By Michael J. Behe

When Darwin proposed his theory of evolution over a century ago, little was known about life at the molecular level. The assumption was that as we learn more about how life on this planet works, we would discover the simple mechanisms which serve as its foundations. Several decades ago, scientists began to understand what these basic mechanisms are. The results were just the opposite of what was anticipated by Darwinian theory. The basic mechanisms of life are complex…much more complex than was ever imagined before. Now an overwhelming body of evidence is accumulating that proves one of the key underlying presuppositions of evolution is false. Life at the molecular level is not simple at all. It is extremely complex…too complex to have occurred by random combinations of molecules.

"Mike Behe …makes an overwhelming case against Darwin on the biochemical level. No one has done this before. It is an argument of great originality, elegance, and intellectual power. For readers who have been persuaded that biologists have long since demonstrated the validity of Darwinian theory, [Behe's] observations are apt to be a source of astonishment." -David Berlinske, author of A Tour of the Calculus

"[Behe's] talent for lively exposition…charmingly convey[s] a sense of biochemistry's hidden beauty." -James Shreeve, The New York Times Book Review

"Michael Behe has done a top-notch job of explaining and illuminating one of the most vexing problems in biology: the origin of the complexity that permeates all of life on this planet….This book should be on the essential reading list of all those who are interested in the question of where we came from, as it presents the most thorough and clever presentation of the design argument that I have seen." -Robert Shapiro, author of Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth

"A well-written and thoughtful statement of the biochemical challenge." -Will St. John, Detroit Free Press

"[A]valuable critique of an all-too-often unchallenged orthodoxy." -James A. Shapiro, National Review

Paperback, 307 pages, indexed
Published 1996