Evolution and the Big Questions

Evolution and the Big Questions

Author: David N. Stamos

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-09-23

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1444359002

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Evolution and the Big Questions “David N. Stamos’s Evolution and the Big Questions delivers what its title promises—you get to look at all of the issues, such as race and ethics and religion, that make the study of evolution so interesting, and more than just a science. The book is written in a clear and friendly manner and deserves a very wide readership.” Michael Ruse, Florida State University This provocative text considers whether evolutionary explanations can be used to clarify some of life’s biggest questions. It offers a lively, informative, and timely look at a wide variety of key issues facing all of us today—including questions of race, sex, gender, the nature of language, religion, ethics, knowledge, consciousness, and, ultimately, thc meaning of life. Some of the questions examined are: Did evolution make men and women fundamentally different? Is the concept of race merely a social construction? Is morality, including universal human rights, a mass delusion? Can religion and evolution really be harmonized? Docs evolution render life meaningless? Designed for students and anyone with an interest in the relationship between evolutionary heritage and human nature, the text takes an interdisciplinary approach and offers direction for further reading and research. Each chapter presents a main topic, together with discussion of related ideas and arguments from various perspectives. Along the way, it poses life’s biggest questions, pulling no punches, and presenting a challenge to thinkers on all levels.


The Big Questions: Evolution

The Big Questions: Evolution

Author: Francisco Ayala

Publisher: Quercus

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1623652081

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Easy, enlightening and mind-stretching, here are answers to the 20 biggest questions of evolution and what they tell us about life on Earth. The Big Questions series is designed to let renowned experts address the 20 most fundamental and frequently asked questions of a major branch of science or philosophy. Each 3,000-word essay simply and concisely examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers based on the latest research. This ambitious project is a unique distillation of humanity's best ideas. In The Big Questions: Evolution, Francisco Ayala answers the 20 key questions: What is evolution? Was Darwin right? What is natural selection? What is survival of the fittest? Is evolution a random process? What is a species? What are chromosomes, genes and DNA? How do genes build bodies? What is molecular evolution? How did life begin? What is the tree of life? Am I really a monkey? What does the fossil record tell us? What is the missing link? Is intelligence inherited? Will humans continue to evolve? Can I clone myself? Where does morality come from? Is language a uniquely human attribute? Is Creationism true?


Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution

Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution

Author: Thomas N. Sherratt

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2009-02-19

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 0199548609

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This book provides an introduction to a range of fundamental questions that have taxed evolutionary biologists and ecologists for decades. All of the questions posed have at least a partial solution, all have seen exciting breakthroughs in recent years, yet many of the explanations have been hotly debated.


Am I a Monkey?

Am I a Monkey?

Author: Francisco J. Ayala

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2010-10-01

Total Pages: 103

ISBN-13: 0801899389

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Brief, incisive, topical, authoritative, Am I a Monkey? will take you a day to read and a lifetime to ponder.


Improbable Destinies

Improbable Destinies

Author: Jonathan B. Losos

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2017-08-08

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0399184937

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A major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works Earth’s natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change—a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze—caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary flukes? And what does that say about life on other planets? Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be. Improbable Destinies will change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos.


Cosmic Evolution

Cosmic Evolution

Author: Eric J. Chaisson

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2001-02-16

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0674009878

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Chaisson addresses some of the most basic issues we can contemplate: the origin of matter and the origin of life, and the ways matter, life, and radiation interact and change with time. He designs for us an expansive yet intricate model depicting the origin and evolution of all material structures.


Evolution and the Big Questions

Evolution and the Big Questions

Author: David N. Stamos

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-02-11

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1405149027

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Evolution and the Big Questions “David N. Stamos’s Evolution and the Big Questions delivers what its title promises—you get to look at all of the issues, such as race and ethics and religion, that make the study of evolution so interesting, and more than just a science. The book is written in a clear and friendly manner and deserves a very wide readership.” Michael Ruse, Florida State University This provocative text considers whether evolutionary explanations can be used to clarify some of life’s biggest questions. It offers a lively, informative, and timely look at a wide variety of key issues facing all of us today—including questions of race, sex, gender, the nature of language, religion, ethics, knowledge, consciousness, and, ultimately, thc meaning of life. Some of the questions examined are: Did evolution make men and women fundamentally different? Is the concept of race merely a social construction? Is morality, including universal human rights, a mass delusion? Can religion and evolution really be harmonized? Docs evolution render life meaningless? Designed for students and anyone with an interest in the relationship between evolutionary heritage and human nature, the text takes an interdisciplinary approach and offers direction for further reading and research. Each chapter presents a main topic, together with discussion of related ideas and arguments from various perspectives. Along the way, it poses life’s biggest questions, pulling no punches, and presenting a challenge to thinkers on all levels.


Evolution Revolution

Evolution Revolution

Author: Robert Winston

Publisher: DK Children

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781465451378

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Explores the history of evolution and the evolution of the future.


The Big Questions in Science and Religion

The Big Questions in Science and Religion

Author: Keith Ward

Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press

Published: 2008-05

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1599471353

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The Big Questions in Science and Religion explores these ten queries to determine whether religious beliefs can survive in the scientific age. Author Keith Ward, an expert in the field of world religions, devotes a full chapter to each question, wherein he considers concepts from Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity, alongside the speculations of cosmologists, physicians, mathematicians, and philosophers.