The point the author makes is that evolution of life, the origin of life, as well as the origin and development of the universe rely on the same basic underlying process. That being random asssociation of material and some preferential selection for survival of certain “associations” as a result of natural forces.
The Epicureans of today are the atheistic scientists.
I guess my point is that very little is truly random in that there are physical laws limiting and controlling the association of materials. Discovering those laws and the theoretical construct in which they operate is the province of science. Science is agnostic in that it cannot deal with the supernatural by definition. Thus science cannot be atheistic either. Science is not all inclusive though some scientist mistakenly think it is.