Sudden Origins: Fossils, Genes, and the Emergence of Species

By Jeffrey H. Schwartz

Book Overview

"Fascinating."-Nature Finally a compelling answer to the question that has plagued scientists for centuries . . . "A detailed and informative historical account."-Nature "This is an intriguing and significant work."-Library Journal "A provocative new theory to explain how species arise."-Scientific American "A worthwhile attempt at bridging the new developments in how species may change and the evidence for the patterns of those changes."-American Scientist Darwin may have argued that new species emerge through a slow, gradual accumulation of tiny mutations, but the fossil record reveals a very different scenario-the sudden emergence of whole new species, with no apparent immediate ancestors. In this provocative and timely book, Jeffrey Schwartz presents a groundbreaking and radical new theory that explains exactly how evolution works. Turning to the marvels of genetics, paleontology, embryology, and anatomy, and introducing the recent discovery of an extraordinary type of gene, known as homeobox genes, Schwartz provides an evocative answer to the long-standing question: How do species emerge? Writing with the expert knowledge only an insider can bring, Schwartz tells the intriguing history of the study of evolution, from the initial breakthrough discoveries to the famous Piltdown controversy up through the genetics revolution. Sudden Origins is a monumental book that ties together all the threads of evolutionary theory while providing a compelling answer to one of life's most enduring conundrums. This book is crucial reading for anyone who has ever pondered the mysteries of our evolutionary heritage.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471379123
• ISBN13: 9780471379126
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Hox genes, and the new origin of the species

This is a very important source of information both as to the history of the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis and the recent discoveries of regulatory hox genes and the light they throw on the riddles of speciation and large scale evolutionary change. The realization that major morphological changes do not in fact occur in the fashion of microevolution (as presented by traditional Darwinists), due to the effect of homeobox genes, is...

Fascinating theory, attractively presented

With his Sudden Origins, Jeffrey H. Schwartz can surely claim, in the current cliche, to be "reader-friendly". I am not qualified to judge his research from a professional point of view, but, as a mere interested layman, introduced to this book by a recent Sunday Times Magazine, I can vouch for its attractions to the untutored.The rights and wrongs of Professor Schwartz's thesis only his fellow scholars can assess, but...

Extremely readable account of a complex & intriguing theory

One of the great strengths of this book - a fascinating addition to the literature on evolution - is that it offers a highly readable account of a complex scientific theory and its background, and thereby has appeal both for the expert and the layman (layperson?!) I am certainly no expert in evolution or genetics, but I do find the subject very interesting, and appreciated the clarity of the author's style, and the easy...

Reminds us Evolution & Natural Selection aren't synonyms.

Among professionals and amateurs alike, a majority of modern evolutionists firmly embrace the notion that evolution is "a change in allele frequency in a given population." Even if we included in this "change" the possibility of new alleles (a.k.a. mutations), we are still steered toward a conclusion that all alleles are equally important and necessary in development. It also tends to focus attention to those heritable...

Now I understand evolution!

I'm not a scientist, but I could understand everything - the history of evolution, the debates, and the author's new theory, which explains why there have to be gaps in the fossil record. I even understood the genetics, that there are different kinds of genes, and that the regulatory genes are where's it's at - the origin of species. I've started giving this book as a present, even to my young nieces and nephews. Am...