This colourful, well presented book brings together science
from the moment that the universe began, to today. While it
is necessarily a complex topic, readers are urged to skip
over terms they don't immediately understand in order to
get the broad picture, and come back to them as they want
to learn more details. Photos, diagrams and graphs help to
illustrate the data.
JOURNEY TO CIVILIZATION explains that people have always
wondered about the world. Three traditional creation myths
are presented. Science which has given us so many benefits
has constantly sought a better understanding of the
universe, and we can now consider scientific knowledge as a
worldwide language.
From the first moment after the Big Bang as matter exploded
the universe was a very busy place. The first chapter deals
with astrophysics while gases condensed into solid matter
and stars and galaxies formed. As our Solar System turned
from a plate-shaped cloud into a sun and planets, space
debris bombarded it, bringing water as ice comets to the
newly solid Earth.
Bacteria were the first forms of life, containing DNA which
is inside all living cells today. The exact mechanism of
the first DNA production is not yet known, but amino acids
which were previously unknown on Earth, have been found in
meteorites and these precursors to RNA and DNA may be more
common than we yet know. The oldest fossils are 3.5 million
years old. More complex life arose from beneficial changes
- as we produce better crops by selecting better seeds.
First plants, then animals colonised land, giving rise to
the variety of life. Geological events caused mass
extinctions, including the end of the dinosaurs following a
meteor strike which allowed mammals to flourish.
Adaptable and successful, the early human race spread out
across the lands as paleoanthropology shows. Tool making,
meat eating and rapid brain growth were clearly inter-
related. New species of hominids developed, and recent DNA
analysis has shown that people in Europe and Asia share one
to four percent of their DNA with Neanderthal man.
Surviving ice ages and volcanic eruptions, humans first
hunted and gathered, then passed on culture, learnt to
farm, and to build and work metals. City states brought
writing and great achievement, also slavery, war and
rulers. Today's human life is rapidly wiping out other
species, in an ongoing disaster story.
While JOURNEY TO CIVILIZATION bears similarities to 'The
Blind Watchmaker' it makes use of more modern
discoveries. "Good theories in science make predictions
that can be tested," says author Roger P Briggs and he
gives us several examples, from natural selection of moths
to the evolution of complex bacteria. Theories as to
whether the human-caused greenhouse effect will cause
severe problems are coming to be tested; we have to
overcome the challenge of sharing an increasingly
overcrowded Earth with other species. Teenagers with an
interest in the topic could read this book though it is
probably too technical for children. I recommend Roger
Briggs's work to ecology students and anyone with an
existing grasp of the material who wishes to update their
knowledge.
In a surprising turn of events, science has recently made
profound new discoveries about our deep history, making it
possible for the first time to construct a new kind of
creation story. Since about 1990, spectacular advances in
paleoanthropology, molecular genetics, and astrophysics have
answered some of the most fundamental questions about our
origins. A new field of study has now emerged that takes
the search for our origins all the way back to the birth of
the universe nearly 14 billion years ago, and weaves a
fairly continuous account of an unfolding universe that gave
rise to life on our planet and eventually humanity.
Journey to Civilization: The Science of How We Got Here
reveals this new story that is based on the evidence and
skepticism of science. It explores and explains the science
itself, from the physics of stars and the formation of rocky
planets, to the evolution of life and the epic journey of
humans out of Africa to cover the Earth. Journey to
Civilization is written for the non-scientist in clear,
straight-forward language, and is richly illustrated with
diagrams, charts, and beautiful color graphics and
photographs.
There has never before been one creation story that was
shared by all the people of the world. Today, however,
nearly all of humanity shares the methods and products of
science. Science has become a universal language across all
cultures; and thus the new creation story produced by
science is the story of all the people of the world. It is
the common ground upon which we all stand.
Journey to Civilization will change your understanding of
science, and it will change your view of humanity and our
place in the universe.
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