Chapter 4 Summary and Analysis

Early small survival machines used up all the energy in the ancient soup, then some began to make their own food using sunlight. The offspring of these gene machines are called plants. Animals are the machines that make use of plants or other animals for energy. Over time, cells with identical genes in them remain connected to one another. Many celled life forms only appear to be individuals according to Dawkins, though he admits other scientists disagree with him. No matter how one looks at the issue, the animals become active and quicker than plants. The thing that makes this possible is the muscle connected to bones and tendons stimulated by nerves. Nerves work like a computer, thinks the author, directing certain things to happen. Here Dawkins remarks how much smaller neurons are than computer chips, but he is writing long...