River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (Science Masters)

Eyes have evolved between 40 and 60 times in inveterbrates showing nine different distinctive characteristics. Hold on a second! How? Answer: evolution through natural selection. Thank you Mr. Darwin!

There two components to evolution - the central understanding of biology and zoology.

1. Random mutation of DNA during reproduction
2. Natural selection of genes.

When a species is separated by geographical barries (rivers, mountains) for a long period of time, the changes in group 1 will eventually be no longer compatable with group 2. They can't interbred and you then have two species where once their was one. That's why red squirrels can't interbred with grey ones.

Now, from simple DNA copying mechanisms in bacteria, all animals, plants, protozoa, fungi have evolved. How do we know this? We have an infinite amount of DNA analysis and about a billion fossils.

Some of the key concepts in evolution are explained in this book. DNA being the instruction set for a living organism, the actual structure of DNA itself, the fact that all humans share a common female ancestor (in the female - female line) whose time on the planet can be estimated by mathematically analysing the michondrial DNA differences and factoring them with mutations rates.

In this book, we are also treated to some interesting anecdotes from the animal kingdom:
1. Gray squirrels and Req squirrels can't interbred because they have evolved into separate spieces.
2. Turkeys kill anything that moves near their babies unless it emits a babies cry. If they are deaf they can kill their own babies because they use the babies cry to differentiate between their babies and other moving objects such as rats, mice etc.
3. Honeybees tell each other the whereabouts of flowers by means of a carefully coded dance.

All along the central theme of natural selection is referenced and explained. Whatever works best, reproduces best. The best genes stay in the gene pool while the worst are chucked out by an amoral and unconcious natural selection process.

Dawkins has written several books on evolution. So what's so good about this one? I have read several of them. They all have a lucid, succint style and are written with Dawkins' infectious enthusasim. This one is shorter the others. So if you want the good grounding in evolution but are not worried about every nook and cranny of what forms the central understanding of zoology and biology. Go for this book.

gave up! (0/4 people found this helpful)

I gave up reading this after the first few chapters. The river metaphor made no sense - it all sounded like sensationalised rubbish. I think it would have been more convincing if it had been explained scientifically

Nothing New (0/0 people found this helpful)

This is the fifth Richard Dawkins book I have read and it has to be said that there is almost nothing in it that is not somewhere in his other books like The Blind Watchmaker and The Selfish Gene. As it is far shorter than his others I'd only recommend this book if it would be your first Dawkins and/or if you wanted a short description of what Darwinian evolution is all about.

The Great Reductionist?? (32/34 people found this helpful)

In my Navy days, The Landing Force Manual was the guidebook for transforming sailors into combat soldiers. It was a catalogue of techniques teaching bivouacking, patrolling, land occupation and defense. Richard Dawkins has unabashedly given us a similar primer useful in learning to deal with those still resisting Darwin's concept of evolution by natural selection. Like The Landing Force Manual, "River Out of Eden" is an arsenal of topics that, once learned, may be applied in conversational combat with those still resisting the idea that evolution is the way life works. With thorough knowledge and captivating style, Dawkins gives us illuminating examples of how life has achieved what appear to be miracles.

Dawkins re-initiated the debate over evolution's mechanics with The Selfish Gene. For his lucid explanation of the gene as the foundation for life's workings, he was dubbed The Great Reductionist by those uncomfortable with the concept that genes tend to override the treasured idea of "free will" overriding Nature. With River Out of Eden, Dawkins proves his ability by presenting an even more comprehensible account of how DNA is the foundation for life's mechanics.

He begins with the idea that all life had ancestors - all of which succeeded in producing offspring. Their success at reproducing overshadows the fact that most life forms ultimately went extinct over the vast span of Earth's time. Extinction is due to failure to produce offspring that survived to further reproduce new generations. The reasons for this failure are uncountable and obscure, but the issue remains success or failure. Tracing the ancestral line allows us to envision rivers of life. The rivers aren't composed of water, but of DNA. DNA over time, acts as a "digital river" with sections turning on or off in the process of making proteins. And proteins are the bricks that build organisms and all their parts.

From an almost purely descriptive beginning, Dawkins moves on to demonstrate how many of those "parts" could evolve over the many millennia available to them. Among the favourite organs used to oppose natural selection is "the eye". How could such a complex part of life work half complete? Well, for starters, better than 49% complete. A statement that can be applied to all the body parts in various organisms when viewed over the long stretch of years available to change gradually. Wings, finding mates, locating food sources, all the "complex functions" we see in today's life came from earlier, simpler beginnings. Dawkins' chapter "God's Utility Function" is a must read and understand for anyone wishing to comprehend how many of these features came into existence. They didn't all arrive in a finished state.

Dawkins is adept at illustrating his points. Among his more clever tricks is the portrayal of a sentence reading clearly even with different typefaces for each word. You can still read and understand the meaning. But the appearance differs in each case. He also gives an excellent account of how genes govern energy expenditure for various types of creatures. Each has its own variant, but an "audit" of how the genes benefit from the arrangement reveals why it's a successful strategy.

The key to all these patterns is the idea that somehow, somewhen, a molecule that later became DNA learned to replicate. He posits Graham Cairns Smith's suggestion that DNA, or more likely its precursor, RNA, learned the trick from clay crystals. This remains the most likely explanation for life's origins, but requires the reader to recognize that the replicating molecule preceded any discernible organism. Cairns Smith's concept removes forever the idea that life's driving force occurred by chance. It was a relatively simple chemical and physical process. It may not appear elegant, but the mechanism has the elegance of plausibility.

This whole book carries the argument against "creation by design" into the camp of Darwin's enemies. Dawkins lists the contentions of the "creationists", then adroitly unravels them through pure logic and good science. Those who feel daunted by arcane biological treatises on life need only take up this excellent summation of why Darwin was right. Those who quail at the idea DNA drives our existence can take heart. It's all part of what's required in achieving a better idea of who we are. A major step in that understanding is in this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada\

The Best (21/24 people found this helpful)

This was an exceptionally interesting book, and extremely well written considering that Dawkins is, of course, a scientist first and foremost. The book goes into enough detail to satisfy the knowledgable reader without aleinating those who are not necessarily familiar with all of the subject matter. It provides lots of food for thought, and presents ideas in an entertaining way. It spells out scientific ideas so simply that you are guided into drawing the conclusion yourself.

River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (Science Masters)

Richard Dawkins

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Reader Reviews:

Explains some key concepts of evolution. (0/0 people found this helpful)

gave up! (0/4 people found this helpful)

Nothing New (0/0 people found this helpful)

The Great Reductionist?? (32/34 people found this helpful)

The Best (21/24 people found this helpful)

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