Understanding Catastrophe examines the immense and varied impact
that catastrophic change can have on the development of life on
earth. Opening with a remarkable account of supernovae and the
nature of stellar catastrophe, it then examines the way evolution
itself can proceed through genetic jumps of catastrophic
proportions. The primal forces of the earth, manifested in such
natural catastrophes as earthquakes and cyclones, and the
devastating impact these can have even today on human populations
across the world receive extended scrutiny as does the power of
famine historically in determining the future of humankind. To
conclude, a fascinating final chapter on changing medical and
social attitudes to epidemic diseases such as tuberculosis
offers--in the age of AIDS particularly--some unsettling insights
into our fundamental incapacity when confronted by major threats to
life and health. The book originates in the fifth annual series of
Darwin College Lectures, delivered in Cambridge in 1990 under the
title 'Catastrophes'. The contributors include Robert Kirshner on
Stellar Catastrophe; Walter Alvarez on the Extinction of the
Dinosaurs; Martin Rudwick on Darwin and Catastrophe; Christopher
Zeeman on Catastrophe and Evolution; Claudio Vita Finzi on
Earthquakes; Nicholas Cook on Storms and Cyclones; Peter Garnsey on
Famine and History; and Roy Porter on Changing Attitudes to
Disease.
General
Imprint: |
Cambridge UniversityPress
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Darwin College Lectures |
Release date: |
November 2006 |
First published: |
1992 |
Editors: |
Janine Bourriau
|
Dimensions: |
244 x 168 x 13mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
220 |
Edition: |
Revised |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-521-03219-3 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Science: general issues >
Popular science
|
LSN: |
0-521-03219-9 |
Barcode: |
9780521032193 |
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