Here are fresh ways of seeing and understanding nature with a vivid journey through the seasons. Detailed facts are interwoven with artistic insights. Readers are helped by simple observation exercises, by inspiring illustrations that make a companion guide to plant growth around the year. A wide variety of common plants axe beautifully drawn, from seed to bud to flower and fruit. The drawings are accompanied by helpful suggestions that encourage readers to try out the observation and drawing exercises.

Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection fails to explain the forms of organisms because it focuses on inheritance and survival, not on how organisms are generated. The first part of this 2007 book (by Gerry Webster) looks critically of the conceptual structure of Darwinism and describes the limitation of the theory of evolution as a comprehensive biological theory, arguing that a theory of biological form is needed to understand the structure of organisms and their transformations as revealed in taxonomy. The second part of the book (by Brian Goodwin) explores such a theory in terms of organisms as developing and transforming dynamic systems, within which gene action is to be understood. A number of specific examples, including tetrapod limb formation and Drosophila development, are used to illustrate how these hierarchically-organized dynamic fields undergo robust symmetry-breaking cascades to produce generic forms.

-- By an acclaimed author in his field -- Challenges the ideas of our modern scientific culture -- Far-reaching consequences for how we understand and relate to the natural world Our scientific culture, which gave birth to modern technology, is in desperate need of change. Science has largely meant groups of specialists working in separate disciplines, seeking answers to narrowly defined questions which have little or nothing to do with the living world. The last few years, however, have seen a shift to a more integrated, holistic approach to how we view and understand our world. There is still much work to be done. Most modern people have come to accept a fragmented culture whereby science isolates us from the natural world. As a result, we feel we can govern it and dominate it as we please. Brian Goodwin, acclaimed author of How the Leopard Changed Its Spots, argues for a view of nature as complex, interrelated networks of relationships. He proposes that, in order for us to once again work with nature to achieve true sustainability on our planet, we need to adopt a new science, new art, new design, new economics and new patterns of responsibility. We must be willing to pay nature its due: to recognise what we owe to the natural world and resist exploiting it solely for our own ends. This is an ambitious, wide-ranging book with far-reaching consequences, and will be essential reading for all those interested in how nature and human culture can co-exist in the future.

Do genes explain life? Can advances in evolutionary and molecular biology account for what we look like, how we behave, and why we die? In this powerful intervention into current biological thinking, Brian Goodwin argues that such genetic reductionism has important limits.

Drawing on the sciences of complexity, the author shows how an understanding of the self-organizing patterns of networks is necessary for making sense of nature. Genes are important, but only as part of a process constrained by environment, physical laws, and the universal tendencies of complex adaptive systems. In a new preface for this edition, Goodwin reflects on the advances in both genetics and the sciences of complexity since the book's original publication.

Living in Hawaii is a privilege 11 year old Sarah Finner has enjoyed throughout her young life. She has been blessed with a family that has made many sacrifices to offer her a home in paradise, that most would only dream about. This care free life style is about to be tested, when the Finner family is struck by tragedy! Sarah and her family must pull together, along with their little dog Smokey to keep the Hawaii dream alive. This family's perseverance and creativity is a testament that, anyone can overcome life's obstacles.

Puede explicarse un animal superior como el leopardo solo a partir de sus genes? Esto es lo que hasta ahora hemos creido todos atendiendo a la teoria darwinista de la evolucion, entendida como la supervivencia de los mas aptos, que se ha convertido en la unica tesis explicativa de la vida en la Tierra, de su variedad de formas y comportamientos, de su origen y extincion.Pues bien, Brian Goodwin nos desmuestra que las cosas no son tan simples. Para el los rasgos definitorios de la teoria darwinista son como las manchas de un leopardo que esta cambiando de pelaje: son tan cuestionadas que se esta alterando la fisonomia de la propia biologia tradicional. A lo mejor deberiamos convenir con el en que los genes no explican por si solos la adaptacion de las especies y examinar con atencion ese otro mecanismo, igualmente poderoso, que nos propone para explicar el origen y la diversificacion de los seres vivos.Las consecuencias de este cambio de perspectiva no son solo cientificas: Goodwin nos demuestra, por ejemplo, que las imagenes darwinistas que tanto se asocian con la vida moderna y el progreso b"genes egoistas, estrategias de supervivencia, B+la guerra de todos contra todosB; b" son incompletas. Si contemplamos los organismos como algo mas que maquinas para sobrevivir y atendemos a su valor intrinseco, aprendemos que son tan competitivos como cooperativos, tan egoistas como altruistas, tan destructivos y repetitivos como creativos y juguetones.La manchas del leopardo es a la vez una brillante aplicacion de las leyes de la fisica al estudio de los seres vivos, una exposicion de la poderosa fuerza que modela la vida en la Tierra y una meditacion sobre la evolucion de las formas complejas.

In 'Signs of Life', the authors apply the mathematical tools of complexity theory to model biological processes in terms of complex dynamics from which characteristic patterns of order emerge. They examine genetic networks - such as chaos in brain function and the emergent phenomenon of ant colonies - in order to explain this phenomena.

The Cytoskeleton of the Algae provides a comprehensive examination of the structural features of the cytoskeleton in phylogenetic branches of algae. The book also analyzes the possible functions of cytoskeletal components using structural, physiological, genetic, and molecular approaches. Many taxa are described in detail, mirroring the dramatic progress that has been made in recent years in this new research field. Many unique structural elements and motility phenomena are described for the first time, and other features common to all plant cells, such as cell polarity, cytoplasmic streaming, mitosis, cell wall deposition, and contractile events are analyzed using algae as experimental model systems. The Cytoskeleton of the Algae reflects the enormous impact that research on the algal cytoskeleton has on both phycology and plant cell biology, and it will serve as an excellent reference volume for researchers in this area.