Almost Like a Whale

From SkepticWiki

Author: Steve Jones

ISBN 055299958X

[edit] Synopsis

The subtitle of Professor Jones's book is "The Origin of Species Updated". He has taken it upon himself to rewrite Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species reusing Darwin's chapter headings, subheadings, and even synopses of chapters, but having the advantage of another century and a half of biological data to refer to. His book, then, is like Darwin's: "one long argument" in favour of evolution and the theory of evolution, replete with biological facts. By following so precisely the intellectual framework laid out by Darwin, it also demonstrates clearly that although the theory of evolution has been refined over the years, it has required no substantial alterations and that Darwin's insights into evolution are still essential to our understanding of biology.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"Soon after the discovery of Unenlagia, a turkey-sized, carnivorous (and emphatically flightless) dinosaur with short arms was found. It had unmistakeable feathers, barbs and all, fanning from its tail. In the absence of wings, they could not be used for flight and may have been courtship displays or even insulation for the animal's rear end ... Birds can no longer claim sole ownership even of feathers, let alone of an identity that sprang fully formed into the fossil record."

[edit] Reviews

An excellent read for anyone interested in biology, and also an excellent source of facts for the confusion of creationists.