Darwin's Reach

Darwin's Reach
Author: Norman A. Johnson
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2021-12-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0429995474

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The application of evolutionary biology addresses a wide range of practical problems in medicine, agriculture, the environment, and society. Such cutting-edge applications are emerging due to recent advances in DNA sequencing, new gene editing tools, and computational methods. This book is about applied evolution – the application of the principles of and information about evolutionary biology to diverse practical matters. Although applied evolution has existed, unrecognized, for a very long time, today’s version has a much wider scope. Evolutionary medicine has formed into its own discipline. Evolutionary approaches have long been employed in agriculture and in conservation biology. But Darwin’s reach now extends beyond just these three fields. It now also includes forensic biology and the law. Ideas from evolutionary biology can be used to inform policy regarding foreign affairs and national security. Applied evolution is not only interdisciplinary, but also multidisciplinary. Consequently, this book is for experts in one field who are interested in expanding their evolutionary horizons. It is also for students, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. One of the public relations challenges faced by evolutionary biology is that most people do not see it being all that relevant to their daily lives. Even many who accept evolution do not grasp how far Darwin’s reach extends. This book will change that perception. Key Features Emphasizes the expanding role evolutionary biology has in today’s world. Includes examples from medicine, law, agriculture, conservation, and even national security Summarizes new technologies and computational methods that originated as innovations based in part or whole on evolutionary theory. Current. Has extensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent topics. Documents the important role evolution plays in everyday life. Illustrates the broadly interdisciplinary nature of evolutionary theory. Resources The applications of evolutionary biology are far too numerous to include in just one book. Plus, new scientific findings emerge almost every day underscoring the central role evolution plays in our lives. The author has established a blog site to highlight these fascinating discoveries. Please visit https://darwinsreach.blog to be inspired by “... endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful [that] have been, and are being evolved.” (the last line of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species).

Darwin in Galápagos

Darwin in Galápagos
Author: K. Thalia Grant
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2009-11-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691142106

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Recreates the scientist's historic visit to the Galapagos Islands using his original notebooks and logs, the latest findings by scholars and researchers, and the authors' first-hand knowledge of the archipelago.

The Voyage of the Beagle

The Voyage of the Beagle
Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher:
Total Pages: 564
Release: 1909
Genre: Geology
ISBN:

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The Book That Changed America

The Book That Changed America
Author: Randall Fuller
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2018-01-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 0143130099

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A compelling portrait of a unique moment in American history when the ideas of Charles Darwin reshaped American notions about nature, religion, science and race “A lively and informative history.” – The New York Times Book Review Throughout its history America has been torn in two by debates over ideals and beliefs. Randall Fuller takes us back to one of those turning points, in 1860, with the story of the influence of Charles Darwin’s just-published On the Origin of Species on five American intellectuals, including Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, the child welfare reformer Charles Loring Brace, and the abolitionist Franklin Sanborn. Each of these figures seized on the book’s assertion of a common ancestry for all creatures as a powerful argument against slavery, one that helped provide scientific credibility to the cause of abolition. Darwin’s depiction of constant struggle and endless competition described America on the brink of civil war. But some had difficulty aligning the new theory to their religious convictions and their faith in a higher power. Thoreau, perhaps the most profoundly affected all, absorbed Darwin’s views into his mysterious final work on species migration and the interconnectedness of all living things. Creating a rich tableau of nineteenth-century American intellectual culture, as well as providing a fascinating biography of perhaps the single most important idea of that time, The Book That Changed America is also an account of issues and concerns still with us today, including racism and the enduring conflict between science and religion.

Darwin's Ghost

Darwin's Ghost
Author: Steve Jones
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2001-04-03
Genre: Science
ISBN:

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A modern geneticist revisits Darwin's classic work to offer contemporary examples and modern research that confirm the book's conclusions on evolution.

Darwin's Doubt

Darwin's Doubt
Author: Stephen C. Meyer
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2013-06-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0062071491

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When Charles Darwin finished The Origin of Species, he thought that he had explained every clue, but one. Though his theory could explain many facts, Darwin knew that there was a significant event in the history of life that his theory did not explain. During this event, the “Cambrian explosion,” many animals suddenly appeared in the fossil record without apparent ancestors in earlier layers of rock. In Darwin’s Doubt, Stephen C. Meyer tells the story of the mystery surrounding this explosion of animal life—a mystery that has intensified, not only because the expected ancestors of these animals have not been found, but because scientists have learned more about what it takes to construct an animal. During the last half century, biologists have come to appreciate the central importance of biological information—stored in DNA and elsewhere in cells—to building animal forms. Expanding on the compelling case he presented in his last book, Signature in the Cell, Meyer argues that the origin of this information, as well as other mysterious features of the Cambrian event, are best explained by intelligent design, rather than purely undirected evolutionary processes.

Darwin's Theory of Evolution

Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Author: 50minutes,
Publisher: 50Minutes.com
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2016-04-26
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 2806276055

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Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the essential points of Darwin’s theory of evolution in next to no time with this concise guide. 50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of Darwin’s theory of evolution. After setting sail aboard the Beagle to carry out a scientific expedition, Charles Darwin made some surprising discoveries: using the example of finches on the Galapagos Islands, he concluded that each of the 13 species he found must have evolved from one common ancestor and adapted to best suit their environment. This led to him developing his theory of evolution and identifying natural selection as the cause, both of which are explained in his world-famous On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. In just 50 minutes you will: • Understand the context in which Darwin published his theory and the source of the many controversies surrounding it • Learn more about Darwin’s life and career and how it led him to his astounding discovery • Analyse the progression of Darwin’s work, including his travels, discoveries and the final publication of his theory after 20 years of development ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | History & Culture 50MINUTES.COM will enable you to quickly understand the main events, people, conflicts and discoveries from world history that have shaped the world we live in today. Our publications present the key information on a wide variety of topics in a quick and accessible way that is guaranteed to save you time on your journey of discovery.

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin
Author: John Bowlby
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 532
Release: 1992
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780393309300

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"A vivid and engrossing account of Darwin's inner life and his search for the laws of life. We feel the durable texture of his friendships and family attachments, and we witness the slow, painful genesis of ideas that are still transforming the world." --Geoffrey Cowley, New York Times Book Review

Darwin's Cathedral

Darwin's Cathedral
Author: David Sloan Wilson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2010-09-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0226901378

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One of the great intellectual battles of modern times is between evolution and religion. Until now, they have been considered completely irreconcilable theories of origin and existence. David Sloan Wilson's Darwin's Cathedral takes the radical step of joining the two, in the process proposing an evolutionary theory of religion that shakes both evolutionary biology and social theory at their foundations. The key, argues Wilson, is to think of society as an organism, an old idea that has received new life based on recent developments in evolutionary biology. If society is an organism, can we then think of morality and religion as biologically and culturally evolved adaptations that enable human groups to function as single units rather than mere collections of individuals? Wilson brings a variety of evidence to bear on this question, from both the biological and social sciences. From Calvinism in sixteenth-century Geneva to Balinese water temples, from hunter-gatherer societies to urban America, Wilson demonstrates how religions have enabled people to achieve by collective action what they never could do alone. He also includes a chapter considering forgiveness from an evolutionary perspective and concludes by discussing how all social organizations, including science, could benefit by incorporating elements of religion. Religious believers often compare their communities to single organisms and even to insect colonies. Astoundingly, Wilson shows that they might be literally correct. Intended for any educated reader, Darwin's Cathedral will change forever the way we view the relations among evolution, religion, and human society.

Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?

Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?
Author: Elliott Sober
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2011-03-31
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1616142782

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Is it accurate to label Darwin’s theory "the theory of evolution by natural selection," given that the concept of common ancestry is at least as central to Darwin’s theory? Did Darwin reject the idea that group selection causes characteristics to evolve that are good for the group though bad for the individual? How does Darwin’s discussion of God in The Origin of Species square with the common view that he is the champion of methodological naturalism? These are just some of the intriguing questions raised in this volume of interconnected philosophical essays on Darwin. The author's approach is informed by modern issues in evolutionary biology, but is sensitive to the ways in which Darwin’s outlook differed from that of many biologists today. The main topics that are the focus of the book—common ancestry, group selection, sex ratio, and naturalism—have rarely been discussed in their connection with Darwin in such penetrating detail. Author Professor Sober is the 2008 winner of the Prometheus Prize. This biennial award, established in 2006 through the American Philosophical Association, is designed "to honor a distinguished philosopher in recognition of his or her lifetime contribution to expanding the frontiers of research in philosophy and science." This insightful collection of essays will be of interest to philosophers, biologists, and laypersons seeking a deeper understanding of one of the most influential scientific theories ever propounded.