AP Bio Book Report

Book Write Up The novel Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin, shows profound knowledge of evolution in the origins of the humans. Shubin writes enthusiastic chapters that specify major organs of general life on earth, ranging from aquatic life like sharks to terrestrial animals such as mice. Shubin skillfully explains complex connections to us humans to other present animals with evidence, in fossils, that show evolution throughout millions, even billions of years. How did we inherit all those essential organs we posses today? Shubin states that “we were not designed rationally, but are products of a convoluted history.” (pg.186) Even though our origins is a “convoluted” history, we still managed to trace parts of where and how some of are organs arose from. In simple terms, Shubin almost says that evolution is random. Natural selection acts may occur randomly but only for the sake of genetic variation, but natural selection itself is not random nor is evolution. Organs arose, not randomly, but to outdo competing species in the “survival of the fittest” an almost never ending fight of who’s the superior species. The word “convoluted” is defined as extremely complex and hard to follow. Shubin uses this word to describe the history of our origins, for example, Shubin says that “no sane paleontologist would ever claim that he or she had discovered ‘The Ancestor.’”(pg.180) Finding “the ancestor” would be almost impossible since humans have undergone millions of years of evolution from ancient life on earth, especially since we’re distantly related to different animals, (such as fish) if our family tree was to be traced that far back. Many connections in animals can be found, such as patterns bone structures resembling other bone structures in a completely different animal, the connections are there you just need the patience to look for them. For example, Shubin states “Ears might seem an unlikely place for a human-shark connection, especially since sharks