Community Reviews
While I didn't learn much, I was actually grateful for that. Let me explain, I have taken way more science classes and researched so much of this, that if I had learned a whole lot I don't think this book would have been particularly interesting to the public. Instead, Nye takes tons of science and backs his claims and views in a way a 9 year old can understand. (I say this because my 9 year old read quite of few of the chapters) This books presents information in a way that everyone can understand and the material it presents is some of the most important stuff you can know about. It was a really amazing read! Now he just came out with another book, so I'm going to scurry off and find a copy of it!
I didn't need to be convinced about the veracity of evolution but I found the numerous fields of study that are evidence of it really interesting. He also talks about the many applications of the study of evolution. So here's a short break down of some of the specifics fields he discussed: physics (including Thermodynamics, and measuring the age of the earth and universe), the desirability of sexual selection versus asexual reproduction, biodiversity, geology, the fossil record, mass extinction events, population bottlenecking and DNA mutations, drug resistance, vaccines, the genetic basis of altruism, genetically modified foods, cloning, and racism. Though I had some familiarity with some of the topics and studies he mentioned there was so much I learned in this one. This was a wide survey of some of the most interesting aspects of biology.
My only small criticism is that he doesn't talk about how some of Lamarck's ideas have been reconsidered in the field of epigenetics.
My only small criticism is that he doesn't talk about how some of Lamarck's ideas have been reconsidered in the field of epigenetics.
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