Evolving Animals

Author : Henkjan Honing
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 159 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2019-03-05
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262351164

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The Evolving Animal Orchestra by Henkjan Honing Pdf

A music researcher's quest to discover other musical species. Even those of us who can't play a musical instrument or lack a sense of rhythm can perceive and enjoy music. Research shows that all humans possess the trait of musicality. We are a musical species—but are we the only musical species? Is our musical predisposition unique, like our linguistic ability? In The Evolving Animal Orchestra, Henkjan Honing embarks upon a quest to discover if humans share the trait of musicality with other animals. Charles Darwin believed that musicality was a capacity of all animals, human and nonhuman, with a clear biological basis. Taking this as his starting point, Honing—a music cognition researcher—visits a series of biological research centers to observe the ways that animals respond to music. He has studied scientists' accounts of Snowball, the cockatoo who could dance to a musical beat, and of Ronan, the sea lion, who was trained to move her head to a beat. Now Honing will be able to make his own observations. Honing tests a rhesus monkey for beat perception via an EEG; performs a listening experiment with zebra finches; considers why birds sing, and if they intend their songs to be musical; explains why many animals have perfect pitch; and watches marine mammals respond to sounds. He reports on the unforeseen twists and turns, doubts, and oversights that are a part of any scientific research—and which point to as many questions as answers. But, as he shows us, science is closing in on the biological and evolutionary source of our musicality.

Author : Menno Schilthuizen
Publisher : Quercus Publishing
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2018-02-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781786481078

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Darwin Comes to Town by Menno Schilthuizen Pdf

See your city through fresh eyes We are marching towards a future in which three-quarters of humans live in cities, and a large portion of the planet's landmass is urbanized. With much of the rest covered by human-shaped farms, pasture, and plantations, where can nature still go? To the cities -- is Menno Schilthuizen's answer in this remarkable book. And with more and more wildlife carving out new niches among humans, evolution takes a surprising turn. Urban animals evolve to become more cheeky and resourceful, city pigeons develop detox-plumage, and weeds growing from cracks in the pavement get a new type of seeds. City blackbirds are even on their way of becoming an entirely new species, which we could name Turdus urbanicus. Thanks to evolutionary adaptation taking place at unprecedented speeds, plants and animals are coming up with new ways of living in the seemingly hostile environments of asphalt and steel that we humans have created. We are on the verge of a new chapter in the history of life, Schilthuizen says -- a chapter in which much old biodiversity is, sadly, disappearing, but also one in which a new and exciting set of life forms is being born. Menno Schilthuizen shows us that evolution in cities can happen far more rapidly, and strangely, than Darwin had dared dream.

Author : Wallace Arthur
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2014-08-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781107049635

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Evolving Animals by Wallace Arthur Pdf

Covering all the main animal groups, from jellyfish to mammals, this book unravels the story of animal evolution.

Author : Wallace Arthur
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2014-08-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781316061473

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Evolving Animals by Wallace Arthur Pdf

What do we know about animal evolution in the early twenty-first century? How much more do we know today than Darwin did? What are the most exciting discoveries that have been made in the last few decades? Covering all the main animal groups, from jellyfish to mammals, this book considers all of these questions and more. Its 30 short chapters, each written in a conversational, nontechnical style and accompanied by numerous original illustrations, deal equally with the pattern and the process of evolution - with both evolutionary trees and evolutionary mechanisms. They cover diverse evolutionary themes, including: the animal toolkit, natural selection, embryos and larvae, animal consciousness, fossils, human evolution, and even the possibility of animal life existing elsewhere than on Earth. This unique text will make an excellent introduction for undergraduates and others with an interest in the subject.

Author : Jennifer Swanson
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 34 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2015-07-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781622759965

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How Have Animals Evolved and Adapted? by Jennifer Swanson Pdf

Scientists believe that all forms of life developed from earlier types of living things through a process called evolution. In this intriguing and engaging narrative, readers learn that living organisms must adapt to survive as their surroundings change. By studying the developmental history of everything from single cell organisms to complex vertebrates, readers are presented with the evidence for evolution provided by the fossil record. Charles Darwin and the process of natural selection are discussed. In addition, the work of Gregor Mendel opens a window onto genetics and gets readers thinking about how genes work together to produce specific traits.

Author : Sang-Hee Lee
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2018-02-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780393634839

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Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species by Sang-Hee Lee Pdf

“Deftly weaving together science and personal observation, Lee proves an engaging, authoritative guide… of the human condition.” —Kate Wong, editor at Scientific American What can fossilized teeth tell us about our ancient ancestors’ life expectancy? Did farming play a problematic role in the history of human evolution? And what do we have in common with Neanderthals? In this captivating bestseller, Close Encounters with Humankind, paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee explores our greatest evolutionary questions from new and unexpected angles. Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters that combine anthropological insight with cutting-edge science, we gain fresh perspectives into our first hominin ancestors and ways to challenge perceptions about the traditional progression of evolution. With Lee as our guide, we discover that we indeed have always been a species of continuous change.

Author : Ernst Mayr
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 480 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : Science
ISBN : 0674690133

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Populations, Species, and Evolution by Ernst Mayr Pdf

In his extraordinary book, Mayr fully explored, synthesized, and evaluated man's knowledge about the nature of animal species and the part they play in the process of evolution. Now, in this long-awaited abridged edition, Mayr's definitive work is made available to the interested nonspecialist, the college student, and the general reader.

Author : National Academy of Sciences
Publisher : Sackler Colloquium
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Science
ISBN : UOM:39015073872999

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In the Light of Evolution by National Academy of Sciences Pdf

The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : DK Children
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2021-08-31
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0241518342

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Evolved by Anonim Pdf

An illustrated tribute to the evolution of species and all the incredible ways that animals have adapted to the world around them. How did fish get scales? Why do some animals have wings? What sea creature still has fingers hidden away in their fins? Journey through the animal kingdom, learning all about the different parts of animals that have evolved over the centuries, the ways that they have adapted to survive and the amazing reasons behind these adaptations. With different spreads on claws, feathers, eyes, hair, defenses and much more, readers will be able to compare the changes seen in different animals and see how incredible nature is at survival.

Author : Carolus J. Schrijver,George L. Siscoe
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2010-09-23
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781139489751

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Heliophysics: Evolving Solar Activity and the Climates of Space and Earth by Carolus J. Schrijver,George L. Siscoe Pdf

Heliophysics is a fast-developing scientific discipline that integrates studies of the Sun's variability, the surrounding heliosphere, and the environment and climate of planets. Over the past few centuries, our understanding of how the Sun drives space weather and climate on the Earth and other planets has advanced at an ever increasing rate. This 2010 volume, the last in this series of three heliophysics texts, focuses on long-term variability from the Sun's decade-long sunspot cycle and considers the evolution of the planetary system over ten billion years from a climatological perspective. Topics covered range from the dynamo action of stars and planets to processes in the Earth's troposphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere and their effects on planetary climate and habitability. Supplemented by online teaching materials, it can be used as a textbook for courses or as a foundational reference for researchers in fields from astrophysics and plasma physics to planetary and climate science.

Author : Thor Hanson
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2021-09-28
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781541672413

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Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson Pdf

*A New York Times Editor's Choice pick *Shortlisted for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Book Awards A beloved natural historian explores how climate change is driving evolution In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, biologist Thor Hanson tells the remarkable story of how plants and animals are responding to climate change: adjusting, evolving, and sometimes dying out. Anole lizards have grown larger toe pads, to grip more tightly in frequent hurricanes. Warm waters cause the development of Humboldt squid to alter so dramatically that fishermen mistake them for different species. Brown pelicans move north, and long-spined sea urchins south, to find cooler homes. And when coral reefs sicken, they leave no territory worth fighting for, so aggressive butterfly fish transform instantly into pacifists. A story of hope, resilience, and risk, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is natural history for readers of Bernd Heinrich, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and David Haskell. It is also a reminder of how unpredictable climate change is as it interacts with the messy lattice of life.

Author : Catherine Roberts
Publisher : Praeger
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 1980-05-02
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105005294710

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Science, Animals, and Evolution by Catherine Roberts Pdf

Author : Rob Desalle,Bernd Schierwater
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 439 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2010-12-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781439854020

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Key Transitions in Animal Evolution by Rob Desalle,Bernd Schierwater Pdf

Tackling one of the most difficult and delicate of the evolutionary questions, this challenging book summarizes the more recent results in phylogenetics and developmental biology that address the evolution of key innovations in metazoans. Divided into three sections, the first considers the phylogenetic issues involving this area of the tree of lif

Author : for the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 1995-02-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780309552677

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Tempo and Mode in Evolution by for the National Academy of Sciences Pdf

Since George Gaylord Simpson published Tempo and Mode in Evolution in 1944, discoveries in paleontology and genetics have abounded. This volume brings together the findings and insights of today's leading experts in the study of evolution, including Ayala, W. Ford Doolittle, and Stephen Jay Gould. The volume examines early cellular evolution, explores changes in the tempo of evolution between the Precambrian and Phanerozoic periods, and reconstructs the Cambrian evolutionary burst. Long-neglected despite Darwin's interest in it, species extinction is discussed in detail. Although the absence of data kept Simpson from exploring human evolution in his book, the current volume covers morphological and genetic changes in human populations, contradicting the popular claim that all modern humans descend from a single woman. This book discusses the role of molecular clocks, the results of evolution in 12 populations of Escherichia coli propagated for 10,000 generations, a physical map of Drosophila chromosomes, and evidence for "hitchhiking" by mutations.

Author : Peter D. Ward
Publisher : W. H. Freeman
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2002-01-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 0716734966

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Future Evolution by Peter D. Ward Pdf

Everyone wonders what tomorrow holds, but what will the real future look like? Not decades or even hundreds of years from now, but thousands or millions of years into the future. Will our species change radically? Or will we become builders of the next dominant intelligence on Earth- the machine? These and other seemingly fantastic scenarios are the very possible realities explored in Peter Ward's Future Evolution, a penetrating look at what might come next in the history of the planet. Looking to the past for clues about the future, Ward describes how the main catalyst for evolutionary change has historically been mass extinction. While many scientist direly predict that humanity will eventually create such a situation, Ward argues that one is already well underway--the extinction of large mammals--and that a new Age of Humanity is coming that will radically revise the diversity of life on Earth. Finally, Ward examines the question of human extinction and reaches the startling conclusion that the likeliest scenario is not our imminent demise but long term survival--perhaps reaching as far as the death of the Sun! Full of Alexis Rockman's breathtaking color images of what animals, plants and other organisms might look like thousands and millions of years from now, Future Evolution takes readers on an incredible journey through time from the deep past into the far future.