|
Evolution, says Dr. Blum, did not begin with the formation of
the first life, nor was the origin of life a precise event. From the beginning
of the universe, physical and chemical laws have inexorably channeled the course
of evolution, so that possibilities were already limited during the time when
the first life emerged. In a keen argument that will cause vigorous discussion
among evolutionists, Dr. Blum uses 'time's arrow,' the second law of thermodynamics,
as a key concept to show how the nature and evolution of the nonliving world place
limits upon the nature and evolution of life. Written in a lucid style, the book
is self-contained and amply illustrated so that it can be understood by the serious
lay reader interested in a new approach to the central problem of evolution.
Sir Arthur Eddington gave the name "time's arrow"
to the second law of thermodynamics because it is the great physical law that
points the direction of events in time; Dr. Blum shows how time's arrow has pointed
the direction of evolutionary events since the creation of the universe -- through
the formation of the earth, into the period when conditions favored the appearance
of life, and beyond the first life into the evolution of diverse living organisms.
Dr. Blum, best known for his work in photobiology, is a member
of the National Cancer Institute and a visiting lecturer at Princeton University.
|
