How Evolution Shapes Our Lives

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How Evolution Shapes Our Lives

Jonathan B. Losos,Richard E. Lenski

Author : Jonathan B. Losos,Richard E. Lenski
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2016-07-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400881383

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How Evolution Shapes Our Lives by Jonathan B. Losos,Richard E. Lenski Pdf

An authoritative exploration of why understanding evolution is crucial to human life today It is easy to think of evolution as something that happened long ago, or that occurs only in "nature," or that is so slow that its ongoing impact is virtually nonexistent when viewed from the perspective of a single human lifetime. But we now know that when natural selection is strong, evolutionary change can be very rapid. In this book, some of the world's leading scientists explore the implications of this reality for human life and society. With some twenty-three essays, this volume provides authoritative yet accessible explorations of why understanding evolution is crucial to human life—from dealing with climate change and ensuring our food supply, health, and economic survival to developing a richer and more accurate comprehension of society, culture, and even what it means to be human itself. Combining new essays with essays revised and updated from the acclaimed Princeton Guide to Evolution, this collection addresses the role of evolution in aging, cognition, cooperation, religion, the media, engineering, computer science, and many other areas. The result is a compelling and important book about how evolution matters to humans today. The contributors are Dan I. Andersson, Francisco J. Ayala, Amy Cavanaugh, Cameron R. Currie, Dieter Ebert, Andrew D. Ellington, Elizabeth Hannon, John Hawks, Paul Keim, Richard E. Lenski, Tim Lewens, Jonathan B. Losos, Virpi Lummaa, Jacob A. Moorad, Craig Moritz, Martha M. Muñoz, Mark Pagel, Talima Pearson, Robert T. Pennock, Daniel E. L. Promislow, Erik M. Quandt, David C. Queller, Robert C. Richardson, Eugenie C. Scott, H. Bradley Shaffer, Joan E. Strassmann, Alan R. Templeton, Paul E. Turner, and Carl Zimmer.

The Evolving World

David P. Mindell

Author : David P. Mindell
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2009-07-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780674041080

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The Evolving World by David P. Mindell Pdf

In the 150 years since Darwin, evolutionary biology has proven as essential as it is controversial, a critical concept for answering questions about everything from the genetic code and the structure of cells to the reproduction, development, and migration of animal and plant life. But today, as David P. Mindell makes undeniably clear in The Evolving World, evolutionary biology is much more than an explanatory concept. It is indispensable to the world we live in. This book provides the first truly accessible and balanced account of how evolution has become a tool with applications that are thoroughly integrated, and deeply useful, in our everyday lives and our societies, often in ways that we do not realize. When we domesticate wild species for agriculture or companionship; when we manage our exposure to pathogens and prevent or control epidemics; when we foster the diversity of species and safeguard the functioning of ecosystems: in each of these cases, Mindell shows us, evolutionary biology applies. It is at work when we recognize that humans represent a single evolutionary family with variant cultures but shared biological capabilities and motivations. And last but not least, we see here how evolutionary biology comes into play when we use knowledge of evolution to pursue justice within the legal system and to promote further scientific discovery through education and academic research. More than revealing evolution's everyday uses and value, The Evolving World demonstrates the excitement inherent in its applications--and convinces us as never before that evolutionary biology has become absolutely necessary for human existence.

Snakes, Sunrises, and Shakespeare

Gordon H. Orians

Author : Gordon H. Orians
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2014-04-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226003375

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Snakes, Sunrises, and Shakespeare by Gordon H. Orians Pdf

The eminent zoologist “extends his pioneering work in evolutionary biology” to examine “our preferences, predilections, fears, hopes, and aspirations” (Stephen R. Kellert, author of Birthright). Why do we jump in fear at the sight of a snake and marvel at the beauty of a sunrise? These impulsive reactions are no accident; in fact, many of our human responses to nature are steeped in our evolutionary past—we fear snakes because of the danger of venom, and we welcome the assurances of sun as the predatory dangers of night disappear. According to evolutionary biologist Gordon Orians, many of our aesthetic preferences—from the kinds of gardens we build to the foods we enjoy and the entertainment we seek—are the lingering result of natural selection. In Snakes, Sunrises, and Shakespeare, Orians explores the role of evolution in human responses to the environment, applying biological perspectives ranging from Darwin to current neuroscience. Orians reveals how our emotional lives today are shaped by decisions our ancestors made centuries ago on African savannas as they selected places to live, sought food and safety, and socialized in small hunter-gatherer groups. During this time our likes and dislikes became wired in our brains, as the appropriate responses to the environment meant the difference between survival or death. His rich analysis explains why we mimic the tropical savannas of our ancestors in our parks and gardens, why we are simultaneously attracted to and repelled by danger, and how paying close attention to nature’s sounds has made us an unusually musical species.

The Princeton Guide to Evolution

David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock

Author : David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 888 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2013-11-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400848065

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The Princeton Guide to Evolution by David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock Pdf

The Princeton Guide to Evolution is a comprehensive, concise, and authoritative reference to the major subjects and key concepts in evolutionary biology, from genes to mass extinctions. Edited by a distinguished team of evolutionary biologists, with contributions from leading researchers, the guide contains some 100 clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics in seven major areas: phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society. Complete with more than 100 illustrations (including eight pages in color), glossaries of key terms, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, scientists in related fields, and anyone else with a serious interest in evolution. Explains key topics in some 100 concise and authoritative articles written by a team of leading evolutionary biologists Contains more than 100 illustrations, including eight pages in color Each article includes an outline, glossary, bibliography, and cross-references Covers phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society

Body by Darwin

Jeremy Taylor

Author : Jeremy Taylor
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2015-10-22
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780226059914

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Body by Darwin by Jeremy Taylor Pdf

This exploration of cutting-edge evolutionary medicine and how our body’s performance is shaped by its past “covers fascinating territory” (Publishers Weekly). We think of medical science and doctors as focused on treating conditions—whether it’s a cough or an aching back. But the sicknesses and complaints that cause us to seek medical attention actually have deeper origins than the superficial germs and behaviors we regularly fault. In fact, as Jeremy Taylor shows in Body by Darwin, we can trace the roots of many medical conditions through our evolutionary history, revealing what has made us susceptible to certain illnesses and ailments over time and how we can use that knowledge to help treat or prevent problems in the future. In Body by Darwin, Taylor examines the evolutionary origins of some of our most common and serious health issues. To begin, he looks at the hygiene hypothesis, which argues that our obsession with anti-bacterial cleanliness, particularly at a young age, may be making us more vulnerable to autoimmune and allergic diseases. He also discusses diseases of the eye, the medical consequences of bipedalism as they relate to all those aches and pains in our backs and knees, the rise of Alzheimer’s disease, and how cancers become so malignant that they kill us despite the toxic chemotherapy we throw at them. Taylor explains why it helps to think about heart disease in relation to the demands of an ever-growing, dense, muscular pump that requires increasing amounts of nutrients, and he discusses how walking upright and giving birth to ever larger babies led to a problematic compromise in the design of the female spine and pelvis. Throughout, he not only explores the impact of evolution on human form and function, but integrates science with stories from actual patients and doctors, closely examining the implications for our health. “Seven vivid true stories dramatically describing patients and their doctors discovering evolutionary explanations for diseases. More than just the perfect book club book, it advances the field of evolutionary medicine.” —Randolph M. Nesse, coauthor of Why We Get Sick

The Shape of Life

Rudolf A. Raff

Author : Rudolf A. Raff
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 545 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2012-12-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226256573

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The Shape of Life by Rudolf A. Raff Pdf

Rudolf Raff is recognized as a pioneer in evolutionary developmental biology. In their 1983 book, Embryos, Genes, and Evolution, Raff and co-author Thomas Kaufman proposed a synthesis of developmental and evolutionary biology. In The Shape of Life, Raff analyzes the rise of this new experimental discipline and lays out new research questions, hypotheses, and approaches to guide its development. Raff uses the evolution of animal body plans to exemplify the interplay between developmental mechanisms and evolutionary patterns. Animal body plans emerged half a billion years ago. Evolution within these body plans during this span of time has resulted in the tremendous diversity of living animal forms. Raff argues for an integrated approach to the study of the intertwined roles of development and evolution involving phylogenetic, comparative, and functional biology. This new synthesis will interest not only scientists working in these areas, but also paleontologists, zoologists, morphologists, molecular biologists, and geneticists.

Evolution For Dummies

Greg Krukonis,Tracy L. Barr

Author : Greg Krukonis,Tracy L. Barr
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 395 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2011-04-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781118068243

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Evolution For Dummies by Greg Krukonis,Tracy L. Barr Pdf

Today, most colleges and universities offer evolutionary study as part of their biology curriculums. Evolution For Dummies will track a class in which evolution is taught and give an objective scientific view of the subject. This balanced guide explores the history and future of evolution, explaining the concepts and science behind it, offering case studies that support it, and comparing evolution with rival theories of creation, such as intelligent design. It also will identify the signs of evolution in the world around us and explain how this theory affects our everyday lives and the future to come.

The Equations of Life

Charles S. Cockell

Author : Charles S. Cockell
Publisher : Hachette UK
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2018-06-19
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781541644595

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The Equations of Life by Charles S. Cockell Pdf

A groundbreaking argument for why alien life will evolve to be much like life here on Earth We are all familiar with the popular idea of strange alien life wildly different from life on earth inhabiting other planets. Maybe it's made of silicon! Maybe it has wheels! Or maybe it doesn't. In The Equations of Life, biologist Charles S. Cockell makes the forceful argument that the laws of physics narrowly constrain how life can evolve, making evolution's outcomes predictable. If we were to find on a distant planet something very much like a lady bug eating something like an aphid, we shouldn't be surprised. The forms of life are guided by a limited set of rules, and as a result, there is a narrow set of solutions to the challenges of existence. A remarkable scientific contribution breathing new life into Darwin's theory of evolution, The Equations of Life makes a radical argument about what life can -- and can't -- be.

The Evolution of Beauty

Richard O. Prum

Author : Richard O. Prum
Publisher : Anchor
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2017-05-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780385537223

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The Evolution of Beauty by Richard O. Prum Pdf

A FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, SMITHSONIAN, AND WALL STREET JOURNAL A major reimagining of how evolutionary forces work, revealing how mating preferences—what Darwin termed "the taste for the beautiful"—create the extraordinary range of ornament in the animal world. In the great halls of science, dogma holds that Darwin's theory of natural selection explains every branch on the tree of life: which species thrive, which wither away to extinction, and what features each evolves. But can adaptation by natural selection really account for everything we see in nature? Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum—reviving Darwin's own views—thinks not. Deep in tropical jungles around the world are birds with a dizzying array of appearances and mating displays: Club-winged Manakins who sing with their wings, Great Argus Pheasants who dazzle prospective mates with a four-foot-wide cone of feathers covered in golden 3D spheres, Red-capped Manakins who moonwalk. In thirty years of fieldwork, Prum has seen numerous display traits that seem disconnected from, if not outright contrary to, selection for individual survival. To explain this, he dusts off Darwin's long-neglected theory of sexual selection in which the act of choosing a mate for purely aesthetic reasons—for the mere pleasure of it—is an independent engine of evolutionary change. Mate choice can drive ornamental traits from the constraints of adaptive evolution, allowing them to grow ever more elaborate. It also sets the stakes for sexual conflict, in which the sexual autonomy of the female evolves in response to male sexual control. Most crucially, this framework provides important insights into the evolution of human sexuality, particularly the ways in which female preferences have changed male bodies, and even maleness itself, through evolutionary time. The Evolution of Beauty presents a unique scientific vision for how nature's splendor contributes to a more complete understanding of evolution and of ourselves.

Evolution

Russ Hodge

Author : Russ Hodge
Publisher : Infobase Publishing
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2010-06-23
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781438117409

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Evolution by Russ Hodge Pdf

The theory of evolution can be observed anywhere.

The Equations of Life

Charles Cockell

Author : Charles Cockell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : SCIENCE
ISBN : 1541644581

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The Equations of Life by Charles Cockell Pdf

"Why do flocks of geese fly in graceful echelons? Why do animals have legs and not wheels? Why do burrowing moles look the same the world over? In [this book], biologist Charles S. Cockell argues that the laws of physics narrowly constrain how life can evolve. Despite the astounding diversity of living things on the planet, evolution's outcomes are predictable at every level of life's structure, from colonies of ants to the very atoms from which they are made. Yet in this view, we can find a new appreciation for the beautiful simplicity and symmetry of life. In a provocative and captivating journey into the forces and laws that shape the zoo of living things on Earth, Cockell suggests that the unity of physics and biology gives us a new way to unravel the mysteries of life on our own planet and maybe even elsewhere. He shows why alien life forms, if they exist, would look like the creatures we know. With only a narrow set of solutions available to organisms struggling with the challenges of existence, they too would be limited in their chemistry, their forms, and the rules that shape their populations. The profusion of life on Earth can seem mindboggling, but ultimately it may be unexceptional in the universe. A remarkable contribution breathing new life into Darwin's theory of evolution, The Equations of Life is a forceful argument about what life can--and can't--be."--Dust jacket.

Adaptation and Natural Selection

George Christopher Williams

Author : George Christopher Williams
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 335 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2018-10-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691185507

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Adaptation and Natural Selection by George Christopher Williams Pdf

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.

Understanding Evolution

Kostas Kampourakis

Author : Kostas Kampourakis
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 275 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2014-04-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781107034914

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Understanding Evolution by Kostas Kampourakis Pdf

Bringing together conceptual obstacles and core concepts of evolutionary theory, this book presents evolution as straightforward and intuitive.

Cognitive Gadgets

Cecilia Heyes

Author : Cecilia Heyes
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2018-04-16
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780674985131

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Cognitive Gadgets by Cecilia Heyes Pdf

How did human minds become so different from those of other animals? What accounts for our capacity to understand the way the physical world works, to think ourselves into the minds of others, to gossip, read, tell stories about the past, and imagine the future? These questions are not new: they have been debated by philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, evolutionists, and neurobiologists over the course of centuries. One explanation widely accepted today is that humans have special cognitive instincts. Unlike other living animal species, we are born with complicated mechanisms for reasoning about causation, reading the minds of others, copying behaviors, and using language. Cecilia Heyes agrees that adult humans have impressive pieces of cognitive equipment. In her framing, however, these cognitive gadgets are not instincts programmed in the genes but are constructed in the course of childhood through social interaction. Cognitive gadgets are products of cultural evolution, rather than genetic evolution. At birth, the minds of human babies are only subtly different from the minds of newborn chimpanzees. We are friendlier, our attention is drawn to different things, and we have a capacity to learn and remember that outstrips the abilities of newborn chimpanzees. Yet when these subtle differences are exposed to culture-soaked human environments, they have enormous effects. They enable us to upload distinctively human ways of thinking from the social world around us. As Cognitive Gadgets makes clear, from birth our malleable human minds can learn through culture not only what to think but how to think it.

A Taste for the Beautiful

Michael J. Ryan

Author : Michael J. Ryan
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 212 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2019-06-25
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780691191393

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A Taste for the Beautiful by Michael J. Ryan Pdf

"In A Taste for the Beautiful, Michael Ryan, one of the world's leading authorities on animal behavior, tells the remarkable story of how he and other scientists have taken up where Darwin left off, transforming our understanding of sexual selection and shedding new light on animal and human behavior. Drawing on cutting-edge science, Ryan explores the key questions: Why do animals perceive certain traits as beautiful and others not? Do animals have an inherent sexual aesthetic and, if so, where is it rooted? Ryan argues that the answers lie in the brain--particularly of females, who act as biological puppeteers, spurring the development of beautiful traits in males."--Back cover

How Evolution Shapes Our Lives

How Evolution Shapes Our Lives by Jonathan B. Losos,Richard E. Lenski Pdf

The Evolving World by David P. Mindell Pdf

Snakes, Sunrises, and Shakespeare by Gordon H. Orians Pdf

The Princeton Guide to Evolution by David A. Baum,Douglas J. Futuyma,Hopi E. Hoekstra,Richard E. Lenski,Allen J. Moore,Cahterine L. Peichel,Dolph Schluter,Michael C. Whitlock Pdf

Body by Darwin by Jeremy Taylor Pdf

The Shape of Life by Rudolf A. Raff Pdf

Evolution For Dummies by Greg Krukonis,Tracy L. Barr Pdf

The Equations of Life by Charles S. Cockell Pdf

The Evolution of Beauty by Richard O. Prum Pdf

Evolution by Russ Hodge Pdf

The Equations of Life by Charles Cockell Pdf

Adaptation and Natural Selection by George Christopher Williams Pdf

Understanding Evolution by Kostas Kampourakis Pdf

Cognitive Gadgets by Cecilia Heyes Pdf

A Taste for the Beautiful by Michael J. Ryan Pdf

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