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EVOLUTION Futuyma, Kirkpatrick 5th ed. OUP hardback 2023 615 pages plus 83 pages index, literature. |
A new evolution textbook for Darwin's birthday 12 Feb 2023.
The publication of a new evolution textbook is a rare event. The textbook displayed above is now the most recent evolution textbook. The previous edition (4th) was also published together with Mark Kirkpatrik in 2017 (5 years ago). It is the longest-running series of Evolution textbooks. Futuyma published his first evolution textbook in 1979. For a visual overview of all evolution textbooks see the homepage of my WDW website. And here on the Introduction page they are listed with short descriptions.
The emphasis of this textbook is on organisms and species. Human evolution gets considerable attention (50 pages). The largest section is about mechanisms: mutation and variation, natural selection, genetic drift. There is a large section devoted to the History of Life (122 pages). I like the presence of a chapter about genome evolution. There is some attention to philosophical issues, and a chapter about Evolution and society. The numerous color illustrations make it a pleasure to browse.
I was mystified and disappointed that there was no illustration of the molecule all life is based upon; the carrier of hereditary information. This molecule and its mechanisms of action are described in as few words as possible. As if this molecule is of minor importance in evolution. However, its discovery was rewarded which a Nobel prize! I am talking about DNA. Portraits of many evolutionary biologists are present, but Watson and Crick are missing. I also found the space devoted to the origin of life minimalistic.
A welcome feature of this edition is that most chapters have a final What We Don't Know section. The message is: evolutionary biologists have not yet solved all evolutionary puzzles. Critics take note!
I will update this first impression either here or on my WDW website.
Does this text use a lot of maths. I’m looking to learn the principles & concepts without getting bogged down with heavy math
ReplyDeleteThank you
Hello, and good morning. Only Chapters 4–7 (=114 pages) explain topics in population genetics (Hardy-Weinberg) with –inevitably– some basic, elementary mathematical formulas, but always illustrated with real-world examples. There are certainly not pages covered with formulas. These chapters demonstrate why evolution is an exact science and not philosophy.
ReplyDeleteIt is the most up-to-date textbook. And it is very complete. The many fascinating illustrations make it a pleasure to browse.
If you are looking for (very) short introductions see:
https://wasdarwinwrong.com/korthof.htm#introductions
I recently discovered a new short introduction, I will add it to the above list: Evolution Step by Step: An Introduction to Evolutionary Biology: From Single Cells to Complex Creatures (including future directions and Extended Evolutionary Synthesis...)
Thank you for detailed response and the effort & dedication you put in
ReplyDeleteI’m enjoying rediscovering biology in my retirement
At the moment, I’m reading Agren’s book Genes eye view of evolution
Hello A. I’m enjoying rediscovering biology and especially evolution in my retirement too!
ReplyDeleteI didn't read Genes eye view of evolution (yet), but I remember that the book was referred to in W. Ford Doolittle (2024) 'Darwinizing Gaia. Natural Selection and Multispecies Community Evolution.'