Why Evolution Is True

Why Evolution Is True is a book that really concerns itself with showing the evidence for evolution, as well as trying to explain as delicately as possible as to why creationism and intelligent design are flawed theories that don't hold up to the evidence. I found it to be a very interesting read, maybe because I already think that evolution is the truth of the matter, but in any case, you can tell the author's enthusiasm. But it is not a sneery contempt for other mindsets; Unlike, say, Richard Dawkins, who seems to be outraged that people are not ready yet to believe in science and will go so far as to label them as stupid, Jerry Coyne just puts the evidence out there, weaving it together as we go along.

Personally, I can't understand the furore about evolution. So what if we are descended from ancestors that are shared with monkeys? I guess some people just want to feel special. If you are someone who is appalled at this idea, you probably shouldn't read this book. If not, it is a highly readable introduction into one of the most fascinating topics out there. Plus it has interesting facts like a human fetus goes through four stages of development (fish, amphibian, reptile and mammal) and that genes which are 'switched off' can sometimes mutate back on for individuals, and lead to things like whales being born with legs. A very interesting read.

Quotes and passages I liked:

• You can find religions without creationism, but you can't find creationism without religion.
• It doesn't seem so intelligent to design millions of species that are destined to go extinct, and then replace them with other, similar species.
• Friction produced by tides gradually slows the earth's rotation over time. Each day is a tiny bit longer than the last.
• During development, the human embryo actually forms three different types of kidneys, one after the other, with the first two discarded before our final kidney appears. And those transitory embryonic kidneys are similar to those we find in species that evolved before us in the fossil record - jawless fish and reptiles, respectively.
• When the hornet scout first arrives at their hive, the honeybees near the entrance rush into the hive, calling nestmates to arms while luring the hornet inside. In the meantime, hundreds of worker bees assemble inside the entrance. Once the hornet is inside, it is mobbed and covered by a tight ball of bees. Vibrating their abdomens, the bees quickly raise the temperature inside the ball to about 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Bees can survive this temperature, but the hornet cannot. In twenty minutes the hornet is cooked to death.