Book Review: The Making of the Fittest

Author:	Sean B. Carroll	Rating:	***** (3)
Date read:	March, 2010
Evolution vs. Creation Book:	3

This book is about the interplay between genetics and evolutionary biology. I think it is a very important topic, and an excellent presentation of the topic, in the study of evolution. As I expected, much of the science presented in the book deals with microevolution. The function of DNA and the science of genetics is something I was not at all familiar with prior to reading this book. Also, I knew that proponents of evolution cited DNA and genetics as indisputable proof, but I had no idea what constituted such proof. So the book was very informative, and mostly interesting, even fascinating in parts.

I appreciated the explanations of gene duplication and insertion as a result of mutations, something of which many creationists are apparently unaware. Also, the description of what the author calls “fossil genes,” which are sometimes called “pseudogenes,” was new information for me, and very interesting. One of the parts of the book that I did not really buy into was the so-called Evo-Devo science, which uses embryology as explanation of and evidence for complex organisms evolving from simple organisms or single cells. The embryology itself is fascinating, but I saw no evidence that it parallels evolutionary development of species.

The description of the different types of eyes, the genes involved in eye structures, and the hypothetical evolution of all animal eyes from a distant, unknown ancestor was interesting, especially in that some parts of the DNA act as controllers of the actions or effects of other genes, rather than directly on physiology. Fascinating, and it illustrates that there is much complexity in DNA which we have yet to fathom.

One mistake the author made, in his attempt to convince me of the unreasonableness of evolution deniers, was to compare them to people who are against mass vaccination. There happens to be a large body of evidence indicating that vaccines, and in particular mass vaccinations, are doing more harm than good, especially when viewed from the perspective of the evolution of the human species. Many, many respected scientists and medical professionals oppose vaccinations. Interestingly, the author calls for opponents of vaccinations to produce double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. This is exactly what many of these scientists have been clamoring for, for the past several decades. In fact, virtually no double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have ever been performed to test the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The author deals specifically with chiropractors who are anti-vaccine, some for ideological reasons. I have no particular wish to defend the premises of chiropractic, but the author dismisses the whole practice as quackery, which is as narrow-minded and dogmatic as fundamentalist Christians denying evolution with no research into the supporting science. The author showing himself to be so dogmatic and narrow-minded does not make me likely to believe that his arguments in the rest of the book are completely objective.

Another thing that has bothered me, and continues to bother me after reading this book, is the implication that modern advances in life sciences (such as agriculture and medicine, maybe?) somehow would cease to exist without, or could never have happened without, or in some other way are derived from scientific discoveries of how evolution works. This statement is made, in so many words, near the end of the book, with no indications of why this is true. I tend to believe it is not true. I can understand the progress in the science of genetics has also led to greater understanding of evolution. There may actually be some advantages to human civilization and life that come from these advances in genetic science, but I’m not aware of it. Gene-based medicines overall have been a flop, and GMO crops are one of many profit-based trends that threaten to destroy the ecology of our planet. So where are the great scientific benefits that have come from our “understanding” of evolution? If you take out the part of biology that is actually focused directly on evolution, what breakthroughs in the rest of biology have resulted from that knowledge of evolution?

The last chapter of the book contains an description of the problems of over-fishing and pollution, and warns that we are headed for disaster. I’ve seen this in other places, and fully believe it. It is one of many areas in which we humans are actively working to destroy ourselves. There is an implication that the decisions being made in this area, obviously bad decisions considering the long-term implications, are somehow related to a disbelief in evolution. That is definitely a stretch.