Fifth Miracle

TAG: Science, Origin of Life
Rating: 3 / 5 worms

Fifth Miracle, written by Paul Davies, is another of the well written books on origin of life.

It has some very important points discussed, for example, it discusses how it is indeed true that the new species, which develop due to a mutation, are not always better versions of the one they evolve from. This means that mutations are accidental and not a nature’s way to modify the existing species towards the better. The author states various examples to support this idea. Many of the life forms perform their life functions using methods which are clumsy and there are clear scopes of improvement. Yet there has been no mutation in millions of years to bring about any such changes. Man, supposed to be the best, cannot fly or swim, although monkeys can swim and never need a boat to sail across the rivers.

Also, the book describes micro organisms as the possible the first step to life, micro organisms have the capability to live in extremely harsh conditions and surviving in it for several decades at a stretch. They have complex mechanisms to deal with such situations, which even human will envy. In fact human system is much too poor to handle any thing abnormal and gets severely affected very soon.

Paul states much more and elaborate stuff and of course, with much better charm.

Blind Watchmaker

TAG: Science, Evolution of life
Rating: 4 / 5 worms

Richard Dawkins is one of the bests when it comes to writings on origin of life on earth. He is lucid, vivid and focused. He provides both evidence and logic to substantiate his support for the theory.

Origin of life continues to be a subject of contention since hundreds of years.
The book is in defense of the Darwin’s theory of origin. The book also comes with a software which simulates how a minor change magnifies in millions of years to produce entirely separate lineages. The crux of the book is that a minor change which is called mutation happens accidentally and produces most spectacular results, hence, the book is called 'blind' watchmaker. Millions of years of evolution, scale unimaginable for human mind whose life barely stretches few decades, provide fantastic plot for development of something as complex as life in the form we know it today. The idea presented in the book has full ability to put you into trance.

Book also mentions how people find it hard to believe that as a specie, our main aim is to reproduce and carry it forward to which ‘existence of the fittest’ constantly poses a challenge. The book is pure science and is likely to change the way you have been thinking ever since you started thinking.