Evolution under the microscope A scientific critique of the theory of evolution by David Swift ISBN 0 9543589 0 2 softback, 156 x 234 mm, xii+423 pp Published December 2002 Price £10

The theory of evolution is the leading explanatory principle of biology. But it is much more than that. Because it relates to our origins it has far wider implications; and this, of course, is why it is still debated well over a century after Darwin. Yet this book is what it claims to be - a critical examination of the science of evolution. The author does not argue from or in defence of what the Bible (or any other religious text) may say on the matter. Neither is it typical 'creation science', for example he accepts that the earth is billions of years old. He also completely agrees with the principle of natural selection, and the possibility that substantial progress, even 'apparent design', could arise through the accumulation (by the operation of natural selection) of a series of advantageous variations. However, David Swift shows convincingly that what we have discovered in the last 50 years of biochemistry presents insurmountable hurdles to the current widely-accepted evolutionary explanation for the complexity of biology at the molecular level.

Bibliographic data

Synopsis

Reviews

David Swift graduated in Natural Sciences from St John's College, Cambridge in 1974 and subsequently obtained an MSc in Water Resources Technology from the University of Birmingham. His research has encompassed many aspects of the hydrological cycle, and he lectures on a range of environmental concerns.