The world is changing. Every day we hear alarming reports of shifting temperature regimes, rising sea levels, diminishing glaciers, and dramatically altered species distributions and abundances. Concurrent with these large-scale events are less obvious changes in gene frequencies, some driven by selection and others by genetic drift in diminishing populations. Although doubts about the reality of global warming are waning, the debate over the outcome of genetic change in populations through time is far from over. Most Americans do not accept the fact of evolution in Earth's history, much less understand the mechanisms of evolutionary theory.
David Mindell does understand how evolution operates, as well as the implications of denying its role in comprehending our past, present, and future. In The Evolving World: Evolution in Everyday Life, he applies his expertise to relate the role of evolution to everyday life, an ostensibly difficult task that he skillfully accomplishes by linking evolutionary mechanisms to familiar objects and activities—for instance, by delving into the origin of the components of French toast and eggs Benedict at Sunday brunch, or the family dog, or why flu shots have to be administered every year.
Mindell has made a career of understanding evolution. He is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan and a curator in the university's Museum of Zoology. His research focuses on molecular evolution and the evolutionary history of birds, and he has applied the results of his studies to a wide variety of topics, including conservation biology, coevolution, genome evolution, and methods of phylogenetic inference.
It is Mindell's phylogenetic approach and his understanding of evolutionary processes at multiple scales that make this book so useful and provide the reader with examples that range from the ecosystem to the genome. Although the diagrams of evolutionary relationships are essential to his arguments and serve to quickly acquaint the reader with the players, the relationships and distribution of specific characters are not the final word in his argument. Instead, Mindell discusses both patterns and the processes that are thought to be responsible for them, going beyond evolutionary trees to delve into the historical settings, biogeographical context, and timing of these events in the history of life. It is this depth of exploration that engages the reader, and the diversity of the subjects provides something for anyone interested in biology and other historical questions.
Mindell's presentation on the domestication of plants and animals robustly associates the workings of evolutionary mechanisms with familiar and economically important species, including dogs, horses, chickens, wheat, coffee, and cotton. Again, these examples are not limited to the position of these organisms relative to their feral brethren; the author also explores multiple derivations by different human lineages and the implications of the loss of genetic diversity, as well as other unintended effects of human selection.
In the arena of public health, Mindell provides an evolutionary view of pathogens. Whereas many past treatments have focused on the evolution of pathogen resistance to drugs, Mindell's phylogenetic approach presents the characteristics, biogeographical origin, and evolutionary innovations that have contributed to the virulent nature of these life-forms. In addition, he outlines evolutionary strategies to minimize the success of these pathogens in humans. Emerging applications of artificial selection in biotechnology and medical research are also discussed, once again conveying the power and promise of evolutionary approaches in treating disease and alleviating human suffering.
Although the causal relationship between evolution and biodiversity is obvious, studies of biodiversity have not always taken an evolutionary approach. However, today there is little argument that an evolutionary understanding of biodiversity has more predictive value than estimates of taxon diversity based on traditional alpha taxonomies, and that research in disciplines as disparate as ecology, biogeography, medicine, and conservation biology is more robust when evolutionary relationships are known and taken into account. This is especially important when the research products are used in decisionmaking. Mindell's treatment of evolution and conservation addresses many of these topics, and again reflects the breadth of his research interests as he explores the complex and integrated relationships of genes, species, and ecosystems. He addresses the value of biodiversity in terms of economics as well as human health, but it is his weaving of natural history data into an evolutionary framework that underscores the new significance of these data in contemporary approaches in comparative and integrative biology.
I am always baffled at how some individuals can attack evolution and in the next breath extol the virtues of free-market economies, when both require competition and are responsive to supply and demand for resources. The observation of this similarity is not new, and evolutionary biologists, including Michael Ghislen and Geerat Vermeij, have written on this topic. However, many others are cautious about associating evolutionary principles (even as a metaphor) with changes in human culture and institutions because of the lack of key factors such as heritability. Although he is aware of these issues, Mindell provides convincing examples of the importance of an evolutionary approach in understanding several aspects of human culture.
Examples of evolutionary change in human culture include the historical relationships of our various languages; the origin, use, and extinction of words; and the reconstruction of the history of medieval manuscripts by tracking scribes' transcription errors. All of these have been elucidated before. However, Mindell goes beyond these classic examples and documents competition among clergy, translators, and scholars for the selection of specific wording and arrangements in various versions of the Bible. He also uses cladistic methodologies to reconstruct the history of several of the world's major religions, showing both relatedness and convergence.
It is unlikely that reading this book will lead a creationist or intelligent design advocate to become an evolutionist. Belief systems have built-in feedback loops that prevent this kind of cathartic behavior. Some fence-sitters may find the numerous and well-documented examples of evolution, and the science that underlies them, persuasive; perhaps they will become more inclined to see and understand the world in a less mystical way. However, the major audiences for this book are students and their teachers, especially at the college and university level. Freshman and sophomores in non-major biology courses can gain an understanding of evolutionary principles from the examples of the role of evolution in domestication, while beginning premed students can learn about the role of evolution in public health, and how it continues to shape the diseases they confront and the treatments they will administer in their chosen profession. Both of these audiences also need to understand the role of evolution in biodiversity and ecological interactions as they face unprecedented environmental change that will require them to make informed decisions with their ballots and their pocketbooks.
The incorporation of Mindell's examples and arguments into college and university courses is straightforward and relatively easy. However, their usefulness in teaching evolution below that level is more problematic. If there is a shortcoming here, it is in the strictly college-level presentation of the material and the lack of supplemental material for use in grades 6–12. There is no doubt that middle and high school science and biology teachers will greatly benefit from reading this book, but the demands of their schedules, the lack of resources, and misguided political pressure that requires them to “teach to the test” rather than to educate students will prevent many from incorporating these excellent examples into their curricula. This is unfortunate, as it is at this educational level that the greatest need exists and the most benefit can be achieved in establishing a lifelong appreciation and understanding of science. However, teachers are constantly adapting, and one can hope that the examples in The Evolving World will soon be modified and used by science teachers at all grade levels for the benefit of current and future students and of the evolving world in which we all live.
