Human Evolution: Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies
"When people think of evolution they usually imagine bones and fossils, though these gross changes are accompanied by cumulative changes in the genomes of different species. In this book Dr Finlay takes several examples to illustrate our evolutionary tree at the molecular and genomic level. Step by step he provides a wealth of cumulative evidence that demonstrates how our genomes are related to other primates and to our more distant biological relatives. The evidence is compelling and shows the elegant ways in which we are connected to the rest of biology. Nonetheless we are more than just intelligent apes, and Dr Finlay is careful to emphasise that our genomes are only part of the story of what it means to be human and that we have also been shaped by historical, cultural and religious factors that may not affect our physiology and anatomy but define us a human beings."Keith R. Fox, University of Southampton"Graeme Finlay has written a remarkable book outlining some of the most powerful evidence for human evolution-our own genes. Many people today have heard scientists say that evolution is a fact and that the evidence for evolution is overwhelming. Finlay demonstrates without any doubt whatsoever why this is the case. He has a wide grasp of the primary scientific literature and offers general readers an accessible introduction to the complexities of modern genetics. He deals with the fundamental topics of retroviruses, jumping genes, pseudogenes, and the origin of new genes during evolution. This is a book that specialists in the sciences will also value. Finlay is fully aware of the challenges that human evolution presents to religious people. With sensitivity, he encourages them not to fear the evolutionary evidence, but to embrace it all its splendor and wondrous glory. For me, reading Finlay's book was a spiritual experience. I highly recommend this book."Denis O. Lamoureux, St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta