hysterical condemnation, is an important book. This is an important book. The importance of this book can also be judged by the reaction of the United States government, and the scientists it funds, including NASA. Since the publication of the first edition of Astrobiology, in May of 2000, there followed an avalanche of competing volumes. Eight additional books on Astrobiology have now been published since 2001. Clearly, Joseph, the author of Astrobiology, led the way, and NASA and government-funded scientists, followed, only to hysterically attack Joseph's text. Joseph had the audacity to detail the incredible flaws in the 3 pillars of modern scientific faith: the big bang, the organic soup, and Darwin's theory. Given the incredible complexity of a single strand of DNA, Joseph argues, the likelihood life orginated in an organic soup, is the equivilant of discovering a computer on Jupiter and then claiming it was randomly assembled in the methane sea. Life, and its DNA, Joseph explains, arrived on Earth contained in cosmic debris. Darwin's theory of random variations, does not explain evolutionary progress and is refuted by modern genetics. Joseph argues and provides considerable evidence, that DNA engineers the environment and its own evolution, and that evolution is not random, but is governed by precise genetic mechanisms. Joseph has dared to attack and topple the altars of the modern scientific establishment, which is why we now see that over 8 additional, nearly identical books have been published all of which preach the same message of faith as approved and supported by the United States government.

Interesting, but not science
As an evolutionary biologist I was interested to read this book to see if it had any true merits. Now that I have I see that it is a work of wonderful science fiction, not science. It is quite apparent that the author has no formal training in evolutionary biology. Much of the book is interesting and HIGHLY speculative, it provides little evidence for its wild claims. In real science extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence but the author provides no convincing evidence for his claims. Also, even if life did arrive here instead of the accepted method (which DOES have much evidence supporting it) it still does not refute Darwinian evolution. Darwinian evolution is the ONLY mechanisms currently proposed which results in adaptation, the mere idea that individuals come to resemble alien life forms because their DNA is silent and "remembers" these forms is pure fantasy. If this is the case how could there be adaptation on a foreign planet, and for that case how did these little "seeds" come to be created in the first place? I could continue ripping this book apart but I've more important things to do. I am very interested in astrobiology but as a scientist I realize that mere speculation is not science, no matter how enticing the theories may be. Very good read if you're looking for science fiction, but don't bother if you know anything about evolutionary biology. ... Read more