Before I started reading Shubin's book, I thought it would be a boring interpretation of someone's beliefs and it would just be a book that I would be reading because I have to and it would not be interesting at all. Also it somewhat influenced me to stick to my belief of how everything began in this world, and how life evolved over time. After reading the first chapter, I was proven wrong because it became interesting as I progressed through the first chapter, JUST the first chapter.
At first, I really thought it was almost a basic overview of how Paeleontologists work and what is the study of Paleontology. Shubin also repeatedly states the conditions of where a fossil is can to be found and how it is found, such as how most fossils should be found in sedimentary rock. It was like a repeat of a section from our freshman Biology books or something. Though later on, Shubin discusses the characteristics of the flat fish and the different sub groups and how it all eventually relates to each other. It honestly caught my attention that there is a possibility that life evolved just from a fish.
One thing that pestered my mind as I read was that I was taught from the Bible that God had created everything within six days, and the seventh day he rested. It was almost a constant conflict while I was reading, but I put my beliefs aside just to hear Shubin out and to look over his observations.
He is most definitely onto something.
-Briana Fauni
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I totally agree with you.. It's definitely difficult to separate one's own religious beliefs with what Shubin has to say about "finding our inner fish". But it's pretty fascinating about how there's more to biology than we think there is :)
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