Customer Reviews

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters

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A cursory look at the science section of any bookstore will reveal a current glut of books about evolution and creationism, some works being excellent reviews of the debate while others are not worth the paper they're printed on. Prothero's book falls into the former category, being the best popular resource I've come across to date about evolution and the evidence from the fossil record.

One of the most important (and appealing) aspects of Prothero's book is that he takes a "gloves off" approach to creationism, not waffling on the subject like other recent works (i.e. Whitham's "Where Darwin Meets the Bible"). This more up-front tone allows Prothero to look at the claims of creationists and ID advocates in depth, his excellent review of the formation of the Grand Canyon (the only one I know of in the popular literature) being a fantastic example of melding positive scientific evidence with a thorough refutation of pseudoscience. Still, while Prothero takes a more aggressive approach than other recent authors the book is hardly a long diatribe against creationism; Prothero combines personal experience debating YEC stalwarts like Duane Gish with his extensive knowledge of paleontology, geology, and evolution, delivering a successful one-two punch that is informative on more than just one level.

If I have any complaint about this book, it is only that some of the sections require a little more fine-tuning or focus to bring out the important evolutionary trends. The chapter on Dinosaurs is a good example of this; while Prothero provides a good review of important fossil finds, the origin and diversification of sauropod dinosaurs, ceratopsians, and dromeosaurs could use some further clarification as there is certainly more to the story than was given room for discussion. This is a minor point, though, as the book proceeds at breakneck speed through geologic time, providing an overview of various transitional fossils and important evolutionary changes. Indeed, while this treatment might not entirely satisfy a reader looking for excruciating detail, it is an excellent primer for those largely unfamiliar with the fossil record.

As Prothero himself notes in the book, the fossil record is incredibly rich and paleontologists continue to accumulate knowledge with every new day in the lab and the field, but up until now many writers have avoided listing many of the important fossils with unfamiliar and tongue-twisting names in popular works. Fortunately for us, Prothero breaks from the older approach and acts as a guide to the diversity of the fossil record, recognizing that it is no longer sufficient to place a group of fossils in a straight line in an attempt to convince the reader that evolution has occurred without illuminating the "bushiness" the evolution produces.

In summary, Prothero's book is a joy to read and provides an excellent summary of the current richness of the fossil record for specialist and layman alike, with the added bonus of a comprehensive refutation of creationist claims about the fossil record. If you're looking for a comprehensive primer on evolution, or even a refresher on the current state of fossil finds important to evolution, you need look no further than this book.

The earth is old, and animals and plants have changed over time. If you know somebody who doubts these two well-established propositions, this is the book to share with them. I remember, as a teenager, in the early 1980s, reading Duane Gish's "Evolution: The Fossils Say No," as well as the other standard texts of creationism, and Prothero's book would have helped me think through (and past) creationism a lot quicker than I did. Prothero's book might have been aptly titled, "Evolution: The Fossils Say Yes." It is a lavishly illustrated, thoroughly readable, and authoritative dismantling of creationism. Because of the patient work of contemporary scientists writing accessible popular texts on evolution, no thoughtful 21st century young person need be intellectually derailed by creationist literature. Dr. Prothero's is perhaps the best of the current spate of these types of books. I especially liked the chapter on the origins of life, and the chapter on the Grand Canyon. One of the strengths of this book is that Dr. Prothero does not dodge difficult questions, but attempts to address them directly. It is always refreshing to read somebody who does not obfuscate or downplay contrary lines of evidence, and who is willing to say "I don't know" when something is uncertain. The book is thus, in addition to its overt purpose, also an excellent model of sane and measured reflection. A good companion volume to Dr. Prothero's book might be "The Counter-Creationism Handbook," by Mark Isaak, recently published by the University of California Press.

"Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters" is the best book I have ever read emphasizing the importance of the fossil record as the indisputable "facts" of biological evolution, documenting the history of life on Planet Earth. Its publication is long overdue, and yet, remains quite timely, when major publishers like Simon and Schuster have mistakenly published sterling examples of mendacious intellectual pornography like Michael Behe's "The Edge of Evolution". Indeed, Prothero's book ought to be viewed as the one that demolishes forever, Behe's inane assertion (which he had expressed in a private e-mail reply to me that I've posted elsewhere here at Amazon.com) that the fossil record is irrelevant, claiming that the "truth" will be found only at the molecular level (More than anything else, that terse comment from Behe merely demonstrates his profound ignorance and understanding of the fossil record. Incidentally, Prothero refers to Behe as an "Intelligent Design creationist".). It also demonstrates the absurdity of creationist claims from the likes of Behe's Discovery Institute colleagues Paul Nelson, Jonathan Wells, and Geoffrey Simmons, among others, that the fossil record does not have "transitional forms". Indeed, as Prothero clearly shows his readers again and again, the history of life on our planet is replete with "transitional forms" documenting the evolutionary transitions from fish to tetrapods, from terrestrial carnivorous dinosaurs to flying birds, from primitive ungulate mammals to whales, and from apes to mankind. He also stresses the relevance of the fossil record to other aspects of evolutionary biology, noting its relevance with respect to molecular - as well as comparative anatomical - data. All of this is told in clear, concise, and persuasive, prose that often reaches the same literary heights attained by Prothero's mentor and friend, the late Stephen Jay Gould; without question this splendid book ought to be regarded as among the finest published last year.

Prothero's book is also a superb guide to the history and - regrettably - ever-present danger posed by Intelligent Design advocates and other creationists. The first three chapters emphasize the profound intellectual differences between valid mainstream science like contemporary evolutionary biology and pseudoscientific religious nonsense like "scientific" creationism in all of its flavors, especially Intelligent Design. Prothero offers a detailed look at the scientific method in the very first chapter, comparing and contrasting it with creationism (He also provides a superb introductory guide too to the writing of the Judeo-Christian Old Testament.). The second chapter is an in-depth exploration of creationism, tracing its roots in early 20th Century American Fundamentalist Protestant Christianity, and, of course, describing the emergence of Intelligent Design and its zealous promotion by the Discovery Institute, the Seattle, Washington-based "conservative" think tank (However, much to my amazement, he does not emphasize sufficiently, the important work done by philosopher of science Barbara Forrest and biologist Paul Gross in their book "Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design" in exposing the Discovery Institute's crypto-Fascist agenda for a future United States. Yet, to his credit, he does acknowledge that agenda by referring to its infamous "Wedge Document" while noting the Discovery Institute's deceitful promotion of Intelligent Design at the expense of valid mainstream science like contemporary evolutionary biology.). Finally, in Chapter Three, Prothero exposes both the intellectual inanity of "Flood Geology" and the popular creationist pastime of "quote mining"; the latter, a practice that's still popular with Discovery Institute Senior Fellows Michael Behe, William Dembski and Jonathan Wells.

The next two chapters comprise an excellent introduction to the history and science of evolutionary biology and the theory and practice of cladistic systematics. In Chapter Four, Prothero discusses the history of evolutionary biology, tracing its intellectual roots from the ancient Greeks to Lamarck, Darwin, and those biologists who became the "architects" of the Modern Synthesis Theory of Evolution (also known as the so-called "Neo-Darwinian Synthesis", since it merged population genetics with paleontology, biogeography, ecology and systematics). He also discusses some of the current controversies in contemporary evolutionary biology, beginning with evolutionary developmentaly biology, better known as "Evo - Devo", and, ending, of course, with punctuated equilibrium, noting how often it has been twisted and bent out of shape by creationists of all stripes, who have excelled only in "quote mining" from the published scientific and popular publications written by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge; the two American invertebrate paleobiologists responsible for "punk eke". In Chapter Five, Prothero offers an especially lucid account of the theory and history of cladistic systematics, emphasizing its importance as a tool for studying both Earth's current biodiversity and its history of life.

In "Part II Evolution? The Fossils Say YES!", Prothero gives us a whirlwind tour of the history of life on Planet Earth, emphasizing major episodes in the history of life on Planet Earth, beginning with the origin of life, and culminating with the emergence of mankind. In Chapter Six, Prothero offers clear, persuasive evidence for the relative ease in creating life from inert organic compounds, brushing aside creationist arguments to the contrary. He debunks the outdated notion of a "Cambrian Explosion" - which remains popular with creationists, including Intelligent Design advocates - in Chapter 7, observing that the fossil record points to instead, a "Cambrian Slow Fuse", involving the gradual diversification of hard-part skeletonized fauna over the span of eighty million years, from the Late Precambrian through early Ordovician. He discusses the emergence of tetrapods from limbless fish in Chapter 10, the rise of early amniotes (which includes the reptiles, birds and mammals) in Chapter 11, and the evolution of flight in avian dinosaurs in Chapter 12, demonstrating the existence of countless "transitional forms". Further chapters are devoted to the origin of whales (Chapter 14) and humans (Chapter 15), and thus, offer a terse, but still thorough, glimpse, at the history of life on this planet. Prothero's coverage is so superb, that I am surprised by his all too brief references to mass extinctions, especially when their very existence ought to raise ample questions about an Intelligent Designer and his ability to "design" life that is extinction resistant.

In the final chapter of his book (Chapter 16), Prothero makes a truly compelling argument explaining why creationism is a clear and present danger, not only to American education, but indeed, the very survival of the United States too. He quotes from an extended excerpt from the Los Angeles Times, describing creationist Ken Ham's indoctrination of young school children against evolution, conjuring up - at least for me - an image of Adolf Hitler's infamous Nuremberg Nazi Party rallies. He blames the advent of creationism since the late 1950s for fostering scientific illiteracy among Americans, and noting that this threatens our future economic success as we compete with other, better educated, countries like those in Europe and East Asia in a global economy increasingly dominated by science and technology. He also argues persuasively that denial of evolution is harmful to our health and well being, graphically illustrating this point by reminding us of the unsuccessful 1984 baboon to human heart transplant by a creationist Loma Linda University surgeon. Prothero's dire warning is a message I have read before, especially from Niles Eldredge, but here, Prothero's remarks are most compelling, and ones that ought to be heeded by all (Not surprisingly, Prothero compares and contrasts current denial of evolution with that of global warming, and finds obvious parallels with both.).

Every once in a while, a book is written that completely changes how one thinks about life. This book is a MUST for every child or adult who has ever been captivated about dinosaurs and fossils. The Palentological evidence also relates to the current difference of opinion between science and certain fundamentalistic religion.

This book is another "smoking gun", distinctly pointing out how Paleontology complements the evidence of Molecular Biology. The first part of the book is devoted to understanding the issue. Chapter 5 "Systematics and Evolution" is very relevant in understanding the evidence in Part 2 of the book. Plus one gets a really good explanation of the "Flood Geology" perspective and the evidence that does not support that illusion.

The second part of this book is exquisite: One sees the evidence, learning how to do so by the expertise of the author (been there as opposed to just reading about it). The excellent drawings and recommended readings at the end of each chapter just encourages one to learn more.

Another objective of the book is clearly spelled out by explicit examples of how people with a particular fundamental religious agenda would abandon honor and reason, redefine science, to arrive at a predetermined conclusion. In other words, I think the author is really annoyed at the "there-are-no-transitional-fossils" from non-scientists who make big bucks on the talking-head circuit. Cool...those jerks irritate me too.

In summary, I LOVE this book - The climb up the cladistic tree of life is so well done. I want to learn more...

This is, simply, a stunning book. It accomplishes two tasks which, it seems to me, are too seldom done in the same work.

First, the book is a thorough, devastating and decisive critique of creationism. Prothero does not settle for summarizing the creationists' main points and announcing, in broad and general terms, why those points fail. He destroys creationist arguments "root and branch," with patient and careful attention to detail, from flood geology to the history of religion, from misconceptions about the Cambrian explosion to the verbal shell-game of so-called "intelligent design" creationism; the result is a veritable evolutionary deluge, which leaves no creationist argument living.

Second, this is the most thorough and fascinating treatment of the fossil evidence for a wide range of evolutionary transformations I have ever seen in a book addressed to a general readership. The origins of the major phyla; the evolution of birds from dinosaurs; the origin of mammals from non-mammalian ancestors; all of these and more are treated in detail, with many clear and helpful drawings by Carl Buell to guide those of us who are not so adept at understanding anatomical lingo. "Everyone knows" that the fossil record is woefully inadequate to inform us much on these subjects; and what everyone knows is wrong. We all know archaeopteryx, for example, but most popular articles and books which address it fail to mention that archaeopteryx is only one of a whole range of interesting dinosaurian/avian transitional fossils; Prothero treats us to a glimpse of the real richness of the fossil record in this and other areas.

Often, books which address creationism in detail lack deep and detailed treatment of real science; and often, books which deal well with biological issues ignore or give only summary discussion of creationism. This book is well worth reading either for its treatment of creationism or for its treatment of the wonders of the fossil record; and these two go hand in hand because ultimately, of course, the best answer to creationism's negative arguments is the positive evidence for evolution.

Somewhere out there is a creationist who is looking for a good read. Would you like to better understand geology, paleontology and biology, whether it's to "know your enemy" or just to improve your general state of knowledge? Have you heard it said that there are no transitional forms in the fossil record? Would you like to see for yourself? I can think of no better book to read.

Major conclusions of the book include:
1) The fossil record provides very strong evidence for evolution.
2) Transition fossils have been found in abundance.
3) Other forms of evidence, primarily genetic sequence comparisons, but also biogeography and embryology, reinforce the paleontological findings with independent verification.

Prothero starts with an introductory chapter on the scientific method. This is followed with one on creationism, including Intelligent Design creationism, and the unscientific and dishonest methods used by the creationists.

Chapter 3: The process of fossilization, and a discussion of geology as it relates to paleontology and evolution. Prothero takes readers on a tour of the Grand Canyon, heaping stratum after stratum on the woefully unevidenced claims of the young earth creationists. He also discusses isotope dating methods.

Chapter 4 discusses evolution in general, and mentions the various lines of evidence which contribute to scientific acceptance of the theory.

Chapter 5 is about systematics. Prothero explains the bushiness of the "tree of life," and gives an introduction to cladistics, the current leading method for paleontological classification.

Chapters 6 through 15 are all about fossils, fossils, fossils! Prothero starts at the beginning with a brief description of "origin of life" studies, and isotope and microfossil evidence for microbe existence dating back over three billion years.

Chapter 7 is about the Cambrian explosion which is so loved and distorted by creationists. Prothero discusses Precambrian evidence of multicellular organisms, including the Ediacarian and Vendian fossils, the small shellies, the length of the "Cambrian explosion" itself, evolution of forms throughout the Cambrian era, and the relationship between Precambrian and Cambrian forms with modern forms of life.

Chapter 8 moves on to invertebrate fossils, particularly plankton and shellfish fossils which make up such a huge portion of the fossil record, and which show numerous examples of gradual "Darwinian" evolution.

Chapter 9: fish. Chapter 10: the transition from lobe-finned fish to early tetrapods. This includes the 2005 find Tiktaalik, and many other transitional forms. Chapter 11: Amniotes; reptiles. Chapter 12: Dinosaurs, including the evidence for birds having dinosaur ancestry. Recent finds of feathered dinosaurs from China are discussed here.

Chapters 13-15 discuss evolution of mammals. Chapter 13: the rise of early mammals, Chapter 14: radiation of various mammalian lineages, and chapter 15: the ape to human transition.

In chapter 16, Prothero wraps up with some preaching about the evils of creationism.

The book is very up-to-date. Most of the big fossil finds of the last decade are discussed: Tiktaalik, feathered dinosaurs, whale ancestors.

I found the discussion of molecular biology to be a bit weak, but didn't find any serious errors. Prothero mentions the sequence data relevant to classification when it is relevant; For example in the discussion of artiodactyl ancestry of whales. Prothero is a paleontologist though, and the fossils are the highlight of the book. The book contains numerous black and white drawings interspersed in the text, and a series of color plates in the center. In some sections, particularly about the radiation of mammals, Prothero seemed to be going to fast. Large groups of mammals are discussed with a chart and a couple of pages of text each. It would have been nice to see more details of all those various species, but I understand that would have made for a much longer book. As an argument from excess about the huge number of transitional fossils which must be denied by creationists, the book excels. It was great to see various fossil discoveries which I have seen mentioned in the media discussed in their proper context.

I was raised a creationist who is exploring evolution for myself and appreciate Prothero's latest book. I especially like his candor in discussing and exposing the tactics used by the creationists. The entry chapters on the background and history of creationism are excellent. The last chapter, why it matters, should be required reading for everyone examining this issue. It has serious consequences for human life when we distort science to fit our ideology, all in the hope of getting a place in heaven. It is amazing how the creationists have continued this conflict in our country. Evolution in no way denies the existence of God and there is much room to reconceptualize our notions of God when we honor what science has to say about the world in which we live.

I have two small criticisms, and one is really almost a compliment.

First, the more I like a book, the more bothered I am by typos and misspellings. I liked this book quite a lot, so the minor errors really stood out to me. Before another printing, it could really use a copy edit.

Second, in a successful effort to be comprehensive (or at least wide-ranging, if not exhaustive), Prothero was sometimes tediuous. Blame that on my status as a layperson. Seeing more than three Latin names in a paragraph makes my eyes start to glaze over. Again, my fault--Prothero is very much on the right track. But I think a second book is needed, one for people like me, and for people like those taken in by Duane Gish's nonsense. It would be shorter, illustration-rich (which this book is, by the way, very much to its credit), and would focus with much greater intensity on the ten or so most convincing, interesting, or memorable points.

I am grateful indeed to have such a detailed resource to refer to if specific issues are raised, but I think that as a book to give to, say, a creationist friend or relative who has been convinced that the fossil record does not support evolution, it could be overwhelming to many readers.

Or perhaps this is the perfect book to provide someone who has already read Shubin's "Your Inner Fish" or Zimmer's "At the Water's Edge" and wishes to learn more.

This is one of the most delightful nontechnical science books I've ever read. Prothero tackles the science, pseudoscience, and creationist science-mangling of evolution with straightforward, civil, even gracious, and yet deadly aim. And yet, in some sense, that is the least important aspect of the book. For he also presents the background behind the understanding of geologic (aka "deep") time, and the historical discovery and developing understanding of the fossil record, in ways that are technically accurate and yet clear for the general reader. As a geologist, I'm especially pleased with Prothero's attention to invertebrate fossils. Certainly these critters aren't nearly as impressive as dinosaurs or sabertooth cats, but they tell us a great deal about the history of life on earth. They're also the kind of fossil that just about anyone might encounter, either on a day hike or in a local shop. Making the case for evolution using common fossils is an excellent approach.The nontechnical reader will come away with a clear understanding of the basics of evolutionary theory. The photos, sketches, and artist's renderings are also wonderful, especially the inimitable artistry of illustrator Carl Buell. I can't recommend this book enough.

First let me say that I approached this book as a scientist (my specialty is ecology) and a Christian, although I am entirely mainstream in my views of evolution. Consequently, I have in recent years gained quite a bit of firsthand experience debating evolution with some strong ID proponents. Coming from that background, and having spent some time reading some of Dr. Prothero's more technical writing on evolution, I was quite intrigued when I heard about this book. I immediately told my wife that it was at the top of my Christmas gift list. Happily, she humored me, and I have enjoyed learning all sorts of things large and small about paleontology. Dr. Prothero has produced a very readable book that should be a great learning resource for all but the most seasoned expert, yet not scare off the newcomer to this fascinating topic. A big part of his motivation is clearly to counteract the distortions and misleading claims by both old-school creationists and the Intelligent Design movement. I think he succeeds admirably; indeed this was much of the appeal to me, because I have long sought sources that provide explicit rebuttals to the many creationist/ID claims that my gut instinct told me were wrong. For all of you who might have similar yearnings, Dr. Prothero has provided us with a great answer book. In the process, he takes no prisoners in repeatedly (perhaps a bit more often than needed) denouncing the misleading or dishonest claims of the likes of Gish, Morris, Sarfati, Wells, and Davis & Kenyon. Such direct claims are needed in a time when ID proponents try to convince the public that there is some mythical groundswell of dissatisfaction with evolution among the ranks of mainstream scientists.

When reading this book, be prepared to have the author move you into 21st century approaches to science. It took me a while to adjust to Prothero's firm endorsement of cladistic methods of hypothesizing relationships, and the related consequence that most paleontologists and evolutionary biologists no longer seek to reconstruct direct ancestral (linear) relationships. Instead, in part because of the influence of cladistic thinking, the focus is on lateral ancestry. This may not be what some of us want as an immediate rebuttal to some silly "no intermediates" claim for your nearest creationist, but it IS where today's science is concentrating, and in the long run it is better because cladistic approaches are much better at providing testable hypotheses. Once you get comfortable focusing on lateral ancestors, you realize the great weight of evidence for evolution that is provided by the fossil record. I am realizing that perhaps some of us have inadvertently let the opposition dictate the terms of discussion by their relentless -- and vacuous -- claims of "no intermediate fossils". Although a few spectacular examples such as Tiktaalik provide an immediate answer to such foolishness, Prothero illustrates the immense richness of the fossil record as a whole in documenting multiple stages in the "family bush" of numerous animal groups.

Do I have any quibbles? Just a few. The focus is entirely on animals, so budding paleo-botanists will need to look elsewhere. I would have liked the publisher to be more careful in proofreading, since I found quite a few trivial typographical errors. Beyond that, very little to complain about. Overall, this book is unique in my experience, providing as it does up-to-the-minute actual examples from a true leader in the field, which clearly demonstrate the resounding support for mainstream evolution that is provided by paleontology. The anti-evolution bloggers seem to have been rather silent about this book thus far, and I wonder if Prothero has simply provided such a slam-dunk response that they don't know what to say. We can always hope.