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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Evolution

Rhythms in Fishes - Proceedings of a NATO ASI Held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 4-17, 1991 (Hardcover, New): M.A. Ali Rhythms in Fishes - Proceedings of a NATO ASI Held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 4-17, 1991 (Hardcover, New)
M.A. Ali
R2,445 Discovery Miles 24 450 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Terminology in Biological Rhythms; M.A. Ali, et al. Introduction to the Analysis of Periodic Phenomena; P. Legendre, P. Dutilleul. Biological Rhythms; M.P. Gerkema. Behavior and Rhythms in Fishes; D.L.G. Noakes. Ultradian Rhythms in Fishes; R.C. Peters, R.J. Veeneklaas. Tidally-Synchronised Behavior in Marine Fishes; R.N. Gibson. Lunar and Semi-Lunar Rhythms in Fishes; J.F. Leatherland, et al. Circadian Basis for Neuroendocrine Regulation; A.H. Meier. Sleep, Inactivity, and Circadian Rhythms in Fish; S. Reebs. Feeding-Entrained Circadian Rhythms in Fishes; R.E. Spieler. Melatonin Rhythms in the Pineal Organ of Fishes and its Effects; A. Zachmann, et al. Regulation of the Rhythmic Melatonin Secretion by Fish Pineal Photoreceptor Cells; J. Falcon, et al. The Rainbow Trout Pineal Organ; W.A. Gern, et al. 6 additional articles. Index.

The Birth of Homo, the Marine Chimpanzee - When the tool becomes the master (Paperback): Michel Odent The Birth of Homo, the Marine Chimpanzee - When the tool becomes the master (Paperback)
Michel Odent
R344 R315 Discovery Miles 3 150 Save R29 (8%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Drawing on a diversity of fast-developing disciplines including genetics, physiology, pathology as well as the history of canoeing and studies of the fluctuation of sea levels, revolutionary thinker and birth pioneer Michel Odent examines the case for viewing the genus Homo as a 'marine chimpanzee' - particularly adapted to coastal areas. By exploring the practical implications of this vision of our species, including in the period surrounding birth, the author raises questions about the very survival of humanity. At a time in history when human domination of Nature is more profound than ever before, are we on the cusp of a 'symbiotic revolution'? With his characteristic ability to look at the 'big picture' and ask questions that challenge conventional thinking, Michel Odent once again manages to persuade readers to view themselves, and their species, in a new light.

Adaptation and Natural Selection - A Critique of Some Current Evolutionary Thought (Paperback): George Christopher Williams Adaptation and Natural Selection - A Critique of Some Current Evolutionary Thought (Paperback)
George Christopher Williams; Foreword by Richard Dawkins
R526 R491 Discovery Miles 4 910 Save R35 (7%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Biological evolution is a fact-but the many conflicting theories of evolution remain controversial even today. When Adaptation and Natural Selection was first published in 1966, it struck a powerful blow against those who argued for the concept of group selection-the idea that evolution acts to select entire species rather than individuals. Williams's famous work in favor of simple Darwinism over group selection has become a classic of science literature, valued for its thorough and convincing argument and its relevance to many fields outside of biology. Now with a new foreword by Richard Dawkins, Adaptation and Natural Selection is an essential text for understanding the nature of scientific debate.

The Evolution of Darwinism - Selection, Adaptation and Progress in Evolutionary Biology (Hardcover, New): Timothy Shanahan The Evolution of Darwinism - Selection, Adaptation and Progress in Evolutionary Biology (Hardcover, New)
Timothy Shanahan
R2,427 Discovery Miles 24 270 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

No other scientific theory has had as tremendous an impact on our understanding of the world as Darwin's theory as outlined in his Origin of Species, yet from the very beginning the theory has been subject to controversy. The Evolution of Darwinism, first published in 2004, focuses on three issues of debate - the nature of selection, the nature and scope of adaptation, and the question of evolutionary progress. It traces the varying interpretations to which these issues were subjected from the beginning and the fierce contemporary debates that still rage on and explores their implications for the greatest questions of all: Where we come from, who we are and where we might be heading. Written in a clear and non-technical style, this book will be of use as a textbook for students in the philosophy of science who need to become familiar with the background to the debates about evolution.

Strange Natures - Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology (Hardcover): Kent H. Redford, William M. Adams Strange Natures - Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology (Hardcover)
Kent H. Redford, William M. Adams
R957 Discovery Miles 9 570 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A groundbreaking examination of the implications of synthetic biology for biodiversity conservation "It is impressive how the book manages to be so rich in perspectives on such a complex and controversial phenomenon, yet so cautiously and open-mindedly written that it invites contemplation and reflection rather than hasty conclusions."-Adam Wickberg, Global Environmental Politics Nature almost everywhere survives on human terms. The distinction between what is natural and what is human-made, which has informed conservation for centuries, has become blurred. When scientists can reshape genes more or less at will, what does it mean to conserve nature? The tools of synthetic biology are changing the way we answer that question. Gene editing technology is already transforming the agriculture and biotechnology industries. What happens if synthetic biology is also used in conservation to control invasive species, fight wildlife disease, or even bring extinct species back from the dead? Conservation scientist Kent Redford and geographer Bill Adams turn to synthetic biology, ecological restoration, political ecology, and de-extinction studies and propose a thoroughly innovative vision for protecting nature.

Evolutionary Biology: Mechanisms and Applications (Hardcover): Noah Rodriguez Evolutionary Biology: Mechanisms and Applications (Hardcover)
Noah Rodriguez
R3,077 R2,789 Discovery Miles 27 890 Save R288 (9%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days
The Collapse of Darwinism - Or The Rise of a Realist Theory of Life (Hardcover, Large Print Ed): Graeme D. Snooks The Collapse of Darwinism - Or The Rise of a Realist Theory of Life (Hardcover, Large Print Ed)
Graeme D. Snooks
R3,151 Discovery Miles 31 510 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In this provocative work, noted social and economic theorist Graeme D. Snooks exposes fatal flaws in the foundations of the Darwinian theory of evolution, which he deems an "artificial algorithm," as well as the neo-Darwinian synthesis adopted by many social scientists. Utilizing the historical method, Snooks develops a remarkable replacement theory of evolution, which he calls the "dynamic-strategy" theory. While the neo-Darwinian position places too great an emphasis on genetic change giving rise to untenable but popular concepts such as the "selfish gene" and fails to explain the fluctuating fortunes of life's most successful species (mankind), Snooks' framework starts by systematically observing the broad patterns of life and human society. The resultant realist theory of life posits life as a strategic pursuit (rather than a game of chance) in which organisms adopt dynamic strategies (only one of which is genetic change) to survive and prosper. Organisms' and species' progress is achieved through "strategic selection" a concept that displaces the "divine selection" of creationists and the "natural selection" of Darwinists. This new theory reveals the organism as empowered, rather than as the plaything of gods, genes, or blind chance; and it provides a new basis for humanism."

Human Evolution - Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies (Paperback): Graeme Finlay Human Evolution - Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies (Paperback)
Graeme Finlay
R1,323 Discovery Miles 13 230 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Controversy over human evolution remains widespread. However, the human genome project and genetic sequencing of many other species have provided myriad precise and unambiguous genetic markers that establish our evolutionary relationships with other mammals. Human Evolution: Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies identifies and explains these identifiable, rare and complex markers including endogenous retroviruses, genome-modifying transposable elements, gene-disabling mutations, segmental duplications and gene-enabling mutations. The new genetic tools also provide fascinating insights into when and how many features of human biology arose: from aspects of placental structure, vitamin C dependence and trichromatic vision, to tendencies to gout, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Bringing together a decade's worth of research and tying it together to provide an overwhelming argument for the mammalian ancestry of the human species, the book will be of interest to professional scientists and students in both the biological and biomedical sciences.

Evolution: The Basics (Paperback, 3rd Edition): Sherrie Lyons Evolution: The Basics (Paperback, 3rd Edition)
Sherrie Lyons
R719 Discovery Miles 7 190 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Evolution: The Basics is an engaging introduction to the history, development and science of the theory of evolution. Beginning pre-Darwin and concluding with the latest research and controversies, readers are introduced to the origins of the idea of evolution, the ways in which it has developed and been adapted over time and the science underpinning it all. Topics addressed include:

• early theories of evolution

• the impact of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species

• the discovery of genetics and Mendel’s experiments

• molecular evolution and the discovery of DNA

• the expansion of life and the persistence of disease

• revisiting evolutionary ethics and the development of empathy.

Evolution: The Basics examines the role of evolution in current debates and discusses the possible future developments in the field. This book is invaluable reading for all students and individuals seeking to understand the wide ranging sphere of evolutionary theory.

Table of Contents

List of figures Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Darwinian Cosmos 2. The Development of a Theory 3. The Maturation of a Theory 4. Expanding the Modern Synthesis 5. Human Evolution 6. Origins, the Expanion of Life and the Persistance of Disease 7. Humankind's Future: An Evolutionary Perspective. Glossary. Bibliography

Life on a Young Planet - The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth - Updated Edition (Paperback, Revised edition):... Life on a Young Planet - The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth - Updated Edition (Paperback, Revised edition)
Andrew H. Knoll; Preface by Andrew H. Knoll 1
R455 R426 Discovery Miles 4 260 Save R29 (6%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Australopithecines, dinosaurs, trilobites--such fossils conjure up images of lost worlds filled with vanished organisms. But in the full history of life, ancient animals, even the trilobites, form only the half-billion-year tip of a nearly four-billion-year iceberg. Andrew Knoll explores the deep history of life from its origins on a young planet to the incredible Cambrian explosion, presenting a compelling new explanation for the emergence of biological novelty. The very latest discoveries in paleontology--many of them made by the author and his students--are integrated with emerging insights from molecular biology and earth system science to forge a broad understanding of how the biological diversity that surrounds us came to be. Moving from Siberia to Namibia to the Bahamas, Knoll shows how life and environment have evolved together through Earth's history. Innovations in biology have helped shape our air and oceans, and, just as surely, environmental change has influenced the course of evolution, repeatedly closing off opportunities for some species while opening avenues for others. Readers go into the field to confront fossils, enter the lab to discern the inner workings of cells, and alight on Mars to ask how our terrestrial experience can guide exploration for life beyond our planet. Along the way, Knoll brings us up-to-date on some of science's hottest questions, from the oldest fossils and claims of life beyond the Earth to the hypothesis of global glaciation and Knoll's own unifying concept of "permissive ecology." In laying bare Earth's deepest biological roots, Life on a Young Planet helps us understand our own place in the universe--and our responsibility as stewards of a world four billion years in the making. In a new preface, Knoll describes how the field has broadened and deepened in the decade since the book's original publication.

Close Encounters with Humankind - A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species (Paperback): Sang-hee Lee Close Encounters with Humankind - A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species (Paperback)
Sang-hee Lee; As told to Shin-Young Yoon
R385 R360 Discovery Miles 3 600 Save R25 (6%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

In Close Encounters with Humankind, paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee explores some of our biggest evolutionary questions from unexpected new angles. Amongst other questions, she looks at what fossilised teeth tell us about our ancient life expectancy, what big data on fossils reveals about farming's problematic role in human evolution and how simple geometric comparisons of skull and pelvic fossils can suggest the origin of our social nature. Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters, we gain new perspectives into our first hominin ancestors, our first steps on two feet, our first forays into toolmaking and hunting, and our continuing evolution. Lee's curious nature and surprising conclusions make Close Encounters with Humankind a delight to read.

Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth (Paperback): Jay Hosler Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth (Paperback)
Jay Hosler; Illustrated by Kevin Cannon, Zander Cannon
R413 R387 Discovery Miles 3 870 Save R26 (6%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

An accessible graphic introduction to evolution for the most science-phobic reader
Illustrated by the brilliant duo Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon, this volume is written by the noted comic author and professor of biology Jay Hosler. "Evolution "features the same characters introduced in the highly regarded "The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA," now here to explain the fundamentals of the evolution of life on earth. On the heels of explaining to his planetary leader the intricacies of human genetics in "The Stuff of Life," the intrepid alien scientist Bloort-183 is charged in this sequel with covering the wider story of evolution. Using the same storytelling conceit that "Plenty "magazine declared "so charming that you won't even notice you've absorbed an entire scientific field" and that caused "Seed "to pick "The Stuff of Life "as a best book of 2008, "Evolution "brilliantly answers "Wired"'s demand, "What's the solution to America's crisis in science education? More comic books "
"Evolution," the most accessible graphic work on this universally studied subject, takes the reader from earth's primordial soup to the vestigial structures, like the coccyx and the male nipple, of modern humans. Once again, the award-winning illustrations of the Cannons render the complex clear and everything cleverly comedic. And in Hosler, "Evolution "has an award-winning biology teacher whose science comics have earned him a National Science Foundation grant and an interview on NPR's "Morning Edition."

The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death (Paperback): Pierre M Durand The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death (Paperback)
Pierre M Durand
R1,044 Discovery Miles 10 440 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The question of why an individual would actively kill itself has long been an evolutionary mystery. Pierre M. Durand's ambitious book answers this question through close inspection of life and death in the earliest cellular life. As Durand shows us, cell death is a fascinating lens through which to examine the interconnectedness, in evolutionary terms, of life and death. It is a truism to note that one does not exist without the other, but just how does this play out in evolutionary history? These two processes have been studied from philosophical, theoretical, experimental, and genomic angles, but no one has yet integrated the information from these various disciplines. In this work, Durand synthesizes cellular studies of life and death looking at the origin of life and the evolutionary significance of programmed cellular death. The exciting and unexpected outcome of Durand's analysis is the realization that life and death exhibit features of coevolution. The evolution of more complex cellular life depended on the coadaptation between traits that promote life and those that promote death. In an ironic twist, it becomes clear that, in many circumstances, programmed cell death is essential for sustaining life.

Science, Evolution, and Creationism (Paperback): Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Revising... Science, Evolution, and Creationism (Paperback)
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Revising Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences
R430 Discovery Miles 4 300 Ships in 9 - 17 working days

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable. In the book Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a group of experts assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine explain the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design." The book explores the many fascinating inquiries being pursued that put the science of evolution to work in preventing and treating human disease, developing new agricultural products, and fostering industrial innovations. The book also presents the scientific and legal reasons for not teaching creationist ideas in public school science classes. Mindful of school board battles and recent court decisions, Science, Evolution, and Creationism shows that science and religion should be viewed as different ways of understanding the world rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other and that the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith. For educators, students, teachers, community leaders, legislators, policy makers, and parents who seek to understand the basis of evolutionary science, this publication will be an essential resource. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Evolution and the Nature of Science 2 The Evidence for Biological Evolution 3 Creationist Perspectives 4 Conclusion Frequently Asked Questions Additional Readings Committee Member Biographies Staff and Consultant Biographies Index Photo and Illustration Credits

Expanded Sampling Across Ontogeny in Deltasuchus motherali (Neosuchia, Crocodyliformes) - Revealing Ecomorphological Niche... Expanded Sampling Across Ontogeny in Deltasuchus motherali (Neosuchia, Crocodyliformes) - Revealing Ecomorphological Niche Partitioning and Appalachian Endemism in Cenomanian Crocodyliforms (Paperback)
Stephanie K. Drumheller, Thomas L Adams, Hannah Maddox, Christopher R. Noto
R583 Discovery Miles 5 830 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

New material attributable to Deltasuchus motherali, a neosuchian from the Cenomanian of Texas, provides sampling across much of the ontogeny of this species. Detailed descriptions provide information about the paleobiology of this species, particularly with regards to how growth and development affected diet. Overall snout shape became progressively wider and more robust with age, suggesting that dietary shifts from juvenile to adult were not only a matter of size change, but of functional performance as well. These newly described elements provide additional characters upon which to base more robust phylogenetic analyses. The authors provide a revised diagnosis of this species, describing the new material and discussing incidents of apparent ontogenetic variation across the sampled population. The results of the ensuing phylogenetic analyses both situate Deltasuchus within an endemic clade of Appalachian crocodyliforms, separate and diagnosable from goniopholidids and pholidosaurs, herein referred to as Paluxysuchidae. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Macroevolutionary Theory on Macroecological Patterns (Hardcover): Peter W. Price Macroevolutionary Theory on Macroecological Patterns (Hardcover)
Peter W. Price
R3,691 Discovery Miles 36 910 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This study of distribution, abundance and population size variation in animals (formerly regarded as pure ecological subjects) is presented in an evolutionary framework. Arguing that evolved characters of organisms such as morphology, behavior and life history influence their ecological relationships, this new conceptual framework is broadly relevant to ecologists, evolutionary biologists, behavioral scientists and entomologists.

Evolutionary Biology: Understanding Evolutionary Processes (Hardcover): Melody Glover Evolutionary Biology: Understanding Evolutionary Processes (Hardcover)
Melody Glover
R3,372 R3,050 Discovery Miles 30 500 Save R322 (10%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days
Evolutionary Biology: Past, Present and Future (Hardcover): Jesse Santos Evolutionary Biology: Past, Present and Future (Hardcover)
Jesse Santos
R2,956 R2,684 Discovery Miles 26 840 Save R272 (9%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days
The Tangled Tree - A Radical New History of Life (Paperback): David Quammen The Tangled Tree - A Radical New History of Life (Paperback)
David Quammen 1
R335 R310 Discovery Miles 3 100 Save R25 (7%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction and A New York Times Notable Book of 2018. Our understanding of the 'tree of life', with powerful implications for human genetics, human health and our own human nature, has recently completely changed. This book is about a new method of telling the story of life on earth - through molecular phylogenetics. It involves a fairly simple method - the reading of the deep history of life by looking at the variation in protein molecules found in living organisms. For instance, we now know that roughly eight per cent of the human genome arrived not through traditional inheritance from directly ancestral forms, but sideways by viral infection. In The Tangled Tree, acclaimed science writer David Quammen chronicles these discoveries through the lives of the researchers who made them - such as Carl Woese, the most important little-known biologist of the twentieth century; Lynn Margulis, the notorious maverick whose wild ideas about 'mosaic' creatures proved to be true; and Tsutomu Wantanabe, who discovered that the scourge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a direct result of horizontal gene transfer, bringing the deep study of genome histories to bear on a global crisis in public health. Quammen explains how molecular studies of evolution have brought startling recognitions about the tangled tree of life - including where we humans fit into it. Thanks to new technologies, we now have the ability to alter even our genetic composition - through sideways insertions, as nature has long been doing. The Tangled Tree is a brilliant exploration of our transformed understanding of evolution and of life's history itself.

Game Theory in Biology - concepts and frontiers (Hardcover): John M. McNamara, Olof Leimar Game Theory in Biology - concepts and frontiers (Hardcover)
John M. McNamara, Olof Leimar
R3,193 Discovery Miles 31 930 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The principles of game theory apply to a wide range of topics in biology. This book presents the central concepts in evolutionary game theory and provides an authoritative and up-to-date account. The focus is on concepts that are important for biologists in their attempts to explain observations. This strong connection between concepts and applications is a recurrent theme throughout the book which incorporates recent and traditional ideas from animal psychology, neuroscience, and machine learning that provide a mechanistic basis for behaviours shown by players of a game. The approaches taken to modelling games often rest on idealized and unrealistic assumptions whose limitations and consequences are not always appreciated. The authors provide a novel reassessment of the field, highlighting how to overcome limitations and identifying future directions. Game Theory in Biology is an advanced textbook suitable for graduate level students as well as professional researchers (both empiricists and theoreticians) in the fields of behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology. It will also be of relevance to a broader interdisciplinary audience including psychologists and neuroscientists.

The Sacred Depths of Nature (Hardcover, New): Ursula Goodenough The Sacred Depths of Nature (Hardcover, New)
Ursula Goodenough
R886 Discovery Miles 8 860 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Goodenough couples lucid and concise descriptions of the workings of nature with spiritual reflections that are non-denominational and non-theistic but deeply respectful of traditional religions and written in their idiom. She unites timeless spiritual sensibilities with our present-day understanding of genes, cells, brains, sex, and biological evolution.

River Out of Eden - A Darwinian View of Life (Paperback): Richard Dawkins River Out of Eden - A Darwinian View of Life (Paperback)
Richard Dawkins
R313 R284 Discovery Miles 2 840 Save R29 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The No.1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller. A fascinating explanation of how evolution works, from bestselling author of THE GOD DELUSION, Richard Dawkins. The river of Dawkins's title is a river of DNA, flowing through time from the beginning of life on earth to the present - and onwards. Dawkins explains that DNA must be thought of as the most sophisticated information system imaginable: 'Life is just bytes and bytes of information,' he writes. Using this perspective, he describes the mechanisms by which evolution has taken place, gradually but inexorably, over a period of three thousand million years. It is the story of how evolution happens, rather than a narrative of what has actually happened in evolution. He discusses current views on the process of human evolution, including the idea that we all trace back to a comparatively recent African 'Eve', and speculates that the 'information explosion' that was unleashed on Earth when DNA came into being has almost certainly happened in other places in the universe.

Molecular Evolution - A Phylogenetic Approach (Paperback, Annotated Ed): R.D.M. Page Molecular Evolution - A Phylogenetic Approach (Paperback, Annotated Ed)
R.D.M. Page
R2,625 Discovery Miles 26 250 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The study of evolution at the molecular level has given the subject of evolutionary biology a new significance. Phylogenetic 'trees' of gene sequences are a powerful tool for recovering evolutionary relationships among species, and can be used to answer a broad range of evolutionary and ecological questions. They are also beginning to permeate the medical sciences. In this book, the authors approach the study of molecular evolution with the phylogenetic tree as a central metaphor. This will equip students and professionals with the ability to see both the evolutionary relevance of molecular data, and the significance evolutionary theory has for molecular studies. The book is accessible yet sufficiently detailed and explicit so that the student can learn the mechanics of the procedures discussed. The book is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in molecular evolution/phylogenetic reconstruction. It will also be a useful supplement for students taking wider courses in evolution, as well as a valuable resource for professionals.
First student textbook of phylogenetic reconstruction which uses the tree as a central metaphor of evolution.
Chapter summaries and annotated suggestions for further reading.
Worked examples facilitate understanding of some of the more complex issues.
Emphasis on clarity and accessibility.

On the Origin of Evolution - Tracing 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea' from Aristotle to DNA (Paperback): John Gribbin,... On the Origin of Evolution - Tracing 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea' from Aristotle to DNA (Paperback)
John Gribbin, Mary Gribbin
R313 R284 Discovery Miles 2 840 Save R29 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

A Waterstones Best Book of 2020 The theory of evolution by natural selection did not spring fully formed and unprecedented from the brain of Charles Darwin. Rather it has been examined and debated by philosophers the world over for thousands of years. This lively history traces the evolution of the idea of evolution, showing how it has changed and been changed by different societies over time. It will put 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea' into its proper context, showing how it built on what went before and how it was developed in the twentieth century, through an understanding of genetics and the biochemical basis evolution. None of this diminishes the achievement of Darwin himself in perceiving the way evolution works at the level of individuals and species, but his contribution was one link in a chain that extends back into antiquity, and is still being forged today.

Unnatural Selection (Hardcover): Katrina Van Grouw Unnatural Selection (Hardcover)
Katrina Van Grouw
R1,053 Discovery Miles 10 530 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A lavishly illustrated look at how evolution plays out in selective breeding Unnatural Selection is a stunningly illustrated book about selective breeding-the ongoing transformation of animals at the hand of man. More important, it's a book about selective breeding on a far, far grander scale-a scale that encompasses all life on Earth. We'd call it evolution. A unique fusion of art, science, and history, this book is intended as a tribute to what Charles Darwin might have achieved had he possessed that elusive missing piece to the evolutionary puzzle-the knowledge of how individual traits are passed from one generation to the next. With the benefit of a century and a half of hindsight, Katrina van Grouw explains evolution by building on the analogy that Darwin himself used-comparing the selective breeding process with natural selection in the wild, and, like Darwin, featuring a multitude of fascinating examples. This is more than just a book about pets and livestock, however. The revelation of Unnatural Selection is that identical traits can occur in all animals, wild and domesticated, and both are governed by the same evolutionary principles. As van Grouw shows, animals are plastic things, constantly changing. In wild animals, the changes are usually too slow to see-species appear to stay the same. When it comes to domesticated animals, however, change happens fast, making them the perfect model of evolution in action. Featuring more than four hundred breathtaking illustrations of living animals, skeletons, and historical specimens, Unnatural Selection will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in natural history and the history of evolutionary thinking.

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