Description

pp. 172, “Filled with absorbing, at times alarming, stories about the world of bees and orchids, ‘designed’ eyes and human ancestors, ‘River Out of Eden’ answers tantalizing questions: Why are forest trees tall – wouldn’t each survive more economically if all were short? Why is the sex ration fifty-fifty when relatively few males are needed to impregnate many females? Why do we inherit genes for fatal illnesses? But the engaging, personal, frequently provocative narrative that carries us along ‘River out of Eden’ has a larger purpose: the book illustrates the nature of scientific reasoning, exposing the difficulties scientists face in explaining life. We learn that our assumptions, intuitions, origin myths, and trendy intellectual and cultural ‘isms’ all too often lead us astray.”