Evolution: the grand experiment : the quest for an answer / [Carl Werner, author ; Debbie Werner, photographer].

Includes bibliographical references (p. 238-255) and index.

The origin of life : two opposing views -- Evolution's false start : spontaneous generation (322 B.C.-1859 A.D.) -- Darwin's false mechanism for evolution : acquired characteristics (Antiquity-1889 A.D.+) -- Natural selection and chance mutations -- Similarities : a basic proof of evolution? -- The fossil record and Darwin's prediction -- The fossil record of invertebrates -- The fossil record of fish -- The fossil record of bats -- The fossil record of pinnipeds : seals and sea lions -- The fossil record of flying reptiles -- The fossil record of dinosaurs -- The fossil record of whales -- The fossil record of birds, part 1 : archaeopteryx -- The fossil record of birds, part 2 : feathered dinosaurs -- The fossil record of flowering plants -- The origin of life, part 1 : the formation of DNA -- The origin of life, part 2 : the formation of proteins -- The origin of life, part 3 : the formation of amino acids -- Conclusions : evolution : points of controversy -- Appendix A : The number of fossils -- Appendix B : Dinosaur evolution chart -- Appendix C : Fish evolution chart.

"Darwin's book on evolution admitted that 'intermediate links' were 'perhaps the most obvious and serious objection to the theory' of evolution. Darwin recognized that the fossils collected by scientists prior to 1859 did not correspond with his theory of evolution, but he predicted that his theory would be confirmed as more and more fossils were found. One hundred and fifty years later, Evolution: The Grand Experiment critically examines the viability of Darwin's theory"--P. [4] of cover.