Theos-Talk Archives (July 2005 Message tt00173)

New Book by Italian Geneticist Criticizes Darwin's Theory of 
Evolution  

By: Staff
Discovery Institute 
July 20, 2005  

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SEATTLE –Italian geneticist Giuseppe Sermonti maps what he depicts 
as a growing scientific case against neo-Darwinism in his new book, 
Why is a Fly Not a Horse? (Discovery Institute Press, July 2005). 
Sermonti challenges the myth that all critics of Darwinism are 
American religious fundamentalists and argues that since genetics 
does not explain even the present forms of life, genetic mutations 
cannot alone explain their origin.

The book extends beyond genetics, drawing on a variety of 
disciplines. "Sermonti describes biology which contradicts Darwinian 
expectations: leaf insects appearing in the fossil record before 
leaves, insects before plants, and biological forms that reflect 
abstract mathematical expressions," said biochemist Michael Behe, 
author of Darwin's Black Box. "He shows that there are more things 
in life than are dreamt of in Darwinian philosophy."

Why is a Fly Not a Horse? is the first in a new series of science 
books from Discovery Institute Press. The Italian version of the 
book has already generated controversy on the Internet, inviting 
attacks from pro-Darwin sites in anticipation of its release in 
English.

Working against this current, Dr. Leendert Van Der Hammen, a member 
with Sermonti of the Osaka Group for the Study of Dynamic 
Structures, defended Sermonti's book. He said that by tying together 
insights from disciplines often studied in isolation—genetics, 
molecular biology, morphogenetics, physics, chemistry and 
mathematics—Sermonti was able to uncover new weaknesses in the 
modern theory of evolution. 

For Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Witt, a former 
English professor, one of the most remarkable things about the book 
was its style: "Anyone who believed in reincarnation would say 
Sermonti was a poet in a former life. His descriptions are 
phenomenal." 

Sermonti is a retired Professor of Genetics at the University of 
Perugia. He discovered genetic recombination in antibiotic-producing 
Penicillium and Streptomyces and was Vice President at XIV 
International Congress of Genetics (Moscow, 1980). He is Chief 
Editor of Rivista di Biologia, one of the world's oldest biology 
journals still in publication.

Why is a Fly Not a Horse? is available at bookstores and online from 
Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

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