Icons of Evolution


Book Description

Everything you were taught about evolution is wrong.




Understanding Evolution


Book Description

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




Gene Sharing and Evolution


Book Description

In Gene Sharing and Evolution Piatigorsky explores the generality and implications of gene sharing throughout evolution and argues that most if not all proteins perform a variety of functions in the same and in different species, and that this is a fundamental necessity for evolution.




Classification and Human Evolution


Book Description

The names given to the variety of man-like fossils known to scientists should reflect no more than scientific views of the nature of human evolution. However, often in the past these names have also reflected confusion regarding the basic principles of scientific nomenclature; and the matter has been further complicated by the many new finds of recent decades. It is the unique purpose of this book to clarify the present state of knowledge regarding the main lines of human evolution by expressing what is known (and what is surmised) about them in appropriate taxonomic language.The papers in this volume were prepared by the world's leading authorities on the subject, and were revised in the light of discussions at a remarkable conference held in Austria in 1962 under the auspices of the Wenner-Gren Foundation. The authors review first the meaning of taxonomic statements as such, and then consider the substance of our present knowledge regarding the number and characteristics of species among living and extinct primates, including man and his ancestors. They also examine the relationship of behavior changes and selection pressures in evolutionary sequences.Ample illustrations, bibliographies and an index enhance the permanent reference value of the book, which will undoubtedly prove to be among the fundamental paleoanthropological works of our time.




The Evolution Delusion


Book Description

Does the field of evolution differ from other sciences? The author, a reviewer for a major medical journal, scrutinized hundreds of scientific references in evolutionary literature, adopting the same standards used for studies submitted for medical publication. The data show that there are two types of evolution, microevolution and macroevolution, with a clear boundary between them based upon the presence and absence of empirical evidence, respectively. The surprising results show that there is a universal disconnect between the data and the conclusions that claim to show the larger changes of macroevolution. The author reveals patterns of deviations from standard scientific methods in these studies. For the first time, evolutionary data have been summarized to describe both what evolution can and cannot accomplish. The author shows the reader how to recognize the different ways in which the evidence for microevolution within and between some species differs from the unsupported macroevolution of most species. Previous critiques of macroevolution have been debunked by advocates who have cited a multitude of scientific studies. This book goes beyond previous critiques by directly addressing the data from these studies to see if they do, in fact, support macroevolution-focused conclusions. Many expert counterarguments against this book’s thesis are presented and examined in the context of scientific research to reassure the reader that the author has left no stone unturned in the macroevolution debate. A theory is proposed as to why there may be no empirical evidence for macroevolution. The book concludes with a section entitled “What we see differently.” There, the author shows the reader the differences in perspective between the evolutionist and macroevolution critic as they look at and interpret the very same set of data.




The Seductions of Darwin


Book Description

The surge of evolutionary and neurological analyses of art and its effects raises questions of how art, culture, and the biological sciences influence one another, and what we gain in applying scientific methods to the interpretation of artwork. In this insightful book, Matthew Rampley addresses these questions by exploring key areas where Darwinism, neuroscience, and art history intersect. Taking a scientific approach to understanding art has led to novel and provocative ideas about its origins, the basis of aesthetic experience, and the nature of research into art and the humanities. Rampley’s inquiry examines models of artistic development, the theories and development of aesthetic response, and ideas about brain processes underlying creative work. He considers the validity of the arguments put forward by advocates of evolutionary and neuroscientific analysis, as well as its value as a way of understanding art and culture. With the goal of bridging the divide between science and culture, Rampley advocates for wider recognition of the human motivations that drive inquiry of all types, and he argues that our engagement with art can never be encapsulated in a single notion of scientific knowledge. Engaging and compelling, The Seductions of Darwin is a rewarding look at the identity and development of art history and its complicated ties to the world of scientific thought.




The Assumptions Behind the Theory of Evolution


Book Description

The foundation of evolutionary theory consists solidly of numerous unwarranted and illegitimate assumptions, many of which are antagonistic to the facts of nature. These assumptions are taught to the public as codified facts of science, when they exist only as "what if's." The author addresses these issues as well as the philosophical roots of this scientific movement that push the theory along, keeping it "alive" by less than scientific means. He exposes the farce that a false philosophy - not science - keeps alive. Most of the arguments for Intelligent Design are covered as well as many more ID doesn't cover. The author also covers various "games" that evolutionary theorists like to play in their efforts to make evolutionary theory seem scientific. He covers "equivocation" (switching the meanings of words around to fit one's means to an end), especially the four different meanings of the word "evolution" utilized by evolutionists to confuse the issue. Before long, anyone caught up into a debate with an evolutionist must concede because of these perfidious tactics. According to one scientist, this is an "excellent book...It promises to be a very important book in this area (referring to the creation vs. evolution controversy)." Dr. Jerry Bergman, M.S., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.A., M.S.B.S.




Evolution of the Human Diet


Book Description

We are interested in the evolution of hominin diets for several reasons. One is the fundamental concern over our present-day eating habits and the consequences of our societal choices, such as obesity prevalent in some cultures and starvation in others. Another is that humans have learned to feed themselves in extremely varied environments, and these adaptations, which are fundamentally different from those of our closest biological relatives, have to have had historical roots of varying depth. The third, and the reason why most paleoanthropologists are interested in this question, is that a species' trophic level and feeding adaptations can have a strong effect on body size, locomotion, "life history strategies", geographic range, habitat choice, and social behavior. Diet is key to understanding the ecology and evolution of our distant ancestors and their kin, the early hominins. A study of the range of foods eaten by our progenitors underscores just how unhealthy many of our diets are today. This volume brings together authorities from disparate fields to offer new insights into the diets of our ancestors. Paleontologists, archaeologists, primatologists, nutritionists and other researchers all contribute pieces to the puzzle. This volume has at its core four main sections: · Reconstructed diets based on hominin fossils--tooth size, shape, structure, wear, and chemistry, mandibular biomechanics · Archaeological evidence of subsistence--stone tools and modified bones · Models of early hominin diets based on the diets of living primates--both human and non-human, paleoecology, and energetics · Nutritional analyses and their implications for evolutionary medicine New techniques for gleaning information from fossil teeth, bones, and stone tools, new theories stemming from studies of paleoecology, and new models coming from analogy with modern humans and other primates all contribute to our understanding. When these approaches are brought together, they offer an impressive glimpse into the lives of our distant ancestors. The contributions in this volume explore the frontiers of our knowledge in each of these disciplines as they address the knowns, the unknowns, and the unknowables of the evolution of hominin diets.