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Evolution: The Grand Experiment: Vol. 2 - Living Fossils

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Carl Werner and, his wife, Debbie Werner have done humanity a great service in writing their series called "Evolution: The Grand Experiment". Their approach to their investigation is synonymous to Charles Darwin's and Alfred Wallace's naturalist approach as is evidenced in their early writings of The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World (Modern Library Classics) and The Malay Archipelago, respectively. Carl Werner and his wife visited more than 60 museums, multiple excavations, noticeable aquariums, forests, rain forests, and did diving expeditions worldwide; photographed over 20,000 fossils, interviewed notable authorities in the field such as John Long on prehistoric fishes and searched for over 30 years for answers on how far natural selection has allowed for diversity and macro evolution to occur. They accept micro evolution like all humans do (Example: humans micro evolved to other humans: Africans, Hispanics, Caucasians, Asians, Polynesians). However, macro evolution ( Example: some Theropods (a category of dinosaur) evolve to Aves (birds)) and the limits of this is what is investigated in this book. Punctuated Equilibrium is seen throughout the fossil record, it seems.

All of this was done out of their own pocket and their furious curiosity for better answers on the origins of speciation and just to take closer look at paleontological evidences that are available for the public on museums and excavations. Yep Carl Werner is an avid naturalist and basically did his research to a significant degree like Darwin and Wallace once did. Werner is old school, man.

This book is a naturalist account of their investigation involving creatures that have been dubbed as "living fossils" since many of these don't look like they have evolved much at all. These fossils extremely resemble their modern descendants nearly on all aspects so much so that look almost completely unevolved despite the changing ecosystems theses species lived in, broad geographic expansion of species, and the ridiculous amount of time, usually more than 65 million years, these prehistoric creatures had to actually evolve, as is generally presumed by many who watch too much popular media documentaries on macro evolved species. Take a look at Lamarcks historical work on evolution via acquired characteristics due to environment changes, it has a ring of truth for many who believe all species macro evolved and is still prevalent today believe it or not: "Zoological Philosophy, An Exposition with Regard to the Natural History of Animals" by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Also look at Alfred Russel Wallace's theory of Natural Selection in Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection: A Series of Essays for more on the different views on evolution that have emerged that include God or a purposeful mind and teleology in creation believe it or not. Wallace's collection includes his 1855 paper that was to make Wallace the first to publish the modern theory of natural selection before Darwin did in 1859.

This book has its strengths in many ways:

1) I have not found an actual book that focuses strictly on creatures that have rarely evolved despite having multiple opportunities, ridiculous amount of time, and necessities for adaption. This book focuses strictly on living fossils.

2) This book has multiple examples of modern species that strongly resemble their ancestral forms and photographs of both the fossils and the modern creature that resembles the fossil specimen are placed side by side for comparison.

The photographs of the fossils are all documented by:

(1) short description of creature
(2) genus (in blue ink), species (in red ink)
(3) geological layer where fossil was found in
(4) country where the fossil was found
(5) where the photo was taken (photos were taken by the author's wife and by outside photographers in out of reach cases)

The photographs of modern descendants are documented by:

(1) short description of creature
(2) genus (in blue ink), species (in red ink)
(3) country where the species was found or where the photo was taken (photos were taken by the author's wife and by outside photographers in out of reach cases)

3) It focuses strictly on actual photographs of the fossil specimens, which is not too common in many paleontological works, especially the text books I have on vertebrates, invertebrates, botanical fossils, insect fossils and microfossils. Two good examples of some paleontological works that focus strictly on actual photographs or replica sketches of fossil specimens when they try to plot plausible ancestral chains are From Lucy to Language: Revised, Updated, and Expanded. The reason I want actual photographs of fossil specimens is so they I can see what we can conclude on and how far we can and should conclude on. Sometimes it seems like the drawings on the other paleontological books like some diagrams and artist renditions in Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters and "After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past)" are the ones macro evolving, not necessarily ALL the fossils that they are trying to claim ancestry macro evolved.

4) Examples of old living fossils and their presumably unevolved decedents for 7 major animal phyla (Chordata, Echinodermata, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Annelida, Porifera, and Cnidaria) are given, usually from the Cretaceous period and further back. Examples of old living fossils and their presumably unevolved decedents for 7 major plant phyla (Magnoliophyta, Coniferae, Pteriodophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Lycopodiophyta, Bryophyta) are given, usually from the Cretaceous Period and further back.

Most people do not focus or care for the botanical fossil record and so having him focus a good chunk of the book on this serves as an excellent introduction to the field. Another book on plant evolution and botanical fossils is Paleobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants, Second Edition.

5) He critiques some of the naming found in museums and how some important information is sometimes withheld in museums such as the substantial coexistence of mammals and flowering plants in the Cretaceous period.

6) He stays away in general from placing ideology into the mix and allows for the evidence to speak for itself and let the reader absorb the information and decide for themselves the extent of evolution on many species, without much focusing on "evolution vs creation" debate which can get annoying for anyone who is just trying to evaluate the evidence.

Here are the Chapter Titles:

1. The Challenge that Would Change My Whole Life
2. How Can You Verify Evolution?
3. The Naming Game
4. Echinoderms
5. Aquatic Arthropods
6. Land Arthropods
7. Bivalve Shellfish
8. Snails
9. Other Types of Shellfish
10. Worms
11. Sponges and Corals
12. Bony Fish
13. Cartilaginous Fish
14. Jawless Fish
15. Amphibians
16. Crocodilians
17. Snakes
18. Lizards
19. Turtles
20. Birds
21. Mammals
22. Cone-Bearing Plants
23. Spore-Forming Plants
24. Flowering Plants
25. Coming Full Circle- My Conclusions
Appendices A,B,C,D - these are on assumptions made on fossil reconstructions by paleontologists at museums and in publications, some gaps of living fossils in the fossil record- their appearance, disappearance, and reappearance; difficulties of identifying species in the fossil record, etc.

Overall Bravo for Werner once more!

I love the colorful pictures and the interesting comparisons to modern descendants he makes. I couldn't put the book down. The only thing missing that would have made it more complete that it already was would have been a study of living microfossils and their modern descendants (bacteria, protists, etc), which are just as easily overlooked as botanical fossils. But in terms of the scope and the limits of the book, its way more than what I expected. Just to add to the research, look at The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjiang, China: The Flowering of Early Animal Life where discourse on the Cambrian fossils and the existence of ridiculous diversity in the Cambrian period sheds light on how rapidly diversity of body plans emerged during this time including all the phyla that we see today, not in the expected slow and gradual Wallace-Darwinian prediction it seems. Read on for more info. Please read Read Werner's other work: "Evolution: The Grand Experiment Vol. 1" if anyone likes to see the first part of the book series.

Anyone interested in plausible natural unselection and natural selection should read this and challenge themselves. Maybe not all species macro evolved....Read on.

For information on the new evolutionary theory that is going to go beyond Darwin's purposed mechanism and how molecular data has challenged the Wallace-Darwinian gradual evolution by interviews with molecular evolutionary biologists and astrobiologists that feel the need to propose a newer evolutionary synthesis, please read The Altenberg 16: An Exposé of the Evolution Industry and Evolution - the Extended Synthesis.

And also look at the reassessment of the status of evolutionary theory in light of information from the genome in these papers from journals from the National Institutes of Health where they keep data on genomes from many different species:

"SURVEY AND SUMMARY Darwinian evolution in the light of genomics" and "The Origin at 150: is a new evolutionary synthesis in sight?" both by Eugene V. Koonin. They shed light on what has been both right, wrong and outdated material used in evolutionary biology in light of recent massive molecular data from genomes.

Dr. Carl Werner grew up in a Catholic church where he learned about and believed in creation and the other stories in the Bible. As he headed into his teen years, he started to have some doubt as to whether what he had been taught was true. When he entered college and medical school, several of his professors presented evolution to him in a manner that made sense. He started to believe in evolution until one day his friend challenged him to prove that evolution was true. This challenge would prove to be a life-long journey....

Once Dr. Werner decided to embrace the challenge, he approached it from a scientific viewpoint. He decided to construct an experiment that would help him prove that evolution is true. He predicted that if evolution was not true, then animals and plants would not change significantly over time. Accordingly, he predicted that he should find fossils of modern animal and plant species in the "older" fossil layers.

Little did he know it at the time, but this experiment would take him all over the world. He would learn that many of his assumptions were wrong. He would take pictures and footage of fossils as well as live plants and animals from 3 different continents. This book shows readers glimpses into what he (and his wife) found during their travels.

He concludes the book by giving the evidence for and against both creation and evolution. He wants readers to make up their own mind on what his challenge produced.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is overflowing with beautiful images. The comparisons between pictures of current plants and animals and fossilized (dinosaur-era) plants and animals are wonderful. Many of the specimens shown in the book were things that I probably would not have seen if not for this book. I had to chuckle at several points during the reading as we've often said some of the same things about the "pre-historic" fossils looking just like current animals and plants when we've viewed them.

There is a teacher's manual as well as a presenter's cd available to accompany the Living Fossils book.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Master Books/New Leaf Publishing to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. I positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own.

I did a review of the first book in this series, Evolution: The Grand Experiment--The Quest for an Answer, which also appeared on several websites. In our homeschool, we used the book for our science last year with both Mark, who graduated in June, and Jeremy, who was in seventh grade. Also, in March of this year, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Werner as one of our speakers at the Greater St. Louis Area Home Educators Expo. He is truly a fascinating man. In Living Fossils, Carl weaves the story of his own personal journey with the results of his research. As a young man, he was raised to believe in the Bible and creation, but in high school began drifting from his religious beliefs, and by 1977 in an accelerated medical college program cast his vote for evolution. However, a year later, a friend challenged him to prove evolution. After hearing from his friend about the many problems with evolutionary theory, he was unnerved and determined to begin a quest to find evidence for and against evolution. For the next eighteen years, he immersed himself in reading and studying the topic of evolution, in the meantime becoming a physician. His plan was based on the prediction that if evolution was not true, then animals and plants would not change significantly over time and therefore one should find fossils of modern animal and plant species in the "older" fossil layers. Finally, in 1997 he and his photographer wife Debbie began visiting museums all over the world and talking to recognized experts in the field of fossils. You would be amazed at what they found. I shall leave you to read (and see) the details in the book, but in short Carl looked for and located in geologic strata which evolutionists consider as coming from the era of dinosaurs fossils of every major category of modern animals (both invertebrates and vertebrates) and plants living today. His conclusion is as follows. "If I ignore the genus and species names and simply compare the fossils found in dinosaur rock layers to modern forms, I see a lack of significant change in all of the major animal phyla and all of the major plant divisions. My findings support the idea that animals and plants have not significantly changed (evolved) over time, but simply some animals and plants have gone extinct, while others have remained relatively unchanged." As with Vol. 1, there is a teacher's manual containing chapter objectives, class discussion questions, and tests for each of the 25 chapters to help in using this book for classroom or homeschooling purposes. This book is certainly a welcomed addition to the growing body of scientific literature which poses questions for Darwinian evolution.

Living Fossils begins with an account of the challenge given to the author, Dr. Carl Werner, during his sophomore year of college to answer the question, "How could life begin if proteins do not form naturally?" This book is a 30 year compilation of that quest and to prove evolution, right or wrong.

"Many perceive the fossil record as the greatest proof for the theory of evolution that life in the far distant past was comprised of strange and unusual animals and plants that evolved over time into the familiar life-forms that surround us today.

Many who oppose evolution argue that plants and animals have not fundamentally changed over time. Although some animals, like dinosaurs and flying reptiles, have gone extinct, the others have remained substantially the same since their origin. These viewpoints radically contradict one another.

In order to solve this controversy, I have reviewed thousands of fossils from the dinosaur era - fossils from Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rock layers - and compared them to the animals and plants of today. Accordining to one reviewer, you will not find a more complete picture of life during the dinosaur era anywhere."

Upon first receiving this book, I am awe struck with page upon page of spectacular photographs. The majority of which contain shots of living creatures next to their counterpart fossil that are supposedly millions of years old. It is rather difficult to believe in evolution/millions of years when faced with these "living fossils".

Each chapter of this book is packed with a wide array of information that is "just-right" for the 7th grade and up crowd. Within these 25 chapters, you'll find a fascinating, revealing and informative study of living fossils from aquatic life, reptiles, snakes, birds, mammals and plants.

Currently, my children are in 8th, 5th and 3rd grades. I decided to do the first couple of lessons with all three. Obviously, I don't have the same expectations for my 3rd grader as I do for my oldest child - but there are some concepts she is able to grasp on a more simplistic level.


Using the Teacher's Manual, we followed the first 6 steps:


1. Teacher reads 'Purpose of Chapter' in this Teacher's Manual.


2. Teacher leads students in 'Class Discussion Questions'.

All of my children could do this with varying degrees of understanding.


3. Students watch DVD (optional).

We do not currently have this DVD, but I would not hesitate to purchase it based on the quality of

information presented.


4. Students read chapter.

I went ahead and read it out loud and stopped when necessary to answer questions.


5. Students are given 'Objectives of Chapter Worksheet' after reading the chapter and are

directed to complete the answers.

My 8th grader did these on his own. I did some of these orally with my younger two.


6. Teacher administers 'Chapter Test A'.

I gave this only to my 8th grader.


So far in our studies, my older two were struck with the subjectivness of the "Name Game". On dig sites there's not a committee of scientists to determine whether a fossil is a new species or a variation. Whoever finds it, names it and most likely that scientist supports evolution in which the new species name may reflect this. Often times a scientists will gain more recognition by doing so.


A great photo example of this concept is from page 24. There are 6 pictures of variations in American Oysters. They are all the same species. If they were found fossilized miles apart from each other, they might be incorrectly assigned a new species name. Other examples include: Sassafras and Magnolia leaves.

My youngest could easily figure this out by looking at all the variations of dog skulls that were also pictured.

I won't spoil the conclusions of the author, but I will tell you that he does address: 7 Problems of Evolution, Influence of Fossil Orientation, Use of Fossils Found Below Dinosaur Layers, Difficulty in Vertebrate Identification and Assumptions in Fossil Reconstructions.

My children mostly enjoyed this study. My oldest prefers Physics to Life Sciences. But, he did enjoy reading the evidence against evolution. My younger two, who are avid animal lovers, enjoyed the pictures and building knowledge against evolution with Living Fossils.

I would recommend this book in a CO-OP or individual setting and would be a wonderful summer science study as well!

I received this item for free in exchange for an honest review.

Having reviewed Carl Werner's Evolution: The Grand Experiment - Volume 1 a few months back, I eagerly awaited the opportunity to crack open Volume 2: Living Fossils. Like the first volume, Living Fossils is presented in an easy-to-read format aimed at the general public and is filled with beautiful full color photographs of fossils and animals throughout. As they say, A picture is worth a thousand words. Once again, Werner's book is a Godsend for visual learners.

While Volume 1 tackled several lines of evidence used to support evolution at once, this volume deals with one specific issue.

Basically, Dr. Carl Werner set out to test the evolutionary model in the following manner:

"I predicted that if evolution was not true, then animals and plants would not change significantly over time. Accordingly, I predicted I should find fossils of modern animal and plant species in the "older" fossil layers" [p. 10].

He notes that "the naming of species is subjective and, at times, I find species and genus names unreliable" [p. 23]. As an example, he notes that scientists once mistakenly believed different "races" of humans represented more than 15 different species, while modern genetics have proven we are but one species. He also notes wide variations in dogs, in a single species of oysters and in sassafras leaves [even from the same tree]. He further noted that while he and his wife photographed many modern-appearing plants and animals in the fossil record, not one fossil was assigned a modern species name. He became convinced that evolutionist were playing what he calls the Naming Game.

As he puts it:

"If a paleontologist was unfamiliar with the variations within living species, it is possible he or she could misinterpret differences and mistakenly give each fossil a new, erroneous species name, based on minor changes only. Taking it one step further, this name change could give the false impression that evolution, or dramatic change, has occured over time. The only way this can be sorted out is to look at the fossils and living forms" [p. 18].

This is exactly what Dr. Werner has set out to do in this volume; He painstakingly takes us through the plant and animal kingdoms, showing us modern-looking dinosaur era fossils and their probable living counterparts. It is an amazing book of which Dr. Werner should be proud.

I can't wait to check out the next book in the series.


-Rev Tony Breeden
From the Bookwyrm's Lair

What do you think of when you think of fossils? Most people, I believe, think of a long dead animal from an extinct species frozen for ever in rock. Something that is old and not from the time we live in. I'm sure we've all heard that word even applied to people who are relicts of a past age. It's an example of something in this time that doesn't really belong.

And in many cases that is true. The dinosaurs are perfect examples of this. These animals don't walk the earth anymore (even though I've heard the stories about Nessie and the Ogopogo) but we can find evidence that they did. However, as this book brings to light, not everything that is fossilized is extinct. The most famous example is of course the Coelacanth. This fish was thought to have died out millions of years ago. It was an index fossil (an index fossil is a fossil that when you find it you can know the rock it is in is XXX years old). But now we know that it is still swimming around in the India ocean (interestingly it is still considered an index fossil).

I read the book, Evolution, the Grand Experiment: Living Fossils from New Leaf Publishing group. The book takes a look at many such examples of fossil species with photographs of living animals that are identical or nearly identical to its fossilized cousin. It's an interesting book and worth picking up and looking through. While not the heaviest on text content, the pictures are fantastic and in many cases speak for themselves. It also chronicles the journey of compiling the book. While not my favorite book on the subject I would recommend it and am glad to have it in my library. The book does exactly what it sets out to do, I just like a more complete look at these issues (and bigger books).

I'm also supposed to say that Newleaf provided me this copy for the purposes of reviewing it free of charge. This however did not sway my opinion of the book in any way.

Like Volume 1, this book's presentation is awesome. The pictures clear, large, and complementing the text exactly. In this book Dr. Werner explains how he came to be involved in evolutionary research and is focusing on his findings in the fossils found around the world. He starts right at the beginning of his journey describing how he started it and how he learned to ask the "right" questions that elicited the most complete answers and of course, those that led him on to further research. He explains how things are named and separated in science. He describes his findings in every branch of fossil research from amphibians to plants. Everything is presented in a very readable and understandable manner with pictures that show exactly what he is talking about. This is a book that would be welcome in a school as a textbook, or in a home as a reference book. Every library should definitely have the series. ~ 5 stars.

"Living Fossils" by Dr. Carl Werner is a beautiful book. The written text is minimal, and therefore unintimidating, although it left me wanting more information. The photographs are incredible! Although some of the photos are blurred, which I feel detracted from the otherwise incredible images. It was really amazing to see how many living species of plant and animal almost perfectly resemble fossilized remains, striking a serious blow to the theory of evolution. I was truly amazed at the depth of research and information presented in such a concise, enjoyable and easy to digest and understand format.

Living Fossils
Evolution: The Grand Experiment Vol. 2
Dr. Carl Werner
Published by New Leaf Press
Source : Review Copy

Dr. Werner has invested much time and resources into creating a brilliant example of creation through the viewfinder of fossils.
Showcasing fossil forms and familiar animals of today Dr. Werner is able to show how the animals have remained constant over time.
He has captured the animals and fossils in amazing photography. First describing how we come to name the groups of animals and classifying them. He then goes on to show these varied creatures in vivid photos and detailed description.
A must text book for homeschool families in the high school years for sure. I have Vol 1 ready to use for my own children this year and will incorporate volume 2 in right after.
I am just in awe of the beauty of this book and the dedication of Dr. Werner and his team to bring this evidence to light for our families.

I received a copy of this book from New Leaf Press in exchange for an honest review.

In this second volume of Living Fossils, Evolution: The Great Experiment Dr. Carl Werner uses Fossils records from Museums and Collections from around the World and compares them with present day living specimens.
Beautifully written with amazing photographs this book contains an astounding amount of well documented records of living fossils!

In a clear and concise format Dr. Werner explains why he believes Creation is a very real possibility. Readers of course will be able to judge for themselves whilst reviewing the information provided and compare evidences throughout the many chapters.
Dr. Werner for i.e. asks in Chapter 2 the question: 'How can you verify Evolution?' and presents both for and against evidences.

An excellent book for the Home Schooled family or the individual student this Volume 2 of Living Fossils, Evolution: The Great Experiment covers a startling amount of information about Echinoderms, Aquatic Arthropods, Land Arthropods, Shellfish, Snails and a host of others such as Fishes, Amphibians, Mammals. Birds, etc...
Here you are certain to find also in depth information on plants and trees but always in an easy to read format!

This is truly a book I would recommend to anyone!
I give it 5 stars!

I received this book free from New Leaf Publishing Group as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not asked to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.