My reflection and detailed evaluation of Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne demonstrates the significance of biological processes and transmutation of living organisms. The book features the characteristics of evolution that brace wildlife’s existence and tries to champion its ideas to be taught in schools. Jerry A. Coyne demonstrates the significance of theories that explain fossil remains and evolution and their relevance. Additionally, the author demonstrates his personal views on the significance of evolution study and the adaptation process. He tries to explain evolution by providing evidence to support that it is real and not only a theory. Researchers are analyzing flora and fauna life to understand the responses of climatic factors.
The book surprises many people, and its readers do not dispute its ideas but experience it with much curiosity. From the beginning, the author depicts significant features that can be applied in school to enable learners to discover hidden things about evolution. Many people dispute the word evolution. Coyne explains why there should be no dispute about the word evolution. The author presents the evolution concept deeply throughout his book. After covering Coyne’s book, I was confident that evolution is real, unlike the creation theory. The chapters in the book are very interesting despite the book being biological. Coyne tries to convince his readers to trust his evolution book. However, claiming that the book is perfectly written is an overstatement; therefore, there is a need to critique the author’s claims in his work.
What Is Evolution?
In the first chapter, Coyne discusses his opinions on evolution. The author’s stance is clear and highly persuasive in the initial pages. He uses science and facts to explain evolution throughout his book. The chapter explains humans’ origin, identity, and destiny. Coyne properly introduces his unique opinions on evolution by summarizing Charles Darwin’s theory. He supports Darwin’s theory of evolution that science is the bedrock of animal existence and life.
Coyne covers the basics and concepts of evolution by shedding light on the misconception of biological processes. According to the author, most aspiring scientists have misunderstood theories. Although a neonatologist, Coyne illustrates the challenges faced by paleontologists in their search for fossils. He laid a strong foundation by showing the threats and strengths of the available records (Christopher, 2020). The first chapter displays scientists ‘efforts to obtain evidence to validate evolution as a probable origin of living organisms, including humanity. In my opinion, the Why Evolution Is True is one of the books that articulately explains the concept of evolution though it has its limitations.
Written on the Rock
The book’s second chapter stresses the most recent instances of certain species’ origin, such as whales, tetrapods, and dinosaurs. Coyne shows the significance of fossils in discovering the real trajectory of evolution as explained in different theories. Most sources used to teach universities and colleges are outdated and provide inaccurate information. Updated and new books should be used to teach in schools as students have evolved with time. In his book, Coyne criticizes some of the old evolutionary sources and stresses gradualism which such paleontologists disputed.
Despite Coyne being a neonatologist, he shows the challenges paleontologists encounter as they explore the fossils, their limitations, and their strengths concerning humans, among other living organisms. Since there are inaccurate fossil records in most institution libraries and public achieves, having paleontology at the speed of evolutional science is a great achievement. It shows scientists’ efforts to find relevant evidence to support evolution. However, the claim in this chapter is invalid since the fossil evidence that is the foundation of evolution theory exhibits abrupt appearances and disappears from the paleontological evidence, creating a gap between transitional fossils. Furthermore, the entire pattern of fossils fails to follow a clear transition path of the nature of experimental evolution. The process in which fossils are structured requires a certain situation. Due to external factors like scavengers’ interference, all animal remains are not in their original form.
Remnants (Embryo, Bad Design, and Vestiges)
The third chapter of Why Evolution is True describes the means of lousy design and vestigial organs, which is an excellent solution to the uniformed design argument. The strong debate concerning evolution theory is one of the instances of poorly designed characteristics. Coyne is valid as he has covered several classics and less popular examples ranging from limbs, hips, and tails, among other characteristics of all living organisms that are poorly designed. The author highlights the nature of dead genes of many DNA species, such as humans and whales.
Vestiges are the nature of living organism adaptation founded on ancestors of some species such as ostrich but have lost their significance. Currently, dead genes that were most significant are no longer needed again. On the other hand, activism occurs in some species with inconsistencies similar to the reappearance of features of ancestors (Coyne, 2019). For instance, humans can appear to have an abnormal tail, and a horse can be born with extra toes, unlike other species.
However, Coyne’s argument in this chapter seems off. Suppose Coyne claims that animals, among other living organisms, emanated from fossils, then why is the vestigial structure that he supports not developing and growing, yet human beings age with time? If Coyne’s claim is true, people would be developing their vestigial structure as they age. One of Coyne’s strange findings is the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, which he claims took a prolonged period and was stretched far away from the aorta and back to reality.
The Geography of Life
This chapter focuses on the immense evidence from biographies and species’ special patterns on land, island, and seas. The author explains a strange path of recurrent nerves that take an extended and unneeded approach just because it was fixed to a gill during the development stage in the embryo. Evolution describes flora and Fiona’s origin and contribution to their habitats (Coyne, 2019). Currently. It is still a mystery why various types of animals with similar forms in different geographical locations.
Evolution theory describes the rationale behind species in a common habitat undergoing a similar natural selection as their environment. Both Coyne’s and Charles Darwin’s arguments provide strong evidence for evolution as an excellent model of man’s origin. However, Coyne and Darwin fail to elaborate practically on how sex drives evolution. The two theorists have a settlement that sexual endeavors are associated with evolution. Therefore, human origin is not associated with fossils as the two theorists claim but with biological evolution. The lack of such critical information weakens their theories and raises the question of their validity. It is also hard to confirm evolution theory since it is not practical.
The Engine of Evolution
The fifth chapter covers the neontological debates about DNA and genes that scientists in our modern history have championed. Coyne’s passion is seen in his acknowledgment of his career. He excellently shows how sex is a critical determinant in evolution. The author updates Darwin’s sex selection theory by implying gene and speciation mutability of species. The author claim that natural selection is imposed on a certain group of species rather than from the inside as he strives to explain how genes improve for proper adaptation over a long period.
Living organisms’ natural adaptation to their natural habitat is unavoidable if the microorganisms are provided with the right genetic variation and adaptation (Christopher, 2020). Heritability, variability, and mutation are the main types of transformation by selection. Additionally, the imbalance in genes should affect the probability of reproducing. Evolution through biological and natural selection of species combines lawfulness and indifference (Christopher, 2020). The repercussion of certain mutations is variation in either bad or good genes (Coyne, 2019). Coyne disputes that a great population believes that evolution happened by chance or accident. Like Charles Darwin, Coyne believes that evolution did not happen by accident. Mutation by accident results in varying natural adaptations and variations between species. This chapter lacks sufficient evidence to support the primary argument that it is promoting. However, Coyne’s book is an excellent book that strives to explain evolution as the origin of the human race.
How Sex Powers Evolution
In this chapter, the author focuses on how sex powers evolution. There are two forms of sexual drives; the normal completion between females and males to mate and the manner females choose which male to mate with among different males in the population. In both sexual drives, males compete for females. Females are critical in powering evolution, unlike males who woo the opposite sex, while females choose whom to mate with.
In chapter six of the book, the author describes sexual selection as a mystery in evolution. Many people fail to explain why only two sexes exist and not more. It is also a mystery why the two sexes, females and males, do not have the same number of gametes (Coyne, 2019). Ironically, only one cell of sperm mates fertilizes the female despite being produced in millions. Currently, the most popular description of sexual drive is the best genes. Most evolutionists such as Darwin favor the traditional belief that sexual drive is encouraged by the best gene, which explains how females discriminate against a certain group of males. In animals, sexual dimorphisms are founded on sensory models driven by sensory bias in the nervous system in females.
Contrary to Coyne’s argument in this chapter, I believe that the chemical origin of human life is the greatest mystery. However, I agree that life’s chemical origin still faces many drawbacks and challenges. The lack of enough evidence to describe how primordial can result in the origination of many lives is the most common deficit of chemical evolution. It is impossible for the information required to create energy can be from chemical reactions. If that were the case, today’s people could be immortal because the necessary knowledge to create life was available.
The Origin of Species
In this chapter, the author reassures readers that every living organism is a gem of evolution adaptation, contrary to contemporary scientists’ efforts to clone new species through genetic engineering. He clearly describes how species split into various kinds of species. New characteristics that emerged from the first certain species are necessary to comprehend biodiversity. Coyne acknowledges that some species resemble others of different groups but similar families. A good instance is a tiger that is grouped in the cat family.
The author also describes that species vary, which results in the designation of animals and plants as an inconsistent task. The difference between species results from interbreeding (Christopher, 2020). This distinction is proof that animals and plants are evolutionary. It also implies that species are the smallest unit of the evolutionary group. The professor hypothesizes that these shortcomings result from sexual adaptation because geographical isolation leads to certain groups evolving differently.
The major drawback to this chapter is the complexity of its cell rationalization. Paleontologists and scientists such as Coyne claim that evolution must have happened because its form is less complex than in the Stone Age period. However, this claim is beyond my comprehension of human origin. Being aware that life has been in existence for billions of years, the argument that humans evolved from apes fails to make sense to me.
What about Us?
In chapter eight of his book, Coyne describes that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors. The arrays of Coyne’s list of fossils suggest that humans developed with time. Credible proof indicates divergence from African apes over six million years ago. As listed by the author, the bone structure depicts inconsistency since humans evolved gradually. Coyne further highlights the evolutionary changes of humans depending on climatic changes witnessed in Africa. The author believes that these environmental differences were essential to how humans evolved.
The author has tried to describe why the reader should not be distracted by these mysteries from the absolute truth of evolution. Apes and human families are similar as long as their genes are ordered. Coyne further describes apes’ and humans’ genes (Coyne, 2019). Humans have different characteristics because they have different traits of mutation. Human remembrance of apes’ ancestors can be attributed to the gradual evolvement of humans due to genetic change. Many biologists believe that the different physical appearances can be attributed to variations in existence. Some humans can evolve faster than others due to variations in climatic zones.
In this chapter, the evolution of humans is believed to have occurred in more sense than Coyne’s argument. Humans claim that they originated from their ancestors who existed before them. Humans cannot have evolved from apes despite their resemblance. If Coyne’s notion that humans evolved from apes were true, modern apes would be evolving into humans, as speculated by Coyne. There is no valid evidence to support Coyne’s argument that humans evolved from apes.
Evolution Redux
In his ninth and final chapter, Coyne describes the unknown philosophical rationality behind evolution in contemporary evolutionary psychology. He clearly explains evolution evidence to convince the users of his book humbly. Thousands of experiments are conducted annually to confirm the facts of evolution theory. The author argues his opinions professionally and avoids engaging his reader in pointless debates on creation theory.
Each gene molecule or remains found confirms that every living organism evolved from its ancestors (Christopher, 2020). The professor identifies several findings and observations supporting evolution as real and natural. People must be convinced that the evolution concept is real before agreeing. Furthermore, people fail to believe the evolution theory because it raises many doubts. People get mental and emotional problems in getting proof that humans came from apes making it very hard for evolution theory to be embraced as universal truth. Coyne has strived to describe that science is the truest way to understand nature.
Another drawback of this chapter is Coyne’s failure to engage the theory of creation or consider its argument. Instead, Coyne gently convinces his readers through a concise and clear explanation and description of the available evidence supporting evolution. The fact that jerry decides to disregard the argument of other scientists and only values his argument causes an information gap. Researchers must compare various scientists’ arguments to achieve a strong and valid conclusion.
References
Christopher, M. (2020). Human populations, genetic variation, and evolution. Journal of Human Evolution, 3(1), 72. Web.
Coyne, J.A. (2019). Why evolution is true. Evolution Theory.
Wichler, G. (2018). How Darwin arrived at the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin, 84-86. Web.