Carlo

I knew about this book from Trevor's review some time ago. I saw it in the Bibliography of some of Dawkins' books and it that of Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne which I recently read, and I got interested to read it very soon. It is truly a remarkable work. If not for anything, just because it shows how evolution can be very helpful in making advances in Medicine. Neil Shubin, who is very well versed in Comparative Anatomy, shows how certain parts of our body can only be understood in light of our evolutionary history. It changed how I see myself and Homo Sapiens in great degree. If you want to understand what scientists mean when they say the literally true and beautiful statement "we are all of the same family", then you really need to read this book.

One thing I didn't like was that Shubin wasn't consistent in the level of details of his topics. Sometimes, when I wanted to know more about a thing like Embryology, he stopped short and picked up a different topic. He also begins the chapters by telling a personal anecdotal about how he and his colleagues found certain fossils (like the famous Tiktaalik) which was kinda boring for me. But apart from these passages, it was a joy to read. Especially the chapter before the Epilogue called The Meaning of it All. To know how much of our bodies is shared with Sharks, Flies and Tadpoles is truly breathtaking. To know the answers questions such as why we have hiccups, or why the male testes travel to the scrotum, or why we like fatty food is truly mind blowing. It was indeed a remarkable book which I will absolutely recommend to Evolution enthusiasts.