Endless Forms Most Beautiful

The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom

Sean B. Carroll

As described in this fascinating book, Evo Devo is evolutionary development biology, the third revolution in the science, which shows how the endless forms of animals--butterflies and zebras, trilobites and dinosaurs, apes and humans--were made and evolved.

The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins

In this revised edition of his bestselling book The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins demonstrates how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world.Contains two new chapters and a wealth of remarkable new insights into the biological world.

Patterns of Human Growth

Barry Bogin

A revised edition of an established text on human growth and development from an anthropological and evolutionary perspective.

True Nature

A Theory of Sexual Attraction

Michael R. Kauth

This volume presents an updated and truly interactionist theory of sexual attraction, in which biologically based erotic processing biases are continually exploited or challenged by social and cultural conditions. From this perspective, social orientation is viewed as a process rather than an outcome. The author takes an interdisciplinary approach that draws upon data from anthropology, sociology, gender studies, social constructionism, behavioral and developmental psychology, evolutionary biology, genetics, endocrinology, and cognitive functioning to support his theory. This text will be of interest to sexologists, evolutionary biologists, psychologists and other social scientists interested in human sexuality

The Blind Watchmaker

Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design

Richard Dawkins

Reprint of the 1987 original with a new introduction and preface. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Animal Behavior Desk Reference

A Dictionary of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, Second Edition

Edward M. Barrows

Revised and updated, containing over 5,000 entries, with over 1,100 more entries than in the previous edition, Animal Behavior Desk Reference, Second Edition: A Dictionary of Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution provides definitions for terms in animal behavior, biogeography, evolution, ecology, genetics, psychology, statistics, systematics, and other related sciences. Formatted like a standard dictionary, this reference presents definitions in a quick- and easy-to-use style. For each term, where applicable, you receive: Multiple definitions listed chronologically Term hierarchies summarized in tables Definition sources Directives that show where a concept is defined under a synonymous name, and concepts related to focal ones Non-technical and obsolete definitions Pronunciations of selected terms Common-denominator entries Synonyms Classifications of organisms and descriptions of many taxa Organizations related to animal behavior, ecology, evolution, and related sciences Still the most complete work of its kind, Animal Behavior Desk Reference, Second Edition: A Dictionary of Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution will improve your scientific communication, particularly in the fields of animal behavior, evolution, ecology, and related branches of biology. If you are a teacher, student, writer, or active in science in any way, this book will prove to be one of your most valuable resources.

The Metaphysics of Evolution

Naqshbandis in the Ottoman World, 1450-1700

David L. Hull

This critical collection of essays represents the best of the best when it comes to philosophy of biology. Many chapters treat evolution as a biological phenomenon, but the author is more generally concerned with science itself. Present-day science, particularly current views on systematics and biological evolution are investigated. The aspects of these sciences that are relevant to the general analysis of selection processes are presented, and they also serve to exemplify the general characteristics exhibited by science since its inception.

The Third Chimpanzee

The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

Jared M. Diamond

The Development of an Extraordinary Species We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative, passionate, funny, endlessly entertaining work, renowned Pulitzer Prize winning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world . . . and the means to irrevocably destroy it.

The Cultural Nature of Human Development

Barbara Rogoff

"Barbara Rogoff argues that human development must be understood as a cultural process. Individuals develop as participants in their cultural communities, engaging with others in shared endeavors and building on cultural practices of prior generations ... [This book] identifies patterns in the differences and similarities among cultural communities, such as children's opportunities to engage in mature activities of their community or in specialized child-focused activities. The book examines classic aspects of development afresh from a cultural angle--childrearing, social relations, interdependence and autonomy, developmental transitions across the lifespan, gender roles, attachment, and learning and cognitive development"--Dust jacket.

The Making of the Fittest

DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution

Sean B. Carroll

DNA is the genetic material that defines us as individuals. Over the last two decades, it has emerged as a powerful tool for solving crimes and determining guilt and innocence. But, very recently, an important new aspect of DNA has been revealed--it contains a detailed record of evolution. That is, DNA is a living chronicle of how the marvelous creatures that inhabit our planet have adapted to its many environments, from the freezing waters of the Antarctic to the lush canopy of the rain forest. In the pages of this highly readable narrative, Sean Carroll guides the general reader on a tour of the massive DNA record of three billion years of evolution to see how the fittest are made. And what a eye-opening tour it is--one featuring immortal genes, fossil genes, and genes that bear the scars of past battles with horrible diseases. This book clinches the case for evolution, beyond any reasonable doubt.

Why We Love

The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love

Helen Fisher

A study of the origins of love probes the human brain for insights into the origins of the sex drive, romance, and attraction, while offering advice on how to channel these desires into healthy pursuits.

Evolution

The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory

Edward John Larson

“I often said before starting, that I had no doubt I should frequently repent of the whole undertaking.”So wrote Charles Darwin aboardThe Beagle, bound for the Galapagos Islands and what would arguably become the greatest and most controversial discovery in scientific history. But the theory of evolution did not spring full-blown from the head of Darwin. Since the dawn of humanity, priests, philosophers, and scientists have debated the origin and development of life on earth, and with modern science, that debate shifted into high gear. In this lively, deeply erudite work, Pulitzer Prize–winning science historian Edward J. Larson takes us on a guided tour of Darwin’s “dangerous idea,” from its theoretical antecedents in the early nineteenth century to the brilliant breakthroughs of Darwin and Wallace, to Watson and Crick’s stunning discovery of the DNA double helix, and to the triumphant neo-Darwinian synthesis and rising sociobiology today. Along the way, Larson expertly places the scientific upheaval of evolution in cultural perspective: the social and philosophical earthquake that was the French Revolution; the development, in England, of a laissez-faire capitalism in tune with a Darwinian ethos of “survival of the fittest”; the emergence of Social Darwinism and the dark science of eugenics against a backdrop of industrial revolution; the American Christian backlash against evolutionism that culminated in the famous Scopes trial; and on to today’s world, where religious fundamentalists litigate for the right to teach “creation science” alongside evolution in U.S. public schools, even as the theory itself continues to evolve in new and surprising directions. Throughout, Larson trains his spotlight on the lives and careers of the scientists, explorers, and eccentrics whose collaborations and competitions have driven the theory of evolution forward. Here are portraits of Cuvier, Lamarck, Darwin, Wallace, Haeckel, Galton, Huxley, Mendel, Morgan, Fisher, Dobzhansky, Watson and Crick, W. D. Hamilton, E. O. Wilson, and many others. Celebrated as one of mankind’s crowning scientific achievements and reviled as a threat to our deepest values, the theory of evolution has utterly transformed our view of life, religion, origins, and the theory itself, and remains controversial, especially in the United States (where 90% of adults do not subscribe to the full Darwinian vision). Replete with fresh material and new insights,Evolutionwill educate and inform while taking readers on a fascinating journey of discovery.

The Creationists

From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design

Ronald L. Numbers

In light of the embattled status of evolutionary theory, particularly as 'intelligent design' makes headway against Darwinism in the schools and in the courts, this account of the roots of creationism assumes new relevance. This edition offers an overview of the arguments and figures at the heart of the debate.

Before the Dawn

Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors

Nicholas Wade

Based on the groundbreaking synthesis of recent scientific findings, Wade recounts a bold and provocative story of the history of humanity's ancient ancestors and the evolution of human nature. In wonderfully lively and lucid prose, Wade reveals the answers to many questions: When did language emerge? When and why did humans start wearing clothing? Why did the different races evolve? Wade takes readers to the forefront of research in a sweeping and engrossing narrative and weaves together the disparate perspectives of palaeontology, linguistics and anthology.

The Theory of Evolution

John Maynard Smith

A century ago Darwin and Wallace explained how evolution could have happened in terms of processes known to take place today. This book describes how their theory has been confirmed, but at the same time "transformed", by recent research.

Evolution’s Rainbow

Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People

Joan Roughgarden

Challenges traditional views of gender identity and sexual orientation in animals and humans, explaining how diversity is developed from genes and hormones and why it should be celebrated and affirmed.

The Richness of Life

The Essential Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould

This spotlight on an extraordinary mind collects the most entertaining and enlightening writings by the beloved paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and celebrant of the wonder of life. 20 illustrations.

On Human Nature

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition, With a New Preface

Edward O. Wilson

Presents a philosophy based on sociobiological theory and applying the theory of natural selection to human society.

Strickberger's Evolution

Brian Hall, Benedikt Hallgrímsson

Thoroughly updated and reorganized, Strickberger's Evolution, Fourth Edition, presents biology students with a basic introduction to prevailing knowledge and ideas about evolution, discussing how, why, and where the world and its organisms changed throughout history. Keeping consistent with Strickberger's engaging writing style, the authors carefully unfold a broad range of philosophical and historical topics that frame the theories of today including cosmological and geological evolution and its impact on life, the origins of life on earth, the development of molecular pathways from genetic systems to organismic morphology and function, the evolutionary history of organisms from microbes to animals, and the numerous molecular and populational concepts thatexplain the earth's dynamic evolution.

Life Evolving

Molecules, Mind, and Meaning

Christian De Duve

A Nobel laureate discusses findings in the biological sciences in the past half century and explains what they reveal about the nature of life.