|
Showing 1 - 7 of
7 matches in All Departments
This title is back in print with a revised preface. "Microcosmos"
brings together the remarkable discoveries of microbiology of the
past two decades and the pioneering research of Dr. Margulis to
create a vivid new picture of the world that is crucial to our
understanding of the future of the planet. Addressed to general
readers, the book provides a beautifully written view of evolution
as a process based on interdependency and their interconnectedness
of all life on the planet.
"Lynn Margulis is one of the most successful synthetic thinkers in
modern biology. This collection of her work, enhanced by essays
co-authored with Dorion Sagan, is a welcome introduction to the
full breadth of her many contributions." EDWARD O. WILSON, AUTHOR
OF THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE "An important contribution to the history
of the 20th century. Read it and you will taste the flavor of real
science." JAMES LOVELOCK, AUTHOR OF GAIA: A NEW LOOK AT LIFE ON
EARTH "Truly inspirational and of fundamental importance. This
thoughtful series of essays on some of the largest questions
concerning the nature of life on earth deserves careful
study."PETER RAVEN, MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Clear, concise, and persuasive, "Atheist Universe" details exactly
why God is unnecessary to explain the universe and life's
diversity, organization, and beauty. The author thoroughly rebuts
every argument that claims to "prove" God's existence -- arguments
based on logic, common sense, philosophy, ethics, history and
science.
"Atheist Universe" avoids the esoteric language and logic used by
philosophers and presents its scientific evidence in simple lay
terms, making it a richly entertaining and easy-to-read
introduction to atheism. A comprehensive primer, it addresses all
the historical and scientific questions, including: Is there proof
that God does "not" exist? What evidence is there of Jesus's
resurrection? Can creation science reconcile scripture with the
latest scientific discoveries?
"Atheist Universe" also answers ethical issues such as: What is the
meaning of life without God? It's a spellbinding inquiry that
ultimately arrives at a controversial and well-documented
conclusion.
How do new species evolve? Although Darwin identified inherited
variation as the creative force in evolution, he never formally
speculated where it comes from. His successors thought that new
species arise from the gradual accumulation of random mutations of
DNA. But despite its acceptance in every major textbook, there is
no documented instance of it. Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan take a
radically new approach to this question. They show that speciation
events are not, in fact, rare or hard to observe. Genomes are
acquired by infection, by feeding, and by other ecological
associations, and then inherited. "Acquiring Genomes" is the first
work to integrate and analyze the overwhelming mass of evidence for
the role of bacterial and other symbioses in the creation of plant
and animal diversity. It provides the most powerful explanation of
speciation yet given.
A fascinating and detailed examination of the evolution-and
occasional devolution-of sexuality in microorganisms and more
complex forms of life. Margulis and Sagan trace sex from its
inauspicious beginnings in bacteria threatened by ultraviolet
radiation to its intimate relation with the origin of mitotic
division of nucleated cells. The origin of meiotic sex through
cannibalism followed by centriole reproductive tardiness and the
connection of cell symbiosis to sex and differentiation are
explored. "The authors have not only given us a new and exiting
scenario for the evolution of sex, but have also provided us with
critical ways in which we can test their hypotheses. . . . This is
a stimulating book that is sure to invoke criticism and discussion;
I strongly recommend it."-Symbiosis "The book is well organized and
well written, leading the reader from one thought to another almost
effortlessly. Background information is presented to aid those of
us who are not experts in this field, and a glossary is appended.
The book could be used at all levels of study, from interested
undergraduates in general biology though postdoctoral students of
genetics and evolution. I recommend this thought-provoking book to
you for both your enjoyment and your enlightenment."-Richard W.
Cheney, Jr., Journal of College Science Teaching "This book,
undoubtedly controversial, is a thoughtful and original
contribution to an important aspect of cellular biology."-John
Langridge
In the pursuit of knowledge, Dorion Sagan argues in this dazzlingly
eclectic, rigorously crafted, and deliciously witty collection of
essays, scientific authoritarianism and philosophical obscurantism
are equally formidable obstacles to discovery. As science has
become more specialized and more costly, its questing spirit has
been constrained by dogma. And philosophy, perhaps the discipline
best placed to question orthodoxy, has retreated behind dense
theoretical language and arcane topics of learning. Guided by a
capacious, democratic view of science inspired by the examples set
by his late parents-Carl Sagan, who popularized the study of the
cosmos, and Lynn Margulis, an evolutionary biologist who repeatedly
clashed with the scientific establishment-Sagan draws on classical
and contemporary philosophy to intervene provocatively in
often-charged debates on thermodynamics, linear and nonlinear time,
purpose, ethics, the links between language and psychedelic drugs,
the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the occupation of
the human body by microbial others. Informed by a countercultural
sensibility, a deep engagement with speculative thought, and a
hardheaded scientific skepticism, he advances controversial
positions on such seemingly sacrosanct subjects as evolution and
entropy. At the same time, he creatively considers a wide range of
thinkers, from Socrates to Bataille and Descartes to von Uexkull,
to reflect on sex, biopolitics, and the free will of Kermit the
Frog. Refreshingly nonconformist and polemically incisive, Cosmic
Apprentice challenges readers to reject both dogma and cliche and
instead recover the intellectual spirit of adventure that
should-and can once again-animate both science and philosophy.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|