Evolving: The Human Effect and Why It Matters

by Daniel J. Fairbanks

This persuasive, elegantly written book argues that understanding evolution has never mattered more in human history. The author uses evidence from archaeology, geography, anatomy, biochemistry, radiometric dating, cell biology, chromosomes, and DNA to establish the inescapable conclusion that we evolved and are still evolving. He also explains in detail how health, food production, and human impact on the environment are dependent on our knowledge of evolution. This is essential reading for gaining a fuller appreciation of who we are, our place in the great expanse of life, and the importance of our actions.

Genres: Science, Evolution, Nonfiction, Anthropology

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Bryce Haymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of human evolution, showing the clear and abundant scientific evidence for it, but more importantly why evolution is so important for us to understand today, because it affects our health, allows us to feed humanity, and protects our environment. Well written and easy to read, I recommend this for anyone wondering how evolution (particularly human evolution) is relevant to us today. (The author is a former dean of Undergraduate Education at BYU.)

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairbanks has put together a great book that anyone with any background can appreciate! He defines evolution and provides massive collection of evidence (6 chapters worth) to demonstrate evolution. He concludes the book by demonstrating how evolution impacts our health, food, and the environment. The book is a wonderful introduction to evolution and a great foundation for anyone.

Fairbanks’ strength is his three chapters on the genetic evidence for evolution, but he uses clear language and excellent examples throughout the book. His target audience is the general public so no scientific background is necessary to enjoy it. Fairbanks easily and clearly describes technical issues to help the reader along. He is aware of what the reader needs to know to grasp the points he makes. It is not dumbing down, but rather recognizing that not all the details need to be understood.

Fairbanks further uses a variety of figures through the text that help the reader visualize certain aspects. He also puts a personal touch in the narrative by relating personal experiences. Definitely recommend this books for people that want to learn about evolution but may not have a strong scientific background, but even those with a science background will enjoy it.

[Donato Colangelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairbanks succedeed in presenting a good case for taking evolution seriously. By connecting our life to the countless elements in the biosphere that are subject to the rules of natural selection, the author makes strong cases about the importance of the understanding of evolution. And this, above all, is the most interesting point of the book.
It is a book that presents several examples that show the reality of evolution and in this is perhaps among the best book ever written on this topic. It is thus a good start for people with scant knowledge of the subject!
I found particularly good the chapters about human evolution and the genomics.

[Cristian Constantinescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem. Well written comprehensive history of humanoids aproached from archeological, genetical perspectives. Fascinating read from a highly respected expert in molecular biology which is surprisingly good at story telling.

[Ami Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evolving discussed, in great detail, evolution and human history. This book talked about evidence from our bodies- how much of our anatomy makes sense only "in light of evolution", that we share much of our anatomy with our evolutionary relatives, but with adaptations, how different structures evolved from common ancestry. Evidence from fossil records show the 7 million year journey through hominid evolution. Evidence from geography tells much about human evolution and human migration from our origins to the rest of the world. This book also breaks down the basics of DNA- that mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA reveal patterns in our evolution. Also discussed about how mutations (in DNA ) happen and how you can figure out how far back that happened. The latter half of the book focuses on topics such as evolution and our health- how we are in danger because medication is causing harmful bacteria and viruses to evolve and become resistant to treatment. Discussions about evolution and our food- how our evolution is tied to the plants and animals we domesticated, what genetic erosion is and how to stop it, why genetic diversity is important. The final chapter of the book was pretty depressing! It talked all about evolution and the environment, mostly focusing on habitat loss and how it is dramatically altering environment and evolution, as well as industrial expansion and it's impact on evolution. Very damaging stuff, and pretty sad when looking at all the irreversible damage we are doing to the planet.

Over all, this book was very interesting and informative. There were several "science-y" terms, but the author did a great job explaining them, as well as having a glossary in the back. This book was pretty easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Relics of Eden better.

[Mills College Library]

576.82 F164 2012