I picked this book up on a whim while travelling through British Columbia. For anyone who is interested in or has questions about our knowledge of evolution, this book explores the history of the people and times when the first ideas of evolution began. It continues by talking about the contemporary search for clues of our evolution and the future of the many remarkable creatures that inhabit this planet. In Remarkable Creatures, Sean Carroll takes the reader on a lively tour of the discoveries in evolution, biology, genetics, archeology, geology and scientific dating that have revolutionized the thinking about how man appeared on earth and changed over the years. Carroll is a professor of molecular biology and genetics and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Wisconsin, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.The book is structured in three areas. The first talks of the beginnings of the theory of evolution with chapters on Darwin and on Alfred Wallace (Amazon explorations) and Henry Walter Bates. The second group of chapters discusses the role of fossils and the lengths and privations taken to obtain them, as well as the conclusions reached from them. The final group of chapters talks about the human evolution from the cradle of life in Africa to the Neanderthal chapter and the scientists such as Leakey who pioneered this work. It ends with the new role that molecular biology is playing with providing more exact dates when various life forms existed and the genetic relationships between various forms.This book is recommended for curious readers who want to know more about how we know what we know. It is an overview of the area and highlights the various scientists who advanced knowledge, providing a look at the human side of their lives as well as the scientific discoveries they made. The privations and enthusiasm these individuals displayed as well as the total focus they had on their life work is an amazing characteristic that all shared. Carroll has done an excellent job in explaining the overall theories of life without drowning in the details, providing enough information for those who want to delve more deeply.
What do You think about Remarkable Creatures [With Earbuds] (2006)?
I really wanted to like this book, but parts of it were soooo boring....
—Emily
History of some of the greatest discoveries in evolutionary biology.
—Jan
Well written and led me to other really good reading prospects.
—Heiresstin
