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Title: Really Bad Science
Review: I normally enjoy Bear's work, but I was dissapointed in Darwin's Radio. Though his character development and writing style are good (if a little longwinded), his use of evolutionary biology is not. He obviously did a great deal of research into molecular biology and immunology and I am surprised that he didn't work harder to achieve a better understanding of evolution. The idea's presented as "tomorrow's headlines" are not just silly, they're pretty much impossible. Speciation is not a mystery and Bear's use of goal directed evolution is completely at odd's with real science. He throws in terms like punctuated equilibrium and adaptationism, but I don't think he really understands them. Read the book if you want but keep in mind it has a lot more in common with fantasy than sci-fi.
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