Evolution 2.0: Breaking the Deadlock Between Darwin and Design

by Perry Marshall

Overview

In the ongoing debate about evolution, science and faith face off. But the truth is both sides are right and wrong.

In one corner: Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Jerry Coyne. They insist evolution happens by blind random accident. Their devout adherence to Neo-Darwinism omits the latest science, glossing over crucial questions and fascinating details.

In the other corner: Intelligent Design advocates like William Dembski, Stephen Meyer, and Michael Behe. Many defy scientific consensus, maintaining that evolution is a fraud and rejecting common ancestry outright.

There is a third way. Evolution 2.0 proves that, while evolution is not a hoax, neither is it random nor accidental. Changes are targeted, adaptive, and aware. You'll discover:

• How organisms re-engineer their genetic destiny in real time
• Amazing systems living things use to re-design themselves
• Every cell is armed with machinery for editing its own DNA
• The five amazing tools organisms use to alter their genetics
• 70 years of scientific discoveries—of which the public has heard virtually nothing!

Perry Marshall approached evolution with skepticism for religious reasons. As an engineer, he rejected the concept of organisms randomly evolving. But an epiphany—that DNA is code, much like data in our digital age—sparked a 10-year journey of in-depth research into more than 70 years of under-reported evolutionary science. This led to a new understanding of evolution—an evolution 2.0 that not only furthers technology and medicine, but fuels our sense of wonder at life itself.

This book will open your eyes and transform your thinking about evolution and God. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for our place in the universe. You'll see the world around you as you've never seen it before. 

Evolution 2.0 pinpoints the central mystery of biology, offering a multimillion dollar technology prize at naturalcode.org to the first person who can solve it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781940363806
Publisher:	BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Perry Marshall is an author, speaker, engineer, and world-renowned business consultant in Chicago. With a decade of research, he brings a fresh perspective to the 150-year-old evolution debate. Bill Gates of Microsoft and the founders of Google revolutionized software and the Internet through their status as outsiders. Similarly, this book harnesses a communication engineer's outsider's perspective to reveal a century of unrecognized research and discoveries. Evolution 2.0 resolves the conflict between Darwin and Design, opening new avenues of science research and raising tantalizing new questions.

Perry's work in digital communications, control systems, acoustics, and e-commerce bring practical insight to questions about nature and science. His books include 80/20 Sales and Marketing, Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, and Industrial Ethernet. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering. He's consulted in over 300 industries, from computer hardware and software to health care and finance.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Young Earth Creationist and His Curious Daughter xvii

The Road to Code xxi

Part I Evolving My Religion

Chapter 1 "Bro, I'm Losing My Religion" 3

Chapter 2 Evolution: Truth or Fiction? 13

Chapter 3 Confessions of a Science Geek 21

Part II The Neo-Darwinist Dilemma

Chapter 4 Pity the Fruit Fly: Testing Randomness 27

Chapter 5 Eureka! Information Theory! 35

Chapter 6 Russian Dolls: How Information Stacks Up 40

Chapter 7 Why the Genetic Code Is a Code, Not Merely Like a Code 50

Chapter 8 Code First, Evolution Second 59

Chapter 9 Let's Make Some Noise About Noise: Dispelling Random Mutations Once and for All 64

Chapter 10 How Do We Fix Evolution? 73

Part III How Evolution Really Works

Chapter 11 Blade #1: Transposition-The 70-Year-Old Nobel Prize-Winning Discovery Nobody Talks About 79

Chapter 12 Blade #2: Horizontal Gene Transfer-The Generous Gene 93

Chapter 13 How Smart Is a Cell, Really? 102

Chapter 14 Blade #3: Epigenetics-How Parents Pass Learned Traits to Their Kids 114

Chapter 15 Blade #4: Symbiogenesis-Evolution as Cooperation 121

Chapter 16 Blade #5: Genome Duplication-Evolution at Lightning Speed 132

Chapter 17 Why Is Neither Side Telling You the Whole Story? 149

Part IV Evolution 2.0 and the Language of Cells

Chapter 18 Curious George and the Blog Spam Theory of Evolution 155

Chapter 19 Fluent in "Cellese"-DNA Is a Language 165

Chapter 20 Irreducible Complexity Made Simple 170

Part V Origin of Information: The Quest

Chapter 21 Origin of Life: Can I Get a Straight Answer from Anybody? 177

Chapter 22 Fistfight on the #1 Atheist Website in the World 188

Chapter 23 Information: The Ten-Million-Dollar Question 196

Part VI Evolution 2.0 and Its Implications for Science

Chapter 24 Beyond "God of the Gaps": A New Paradigm for Biology 211

Chapter 25 Applied Evolution I: Which Teaches Us More? Darwinism Versus Evolution 2.0 220

Chapter 26 Applied Evolution II: Technologies from Better Evolution Research 225

Part VII Evolution 2.0 and Its Implications for Faith

Chapter 27 The Real Reason People Don't Believe Evolution, and Why That Can Finally Change 243

Chapter 28 On the Shoulders of Giants: When Men of Science Were Also Men of Faith 251

Chapter 29 Why So Much Pain and Suffering in the World? 262

Conclusion

Chapter 30 Brother Bryan Comes Around 269

Chapter 31 "Why Should I Care and What Should I Do?" 272

You've Reached the End of My Story. You Still Might Want to Read Further. Here's Why.

Appendix 1 All About Randomness 281

Appendix 2 Genesis 2.0 307

Appendix 3 Recommended Books 332

Appendix 4 The Origin of Information: How to Solve It and Win the Evolution 2.0 Prize 338

Bibliography 346

Index 361

Acknowledgments 373

About the Author 374

Editorial Reviews

"Marshall writes in a practical style so that all of his readers can come to understand evolution and can make a thoughtful conclusion on a controversial topic. Recommended for . . . students of biology, history of science, and religious studies, as well as researchers and scholars."
—Library Journal

"Standing on the knife-edge between traditional evolutionary theory and Intelligent Design, this book will inflame both dogmatic Darwinists and Creationists. It's irritating to both because it's friendly to the idea of evolution itself, and because it judges Darwinism too close-minded and reductive. . . . While most scientists submit to self-censorship and dare not question cherished assumptions, the boldest scientists like Albert Einstein, Francis Crick and Stephen Hawking never feared such taboos. Whether agnostics, atheists or believers, they never shrank back from big questions or unconventional solutions. Evolution and design are not either-or, but both-and."
—Jean-Claude Perez, author, Codex Biogenesis and retired IBM Biomathematics and Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Researcher

"Marshall is making an invaluable contribution toward more open and honest discussion on the subject of evolution versus creation. The book is well written, often witty, and is extremely thought provoking. . . . It is amazing that this ‘non-biologist' has analyzed life phenomena at the cellular and molecular levels to such depth and width by applying information gained by cutting-edge methods in the life sciences!"
—Dr. Kwang Jeon, Editor, International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology, and Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry, University of Tennessee

"Any person of faith who cares about how creation reveals God—and how evolution is actually a devastating arsenal of evidence against atheism—should add Evolution 2.0 to the extreme tippy-top of their reading list. Evolution 2.0 is equally shocking to both atheists and Christians, a genuine eye-opener in a category of its own."
—D. Bnonn Tenant, ThinkingMatters.org.nz

"A very readable book and a devastating attack on the neo-Darwinist orthodoxy that evolution is nothing but natural selection acting on random variation."
—Peter Saunders, co-director, Institute of Science in Society, and Emeritus professor of Applied Mathematics, King's College, London

"With considerable wit and amazing insight, Marshall delivers a compelling and forceful synthesis that sets a new standard for discussions about the relationship between science and faith. The result is no less than astonishing."
—Mark McMenamin, Professor of Geology, Mount Holyoke College

"The book is wonderfully thought-provoking, as Perry brings a fresh perspective to the increasingly arid (and acrimonious) debate between Intelligent Design and methodological naturalism."
—Crofton Brierley, MS Biochemistry, Oxford University, former department head, Marconi Optical

"A remarkable and useful resume of the state-of-the-art of this great problem of science."
—Stuart Pivar, author, Lifecode and On The Origin of Form, and cofounder, New York Academy of Art

"I am committed to Young Earth Creationism, and thus cannot agree with some of Perry's conclusions. However, I highly recommend this book to any skeptic who is committed to a purely materialistic paradigm. The science presented here - from the latest research to the most engaging minds on this subject—make this the one book you should read."
—Ray Glinski, MS in Biochemistry, Pastor at Grace Church of DuPage

"Evolution 2.0 is a modern philosophical marvel unlike anything I have read in my years of study. It allowed me to put down my guard. The author was not compelling me to believe in an ideology, but rather taking me alongside his journey of self-discovery. I came into this book hesitant. As a staunch creationist I found myself trying to fight with Marshall early on, but his arguments and presentation were flawless and compelling. It was refreshing to see someone examine both sides honestly."
—Marie Sarantakis, Comparative Religion Scholar, Carthage College

"Armed with computer science and electrical engineering, Perry fights an uphill battle to unite the space between those who believe evolution is random and those who believe species are designed by God, who in some cases deny evolution itself. . . . Judge this book by the science within its pages—and enjoy the story."
—Andras Pellionisz, Biophysicist, Founder of Fractogene; PhD, Computer Technology, PhD, Biology, PhD, Physics

"Sometimes the only way a puzzle gets solved is when someone looks at it with fresh eyes. Perry Marshall is an engineer who started to investigate biology. His book could signal a paradigm shift in the battle between Darwinian evolution and creation/ID. Maybe the war is over. Respond, criticize and debate it . . . just don't dismiss it."
—Justin Brierley, host, Unbelievable? radio program and podcast

"Evolution 2.0 is clearly the best book I have read on the topic. It helped me far better understand the fallacy of random mutations and how they are really introduced. This is something I was never taught in genetics in undergrad or medical school."
—Joseph Mercola, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The No-Grain Diet and Effortless Healing

From the Publisher

09/15/2015
Marshall (80/20 Sales and Marketing) states in the beginning of the book that this is a science, rather than a religion, title. The author refers to evolution 2.0 as a new way of thinking about Darwin's theory. He supports his argument with studies, experiments, and logic, describing the neo-Darwinist dilemma, how cells work, and evolution 2.0's implications for science and faith. He also makes a compelling case for why people should take an interest in the subject. Charts and illustrations bolster his claims; readers will also appreciate the annotated list of recommended reading and lengthy bibliography of scientific studies and news sources. Marshall writes in a practical style so that all of his readers can come to understand evolution and can make a thoughtful conclusion on a controversial topic. VERDICT Recommended for undergraduate and graduate students of biology, history of science, and religious studies, as well as researchers and scholars.—Tina Chan, SUNY at Oswego

Library Journal