The Discover Magazine blog Bad Astronomy has reviewed WEIT in its latest posting. Some kind words:
As an astronomer, my familiarity with the details of biological evolution are about on par with that of an interested layman (though being trained scientifically helps with that understanding, adding insight to the process of the scientific endeavor). I’m familiar with the concepts of descent with modification, genetic mutations, natural pressures for adaptations, and the like. I’m less familiar with other aspects, like allele frequencies, how specifically pressures can change adaptations, and what transitional fossils are in the record, but I can probably hold my own against your run-of-the-mill creationist.That’s why I loved the book Why Evolution is True by biologist Jerry Coyne. This is a clear, easy-to-understand work that shows you — with no compromising and no backing down — that evolution has occurred, the evidence is overwhelming, and that no other explanation for what we see around us makes sense. . . .
Creationists love to try to pick apart evolution, looking at minor details in isolation and saying it doesn’t make sense. But they’re wrong: evolution is a beautiful tapestry, a complex fabric of countless threads woven together into a grand picture of life on Earth. And it all holds together.I strongly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in evolution, or the manufactured controversy of creationism. Coyne’s work is complete and convincing, slamming the door firmly closed on young-Earth creationism. If you have to deal with creationists in your life, this book is something you should keep very handy.
Some interesting discussion in the comments, of which there are surprisingly many. The Discover blogs must get a good readership!
Reading through the first hundred or so of the comments over there shows that the knuckheads trot out the same old bogus arguments that your book (as well as other sources) have demolished.
The ignorant, unfortunetly, multiply.
More than Discover blogs in general having an active readership, it’s this particular blogger. Phil’s site was one of the bigger, better-trafficked skeptical/scientific blogs around for a long time, he only recently moved it over to Discover in a ScienceBlogs/Borg type of assimilation. For a while he rivaled PZ Meyers in terms of attention and traffic, though in the last couple of years Pharyngula’s leapt way out ahead.
Phil’s still the man, though, he’s got a fun site, that’s very informative, and an active engaged readership.
I loved the book. And I was actually just thinking, this book should be on the iPhone AppStore. I was actually looking through the AppStore and it is full of woo-woo. The best we have on our side are books from 150 years ago or more. I know your book is on Kindle, but I think we need to do a better job at getting this book everywhere it can be, including the very popular app store.
Thanks for the link love. I was very, very impressed with your book, and now I have your blog my the feed reader. I also enjoyed your interview of Point of Inquiry!