Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Chapter 1: Finding Your Inner Fish

Before even opening the book, I was already judging it by its cover. Just like the previous blog-posters, I had the feeling that the novel would be one of those scientific non-fiction novels that drive you literally insane, but thankfully, it did not turn out to be as expected.

First of all, I was taken by surprise at the connections between the anatomy of humans and those of fish and other creatures, especially the comparisons between the features of Tiktaalik and humans, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. It is interesting how fossil discoveries are able to lead us to such conclusions. Although such findings do not affect my belief in Creationism, they seem to be somewhat credible with the evidence found.

Before reading chapter 1, I also didn't think hunting for fossils would require as much time and effort, but I realized afterwards how success was possible after several failures. For the paleontologists to endure harsh conditions for a fossil was simply foolish, but now, I find it worthwhile because every finding can help us to uncover the secret of the origins of human life. Therefore, I was glad they were able to discover Tiktaalik eventually.

Looking at the chapter overall, it helped me to question Shubin's findings. Although they seem to have validity, no one knows for sure the record of our past, and it helped me to reflect on the reading and to understand what it means to be human. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next chapter :)

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