Library Journal
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In February 2014, Nye, the well-known science educator, engaged in a spirited debate with Ken Ham, a noted creationist, concerning the origin and development of life on Earth. The event so stirred Nye that he produced this book, a thorough, if occasionally strident, defense of the science of evolution. Covering topics ranging from geologic strata to genetically modified foods, Nye argues that without a solid grounding in evolutionary theory, including an appreciation of deep time, one cannot properly understand the way nature works. Furthermore, he asserts that the teaching of creationism is not merely harmless but is a disservice to honest science. Nye narrates the book with energy and enthusiasm. While there is much valuable and well-explicated science here, the author sometimes goes too far, setting up sneering straw-man arguments and injecting lame, pointless humor. Thus, the author's animus detracts from his important message. VERDICT Recommended for students of biology or fans of popular science writing. ["The straightforward, accessible language and clear explanations make this ideal reading to understand life's origins, especially for those new to the evidence of evolution," read the starred review of the St. Martin's hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 1/15/14.]-Forrest Link, Coll. of New Jersey Lib., Ewing (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
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"The Science Guy" jumps off from and expands the arguments from his public debate with creationist Ken Ham, positing that denial of evolution is tantamount to denying science as a whole, ignoring the advances in medicine and agriculture that make modern human life possible, and destroying our children's future by leaving them ill-equipped to understand the world. As narrator, Nye has an enjoyable voice with a hint of rasp, made all the more enjoyable because of the enthusiasm he maintains throughout the production. It becomes clear that he is having fun narrating and talking about science. Where he falls short is landing his jokes-but his timing and delivery are well-executed when he is discussing the fundamentals of science, and he knows exactly when to slow down for clarity. A St. Martin's hardcover. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"The Science Guy" Nye (scientist, TV host; Bill Nye the Science Guy's Great Big Book of Tiny Germs) vividly illustrates the history of life in this follow-up to his widely publicized debate with Young Earth Creationist Ken Ham. For example, Nye explains the 4.54 billion-year history of the earth by comparing it to a trek from San Diego to Boston. On this journey, the first signs of life, microbes, are not encountered until Oklahoma (3.5 billion years ago), and dinosaurs are found around 120 miles from the Eastern shore of the United States (over 200 million years ago). The earliest humans are met a little over a mile from the Eastern shore-a striking visualization of the vast time it took life to evolve to its present state. In addition to evolution, Nye discusses climate change, genetically modified organisms, stem-cell research, and other pressing topics. Verdict The straightforward, accessible language and clear explanations make this ideal reading to understand life's origins, especially for those new to the evidence of evolution. While firm about the fact of evolution, the tone is friendlier to religious viewpoints and more upbeat than that in Richard Dawkins's The Greatest Show on Earth.-Laurie Neuerburg, Victoria Coll.-Univ. of Houston Lib. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"The Science Guy" Nye (scientist, TV host; Bill Nye the Science Guy's Great Big Book of Tiny Germs) vividly illustrates the history of life in this follow-up to his widely publicized debate with Young Earth Creationist Ken Ham. For example, Nye explains the 4.54 billion-year history of the earth by comparing it to a trek from San Diego to Boston. On this journey, the first signs of life, microbes, are not encountered until Oklahoma (3.5 billion years ago), and dinosaurs are found around 120 miles from the Eastern shore of the United States (over 200 million years ago). The earliest humans are met a little over a mile from the Eastern shore-a striking visualization of the vast time it took life to evolve to its present state. In addition to evolution, Nye discusses climate change, genetically modified organisms, stem-cell research, and other pressing topics. Verdict The straightforward, accessible language and clear explanations make this ideal reading to understand life's origins, especially for those new to the evidence of evolution. While firm about the fact of evolution, the tone is friendlier to religious viewpoints and more upbeat than that in Richard Dawkins's The Greatest Show on Earth.-Laurie Neuerburg, Victoria Coll.-Univ. of Houston Lib. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A sweeping tour of the mechanics of evolution from the Science Guy."Science is the way we know nature and our place within it," writes Nye, who is open-minded and curious but also someone who likes the best explanations devised by the human project: "In science, a hypothesis should not only explain the evidence we have found," he writes, "it should also make predictions about things not yet discovered....Science is inherently work in progress." What kind of evidence do we have about evolution; what kind of dynamic thinking, informed by all we have experienced, can we bring to its understanding? What method of inquiry allows us to advance our understanding? Nye neatly deconstructs the arguments against evolution, from basic mistakes of biology and physics to more cosmological concernsthat the naysayers "avoid the exploration of evolution because it reminds us all that humankind may not be that special in nature's scheme. What happens to other species also happens to us"and he takes very seriously the problems posed by introducing creationism to school curriculums around the country. While he has no trouble sinking his teeth into the creationists and anti-evolution activists, Nye really takes flight when he is trying to puzzle out how we get here from there or considering the strangeness of sexual selection ("Consider the peacock, the epitome of costly signaling"). In addition to Darwin, the author examines the contributions of a host of scientists from a variety of disciplines, including biology, geology and genetics. With the smoothness and encouragement that mark his writing, Nye suggests that "[t]he only way to get the answers is to keep looking at living things and learning more about the process by which we all came to be." Proof positive that evolutionary theory can be popular and inviting. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

"The Science Guy" jumps off from and expands the arguments from his public debate with creationist Ken Ham, positing that to deny the reality of evolution is tantamount to denying science as a whole, ignoring the advances in medicine and agriculture that make modern human life possible, and destroying our children's future by leaving them ill-equipped to understand the world. With his conversational wit, Nye both counters classic creationist tactics-such as the appeal to the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the idea of the uselessness of half a wing-and explains evolutionary concepts such as punctuated equilibrium, bottlenecking, the theory of the Red Queen, and "good-enough design." Connections to fields like geochemistry and oceanography support his stance that "the natural world is a package deal; you don't get to select which facts you like and which you don't." Nye takes advantage of his soapbox to address hot-button issues like vaccines and antibiotics, genetically modified foods, and cloning (perhaps overstepping when he dives into the psycho-evolutionary basis of evolution denial). Nye's popularizing talents shine in this one, and if he's preaching to the science-loving choir, at least he's giving them easy-to-understand explanations to bolster their inevitable dinner-table or internet arguments. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.