The Evolutionary Problem as it is Today
Author : Bertram Coghill Alan Windle
Publisher :
Page : 80 pages
File Size : 42,58 MB
Release : 1927
Category : Evolution
ISBN :
Evolution in the Here and Now
Author : Nigel Barber
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 32,9 MB
Release : 2020-05-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 1633886190
Book Description
This book argues that the two most influential theories on modern human behavior, cultural determinism and evolutionary psychology, are quite inadequate. Cultural deterministic theories deny personal experience and too often fall prey to anthropocentric bias. Most evolutionary psychologists argue that humans are shaped to fit our ancestral past, effectively freezing us in time. Evolution in the Here and Now looks to new factors like social learning and adaptation to explain the idiosyncrasies of human behavior in a more complete and nuanced way. Evolutionary psychologist Nigel Barber shows that human behavior is uniquely crafted by the surrounding environment in underappreciated and surprising ways. For example, commerce and agriculture can be interpreted as adaptive alternatives to hunting and gathering. Irrigated farming was a response to land scarcity, which ultimately permitted the rise of early cities. This cross-discliplinary approach unites the missing ingredients that have for so long impeded our understanding of our own species and its variation across cultures. Evolution in the Here and Now is a bold step forward in the evolutionary understanding of human behavior that marries our biology with our history in ways that have never been attempted before.
Evolution Gone Wrong
Author : Alex Bezzerides
Publisher : Harlequin
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 15,61 MB
Release : 2021-05-18
Category : Health & Fitness
ISBN : 1488075859
Book Description
“An unforgettable journey through this twisted miracle of evolution we call ‘our body.’” —Spike Carlsen, author of A Walk Around the Block From blurry vision to crooked teeth, ACLs that tear at alarming rates and spines that seem to spend a lifetime falling apart, it’s a curious thing that human beings have beaten the odds as a species. After all, we’re the only survivors on our branch of the tree of life. The flaws in our makeup raise more than a few questions, and this detailed foray into the many twists and turns of our ancestral past includes no shortage of curiosity and humor to find the answers. Why is it that human mothers have such a life-endangering experience giving birth? Why are there entire medical specialties for teeth and feet? And why is it that human babies can’t even hold their heads up, but horses are trotting around minutes after they’re born? In this funny, wide-ranging and often surprising book, biologist Alex Bezzerides tells us just where we inherited our adaptable, achy, brilliant bodies in the process of evolution.
The Problems of Evolution
Author : Mark Ridley
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 47,18 MB
Release : 1985
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN :
Book Description
Is evolution true? If so, what is the force that drives it? Can natural selection account for so complex an organ as the eye--or is Darwin's theory merely what an eminent nineteenth-century astronomer call 'the law of higgledy-piggledy'? Is molecular evolution a random process? What is the real relationship between the theory of evolution and biological classification? Why do living things appear to come to recognizable units called species, and how can one species split into two? Does evolution proceed gradually, or in jerks? What causes the grand patterns of change in the fossil record?
A Most Interesting Problem
Author : Jeremy DeSilva
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 20,40 MB
Release : 2022-11-29
Category : Science
ISBN : 0691242062
Book Description
Leading scholars take stock of Darwin's ideas about human evolution in the light of modern science In 1871, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man, a companion to Origin of Species in which he attempted to explain human evolution, a topic he called "the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist." A Most Interesting Problem brings together twelve world-class scholars and science communicators to investigate what Darwin got right—and what he got wrong—about the origin, history, and biological variation of humans. Edited by Jeremy DeSilva and with an introduction by acclaimed Darwin biographer Janet Browne, A Most Interesting Problem draws on the latest discoveries in fields such as genetics, paleontology, bioarchaeology, anthropology, and primatology. This compelling and accessible book tackles the very subjects Darwin explores in Descent, including the evidence for human evolution, our place in the family tree, the origins of civilization, human races, and sex differences. A Most Interesting Problem is a testament to how scientific ideas are tested and how evidence helps to structure our narratives about human origins, showing how some of Darwin's ideas have withstood more than a century of scrutiny while others have not. A Most Interesting Problem features contributions by Janet Browne, Jeremy DeSilva, Holly Dunsworth, Agustín Fuentes, Ann Gibbons, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Brian Hare, John Hawks, Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Kristina Killgrove, Alice Roberts, and Michael J. Ryan.
Evolution
Author : Brian Charlesworth
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 169 pages
File Size : 25,63 MB
Release : 2017
Category : Science
ISBN : 0198804369
Book Description
This text is about the central role of evolution in shaping the nature and diversity of the living world. It describes the processes of natural selection, how adaptations arise, and how new species form, as well as summarizing the evidence for evolution
Evolutionaries
Author : Carter Phipps
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 291 pages
File Size : 28,64 MB
Release : 2012-06-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0062100602
Book Description
“Carter Phipps brilliantly expands our understanding of evolution by showing us that a new science is emerging—one that will holistically integrate our understanding of consciousness, cosmology, and evolution.” —Deepak Chopra Blending cutting-edge ideas with incisive spiritual insights, Evolutionaries is the first popular presentation of an emerging school of thought called “evolutionary spirituality.” Carter Phipps, the former executive editor of EnlightenNext magazine, asserts that evolution is not only a scientific but also a spiritual idea in a book whose message has the power to bring new meaning and purpose to life as we know it. Readers will be fascinated and enlightened by Evolutionaries, a book which Deepak Chopra, the world-renowned author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes, Jesus, and Buddha, says “is going to help create a worldview that will influence our vision of the future direction of evolution and also our role in consciously participating in it.”
The Evolution of Cooperation
Author : Robert Axelrod
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 44,48 MB
Release : 2009-04-29
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0786734884
Book Description
A famed political scientist's classic argument for a more cooperative world We assume that, in a world ruled by natural selection, selfishness pays. So why cooperate? In The Evolution of Cooperation, political scientist Robert Axelrod seeks to answer this question. In 1980, he organized the famed Computer Prisoners Dilemma Tournament, which sought to find the optimal strategy for survival in a particular game. Over and over, the simplest strategy, a cooperative program called Tit for Tat, shut out the competition. In other words, cooperation, not unfettered competition, turns out to be our best chance for survival. A vital book for leaders and decision makers, The Evolution of Cooperation reveals how cooperative principles help us think better about everything from military strategy, to political elections, to family dynamics.
The Evolving World
Author : David P. Mindell
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 10,34 MB
Release : 2009-07-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 0674041089
Book Description
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.
Creative Evolutionary Systems
Author : David W. Corne
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 617 pages
File Size : 25,96 MB
Release : 2001-07-25
Category : Computers
ISBN : 0080503373
Book Description
The use of evolution for creative problem solving is one of the most exciting and potentially significant areas in computer science today. Evolutionary computation is a way of solving problems, or generating designs, using mechanisms derived from natural evolution. This book concentrates on applying important ideas in evolutionary computation to creative areas, such as art, music, architecture, and design. It shows how human interaction, new representations, and approaches such as open-ended evolution can extend the capabilities of evolutionary computation from optimization of existing solutions to innovation and the generation of entirely new and original solutions. This book takes a fresh look at creativity, exploring what it is and how the actions of evolution can resemble it. Examples of novel evolved solutions are presented in a variety of creative disciplines. The editors have compiled contributions by leading researchers in each discipline. If you are a savvy and curious computing professional, a computer-literate artist, musician or designer, or a specialist in evolutionary computation and its applications, you will find this a fascinating survey of the most interesting work being done in the area today.* Explores the use of evolutionary computation to generate novel creations including contemporary melodies, photo-realistic faces, jazz music in collaboration with a human composer, architectural designs, working electronic circuits, novel aircraft maneuvers, two- and three-dimensional art, and original proteins.* Presents resulting designs in black-and-white and color illustrations.* Includes a twin-format audio/CD-ROM with evolved music and hands-on activities for the reader, including evolved images, animations, and source-code related to the text.* Describes in full the methods used so that readers with sufficient skill and interest can replicate the work and extend it.* Is written for a general computer science audience, providing coherent and unified treatment across multiple disciplines.
