Review by Choice Review
The study of human evolution can focus on the fossil record, anthropological and cultural evidence, or molecular and genomic evidence. Finlay (Univ. of Auckland, NZ) has chosen genomic evidence, particularity evidence accumulated over the past decade on the degree to which human genomes resemble those of other animals and the astonishing extent to which our genome is a mix of genes from multiple sources, not simply a direct inheritance from our primate ancestors. Retroviruses, transposable elements that modify gene activity, mutations that enable or disable gene function, and the origin of new genes by duplication and acquisition of new functions are all treated in depth using a multitude of examples from human health and disease. Such genetic information can be daunting in its complexity, but the book's clear writing and the many excellent figures enhance comprehension. The phylogenies of the subtitle are gene-based. The organization of the text and the index makes finding information on other primates or indeed other species difficult. Finlay has written and lectured extensively on "Homo divinus" and how chance in evolution serves God's purpose. Although this book contains "minimal theological reflection," the subtext can be discerned. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. B. K. Hall emeritus, Dalhousie University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
