The Evolution of Life

Using Neil Shubin's latest work, "Some Assembly Required, Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA", we will explore the evidence for how life evolved from bacteria, virus and cells to humans over 4 Billion years. It seems that life evolved not by the creation of new parts, but the repurposing of what already existed within living beings. An important part of the study/discussion should be the implications of this assertion. Shubin uses paleontological and genetic evidence to make his case, in a very readable work, that the repurposing and jumping of genes and the domestication of invading viruses have played a significant role in evolution. In the process he relates the fascinating tales of those scientists (most of whom you never heard of) who made the significant breakthroughs to provide the evidence for his thesis. The course should be an eye-opener for all. We will follow the eight chapters of the book as we probe the story of how we have been assembled.Chaptes deal with misconceptions of how evolution works and what is really happening to cause organisms to evolve. The pivotal working insights of many scientist are highlighted to illustrate how the scientific method has led to confirmation of a better understanding of evolution.