I just received my copy of a book by Arlin Stoltzfus on mutation. I haven't finished reading it but I thought Sandwalk readers should know about it so they can order their own copy.
This is not light reading since the topics are complicated and there's a lot of misinformation about evolutionary theory floating around. In order to make his points, Arlin has to explain what's wrong with orthodox thinking and why it needs to change and this isn't an easy task. But it's worth the effort ... buy this book!
Here's a short synopsis from page 13.
The following represents a brief guide to the book, which has three parts that correspond roughly to the three combinations of terms.
- mutation and randomness—how does the biological process of mutation seem random, or not?
- randomness and evolution—what role does the concept of "random variation" play in evolutionary thinking?
- mutation and evolution—what is the role of mutation in evolution, and particularly, the role of mutational tendencies?
