The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligence In Biological Systems

Cover
Flaps
Acclaim
About the Cover
Dedication
Contents
Foreword by William S. Harris
Preface by Jon A. Buell
The Meanings of "Evolution"
1 Human Origins
	William James Sidis
	Is Intelligent Design Scientific?
	Our Fossil Ancestors?
	The 98% Chimpanzee?
	The Benefits of Bigger Brains
	The Benefits of Smaller Brains
	Language and Intelligence
	Morality, Altruism and Goodness
	Modified Monkey or Modified Dirt?
	Discussion Questions
2 Genetics and Macroevolution
	Darwin's Theory
	Mendel on Inheritance
	Genetic Diversity
	The Molecular Basis for Genes and Evolution
	The Adaptational Package
	How Manu Genes Must Change?
	"Evo-Devo"
	Discussion Questions
3 The Fossil Record
	Reading the Fossil Record
	The "Gravest Objection" to Darwin's Theory
	Major Features of the Fossil Record
	Imperfect Record
	Insufficient Search
	Punctuated Equilibrium
	Gould's Final Capitulation to Darwin
	Abrupt Emergence
	Using Fossil's to Trace Evolutionary Lineages
	Whale Evolution
	Abusing Fossils to Trace Evolutionary Lineages
	Discussion Questions
4 The Origin of Species
	Evolution's Smoking Gun
	Species as Reproductively Isolated Populations
	Alleged Instances of Observed Speciation
	Microevolution, Macroevolution and Evo-Devo
	Speciation and Intelligent Design
	Discussion Questions
5 Similar Features
	Classification and Interpretation
	Analogy and Homology
	The Puzzling Pandas
	Darwinism's Redefination of Homology
	Molecular Phylogeny
	How Accurate is the Molecular Clock?
	Vestiagiality: The Best Evidence for Evolution?
	Recapitulation
	Common Design, Common Ancestry or Both?
	Discussion Questions
6 Irreducible Complexity
	Molecular Machines
	Michael Behe's Dangerous Idea
	The Bacterial Flagellum
	Coevolution and Co-option
	The Argument from Irreducible Complexity
	Working with Available Evidence
	Discussion Questions
7 Specified Complexity
	The Mark of Intelligence
	The Key Moment in the Movie Contact
	Defining Specified Complexity
	Real-Life SETI
	The Reach of Chance
	Climbing Mount Improbable without Design?
	Monkeys Typing Shakespeare
	Natural Selection at the Monkey's Shoulder
	The Appearance of Design
	Hurdles Evolution Must Overcome
	The Origination of Inequality
	Keeping Darwin's Theory Honest
	Not Too Complex, Not Too Simple, Just Right
	Variation and Selection Out of Sync
	Discussion Questions
8 The Origin of Life
	What Needs to be Explained?
	The Cell as an Automated City
	The Origins of Life, Second Genesis and Astrobiology
	Oparin's Hypothesis
	The Miller-Urey Experiment
	Primitive Undersea Simulation Experiments
	Problem's with Oparin's Assumptions
	The Proteinoid World
	The RNA World
	Self-Organizing Worlds
	Emergence: The New Alchemy?
	Molecular Darwinism
	The Medium and the Message
	The God of the Gaps
	A Reasonable Hypothesis
	Fallacies of Composition and Division
	Discussion Questions
9 Epilogue: The "Inherit the Wind" Stereotype
	Hollywood's Version of the Scopes "Monkey Trial"
	The Actual Scopes Trial
	The Importance of Keeping Science Honest
	The Santorum Amendment
	Postscript: Kitzmiller V. Dover
Endnotes
	Preface
	1 Human Origins
	2 Genetics and Microevolution
	3 The Fossil Record
	4 The Origin of Species
	5 Similar Features
	6 Irreducible Complexity
	7 Specified Complexity
	8 The Origin of Life
	9 Epilogue: The "Inherit the Wind" Stereotype
Glossary
Index
About the Authors
Credits
General Notes
	1 Human Origins
	2 Genetics and Macroevolution
	3 The Fossil Record
	4 The Origin of Species
	5 Similar Features
	6 Irreducible Complexity
	7 Specified Complexity
	8 The Origin of Life