Explodapedia: Evolution

LoveReading4Kids Says

November 2023 Book of the Month

The third book in this outstanding new series of non-fiction by the renowned neuroscientist turned author, is another eye-opening brilliant read.

The series concept, described as the ‘exploded encyclopedia’ with “everything you need to know about science, one book at a time!”, takes key scientific subjects and presents them in a way that is both entertaining and readable with an attractive pocket-sized format and witty illustrations demonstrating that the series is designed for reading for pleasure.

But what is most important is that each book provides reliable, current, in-depth information which will help readers gain a real and lasting understanding of these crucial subjects. The illustrations too provide clear and informative explanatory diagrams as well as the amusing cartoon asides. I certainly feel that I now fully understand how evolution has worked and continues to work and how everything on earth is connected and has descended from LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor). Evolution builds on what is there and so it has taken four billion years to create us and all other living things on the planet, and we still contain the vestiges of everything we have evolved from. I found the explanation of why we get hiccups being the remnants of our lungfish ancestors particularly fascinating.

But it was final invisible adaptation, making Homo Sapiens the dominant species, that blew my mind. Developing a shared identity and passing on collective intelligence. Basically, a scientific explanation for politics and altruism! We only survived because we learned from each other and to co-operate for the greater good. The book ends with a message of hope for the planet. We are the only creatures that have evolved the ability to decide to change our behaviours and as with evolution, small changes add up!

Brilliantly readable and fascinatingly informative!

Joy Court

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