A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love

A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love
Richard Dawkins (Author)
(66)

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The first collection of essays from renowned scientist and best-selling author Richard Dawkins.

 

Richard Dawkins's essays are an enthusiastic testament to the power of rigorous, scientific examination, and they span many different corners of his personal and professional life. He revisits the meme, the unit of cultural information that he named and wrote about in his groundbreaking work The Selfish Gene. He makes moving tributes to friends and colleagues, including a eulogy for novelist Douglas Adams; he shares correspondence with the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould; and he visits with the famed paleoanthropologists Richard and Maeve Leakey at their African wildlife preserve. He concludes the essays with a vivid note to his ten-year-old daughter, reminding her to remain curious, to ask questions, and to live the examined life.

• Rank: #189363 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.27" h x 5.75" w x .68" l, .61 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You: A Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World

Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You: A Lively Tour Through the Dark Side of the Natural World
Dan Riskin Ph.D. (Author)

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It may be a wonderful world, but as Dan Riskin (cohost of Discovery Canada’s Daily Planet) explains, it’s also a dangerous, disturbing, and disgusting one. At every turn, it seems, living things are trying to eat us, poison us, use our bodies as their homes, or have us spread their eggs. In Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You, Riskin is our guide through the natural world at its most gloriously ruthless.

Using the seven deadly sins as a road map, Riskin offers dozens of jaw-dropping examples that illuminate how brutal nature can truly be. From slothful worms that hide in your body for up to thirty years to wrathful snails with poisonous harpoons that can kill you in less than five minutes to lustful ducks that have orgasms faster than you can blink, these fascinating accounts reveal the candid truth about “gentle” Mother Nature’s true colors.

Riskin’s passion for the strange and his enthusiastic expertise bring Earth’s most fascinating flora and fauna into vivid focus. Through his adventures— which include sliding on his back through a thick soup of bat guano just to get face-to-face with a vampire bat, befriending a parasitic maggot that has taken root on his head, and coming to grips with having offspring of his own—Riskin makes unexpected discoveries not just about the world all around us but also about the ways this brutal world has shaped us as humans and what our responsibilities are to this terrible, wonderful planet we call home.

• Rank: #1559140 in Books
• Published on: 2014-03-04
• Released on: 2014-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .0 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Precambrian Evolution of the North China Craton

Precambrian Evolution of the North China Craton
Guochun Zhao (Author)

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The North China Craton is one of the oldest cratonic blocks in the world, containing rocks as old as 3.85 billion years. Focusing on Neoarchean mantle plumes and Paleoproterozoic plate tectonics, this book combines the results from modern geological research to provide you with a detailed synthesis of the geology, structure, and evolution of the North China Craton. It will be of value to anyone interested in the evolution of cratonic blocks and Precambrian geology as well as geoscientists interested in applying tectonic models to other cratonic blocks globally. This work will also be of interest to geologists concerned with the problems of structure and evolution of the Precambrian continents and supercontinents.

• The first book to apply mantle plume and plate tectonics models to understanding the Neoarchean accretion and Paleoproterozoic amalgamation of a craton
• Features more than 75 geologic maps, illustrations, diagrams, and microphotographs depicting the progressive stages of the North China Craton's Precambrian evolution
• Authored by one of the world's foremost experts in cratonic evolution and mantle plume and plate tectonic modeling

• Rank: #871185 in Books
• Published on: 2013-12-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .0 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 150 pages

Evolutionary Ecology (6th Edition)

Evolutionary Ecology (6th Edition)
Eric R. Pianka (Author)
(2)

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This classic text presents a unique evolutionary approach to ecology. The entire text has been improved, updated, and extensively reorganized and a new chapter (16) has been added. The Sixth Edition reflects the extent to which humans now dominate ecosystems, with anthropogenic (human) effects interwoven into every chapter.

• Rank: #35979 in Books
• Published on: 1999-12-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.36" h x 6.42" w x 1.00" l, 1.69 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Lucy's Legacy: Sex and Intelligence in Human Evolution

Lucy's Legacy: Sex and Intelligence in Human Evolution
Alison Jolly (Author)
(9)

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Alison Jolly believes that biologists have an important story to tell about being human--not the all-too-familiar tale of selfishness, competition, and biology as destiny but rather one of cooperation and interdependence, from the first merging of molecules to the rise of a species inextricably linked by language, culture, and group living. This is the story that unfolds in Lucy's Legacy, the saga of human evolution as told by a world-renowned primatologist who works among the female-dominant ringtailed lemurs of Madagascar.

We cannot be certain that Lucy was female--the bones themselves do not tell us. However, we do know, as Jolly points out in this erudite, funny, and informative book, that the females who came after Lucy--more adept than their males in verbal facility, sharing food, forging links between generations, migrating among places and groups, and devising creative mating strategies--played as crucial a role in the human evolutionary process as "man" ever did. In a book that takes us from the first cell to global society, Jolly shows us that to learn where we came from and where we go next, we need to understand how sex and intelligence, cooperation and love, emerged from the harsh Darwinian struggle in the past, and how these natural powers may continue to evolve in the future.

• Rank: #930616 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-31
• Released on: 2001-06-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.13" h x 6.06" w x 1.38" l, 1.59 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes

The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes
Christopher Wills (Author)
(6)

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In this magnificently illustrated book, Christopher Wills takes us on a series of adventures. From the underwater life of Indonesia's Lambeh Strait to a little valley in northern Israel, to an earthquake in the coral reef off the island of Yap and the dry valleys of western Mongolia, Wills demonstrates how ecology and evolution have interacted to yield the world we live in.

Each chapter features a different location and brings out a different and important message. With the author's own stunning photographs of the wildlife he discovered on his travels, he draws out the evolutionary stories behind the wildlife and shows how our understanding of the living world can be deepened by a Darwinian perspective. Wills demonstrates how looking at the world with evolutionary eyes leaves us with a renewed sense of wonder about life's astounding present-day diversity, along
with an appreciation of our evolutionary history.

• Rank: #43556 in Books
• Published on: 2010-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 10.04" h x 7.17" w x 1.18" l, 2.45 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Darwin in Galapagos:: Footsteps to a New World

Darwin in Galapagos:: Footsteps to a New World
K. Thalia Grant (Author), Gregory B. Estes (Author)
(6)

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In 1835, during his voyage on HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin spent several weeks in Galápagos exploring the islands and making extensive notes on their natural history. Darwin in Galápagos is the first book to recreate Darwin's historic visit to the islands, following in his footsteps day by day and island by island as he records all that he observes around him.

Thalia Grant and Gregory Estes meticulously retrace Darwin's island expeditions, taking you on an unforgettable guided tour. Drawing from Darwin's original notebooks and logs from the Beagle, the latest findings by Darwin scholars and modern science, and their own intimate knowledge of the archipelago, Grant and Estes offer rare insights into Darwin's thinking about evolution in the context of the actual locales that inspired him. They introduce Darwin as a young naturalist in England and onboard the Beagle and then put you in his shoes as he explores remote places in the islands. They identify the unique animals and plants he observed and collected, and describe dramatic changes to the islands since Darwin's time. They also explore the importance of Darwin's observations and collections to the development of his thinking after the voyage.

Ideal for visitors to Galápagos and a delight for armchair travelers, Darwin in Galápagos is generously illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs and line drawings, as well as detailed maps of Darwin's island itinerary and informative box features on the archipelago's natural history.

• Rank: #262300 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Princeton University Press
• Published on: 2009-11-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.86" h x 6.02" w x 1.10" l, 1.65 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 440 pages

• Used Book in Good Condition

The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature

The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature
Geoffrey Miller (Author)
(62)

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At once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience, The Mating Mind marks the arrival of a prescient and provocative new science writer. Psychologist Geoffrey Miller offers the most convincing–and radical–explanation for how and why the human mind evolved.

Consciousness, morality, creativity, language, and art: these are the traits that make us human. Scientists have traditionally explained these qualities as merely a side effect of surplus brain size, but Miller argues that they were sexual attractors, not side effects. He bases his argument on Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, which until now has played second fiddle to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, and draws on ideas and research from a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, history, and pop culture. Witty, powerfully argued, and continually thought-provoking, The Mating Mind is a landmark in our understanding of our own species.

• Rank: #215707 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-17
• Released on: 2001-04-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 7.87" h x 5.12" w x .98" l, .92 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution

The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution
Sean B. Carroll (Author)
(72)

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DNA evidence not only solves crimes—in Sean Carroll's hands it will now end the Evolution Wars.

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. 50 black-and-white illustrations and 8 pages of color

• Rank: #31764 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.49" h x 6.26" w x .98" l, 1.30 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Evolution: The Grand Experiment: Vol. 2 - Living Fossils

Evolution: The Grand Experiment: Vol. 2 - Living Fossils
Dr. Carl Werner (Author), Carla Azzara (Editor), Laura Welch (Editor), Alon Prunty (Editor), Adriana Naylor (Illustrator), Debbie Werner (Photographer)
(21)

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In 1938 the discovery of a large, unusual fish turned the scientific community on end. Dubbed a living fossil, the discovery of a coelacanth in South Africa shocked scientists around the world who thought this type of fish had died out millions of years prior during the process of evolution. Living fossils are organisms found preserved in the fossil record, which still exist in similar form today. If the core concepts of the theory of evolution presuppose change over time, then how can these living fossils exist for millions of years remaining virtually unchanged? Whether a shark, leaf, or crab, living fossils are a challenge for evolutionary theorists and create a fascinating debate among scholars. Do they indicate a younger earth than thought, placing the millions of years timeline of evolution in question? Or do they represent a deep mystery Evolution: The Grand Experiment, Vol 2 - Living Fossils delves into these provocative questions and more. A fact-filled learning adventure as Dr. Werner takes you around the world on a unique scientific expedition from remote dig sites and museums to the Australian Rainforest and more. How do living fossils impact one of the most controversial debates of our time - creation vs. evolution? Filled with 700 color photographs and presented in an easy-to-read format.

• Rank: #24159 in Books
• Brand: Brand: New Leaf Publishing Group/New Leaf Press
• Published on: 2009-03-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .10" h x .85" w x 1.11" l, 3.00 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 274 pages

• Used Book in Good Condition

At the Water's Edge : Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea

At the Water's Edge : Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea
Carl Zimmer (Author)
(24)

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Everybody Out of the Pond
At the Water's Edge will change the way you think about your place in the world. The awesome journey of life's transformation from the first microbes 4 billion years ago to Homo sapiens today is an epic that we are only now beginning to grasp. Magnificent and bizarre, it is the story of how we got here, what we left behind, and what we brought with us.
We all know about evolution, but it still seems absurd that our ancestors were fish. Darwin's idea of natural selection was the key to solving generation-to-generation evolution -- microevolution -- but it could only point us toward a complete explanation, still to come, of the engines of macroevolution, the transformation of body shapes across millions of years. Now, drawing on the latest fossil discoveries and breakthrough scientific analysis, Carl Zimmer reveals how macroevolution works. Escorting us along the trail of discovery up to the current dramatic research in paleontology, ecology, genetics, and embryology, Zimmer shows how scientists today are unveiling the secrets of life that biologists struggled with two centuries ago.
In this book, you will find a dazzling, brash literary talent and a rigorous scientific sensibility gracefully brought together. Carl Zimmer provides a comprehensive, lucid, and authoritative answer to the mystery of how nature actually made itself.

• Rank: #24055 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-08
• Released on: 1999-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.62" h x 5.43" w x .74" l, .61 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Billions of Missing Links: A Rational Look at the Mysteries Evolution Can't Explain

Billions of Missing Links: A Rational Look at the Mysteries Evolution Can't Explain
Geoffrey Simmons (Author)
(28)

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Dr. Geoffrey Simmons focuses on the millions of structures and systems on the Earth that came about all at once, entire...with no preceding links, no subsequent links, no "sideways" links.

To illustrate, he surveys examples like...

• the hummingbird and its circulatory system
• insects and insect-eating plants
• the role of the thousands of species of viruses
• chemical signals and the sensory apparatus that detects them
• the self-regulating capacity of the Earth's ocean/air/soil system

It's clear: Nature containsonly leaps, not links. Only the intelligence and purpose of an all-powerful Designer can explain the intricate creatures, connections, and "coincidences" everywhere.

Excellent for students and parents, especially homeschoolers, and for educators who want to present the "full picture."

• Rank: #22534 in eBooks
• Published on: 2007-02-15
• Released on: 2007-02-15
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1

The Call of Distant Mammoths: Why the Ice Age Mammals Disappeared

The Call of Distant Mammoths: Why the Ice Age Mammals Disappeared
Peter D. Ward (Author)
(12)

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To help us understand what happened during the Ice Age, Peter Ward takes us on a tour of other mass extinctions through earth's history. He presents a compelling account of the great comet crash that killed off the dinosaurs, and describes other extinctions that were even more extensive. In so doing, he introduces us to a profound paradigm shift now taking place in paleontology: rather than arising from the gradual workings of everyday forces, all mass extinctions are due to unique, catastrophic events. Written with an irresistible combination of passion and expertise, The Call of Distant Mammoths is an engaging exploration of the history of life and the importance of humanity as an evolutionary force.
"Carefully argued...an intelligent and compelling book."-THE OLYMPIAN, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
"Ward deftly summarizes a large body of scientific literature, simplifying complex ideas for the general reader without condescension."-PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Did the overkill really happen?...Peter Ward deftly summarizes the arguments...Ward tells (the story) well."-THE NEW SCIENTIST

• Rank: #1958424 in Books
• Published on: 1998-11-01
• Released on: 2013-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.25" h x 6.26" w x .77" l, .91 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 241 pages

What Darwin Didn't Know: A Doctor Dissects the Theory of Evolution

What Darwin Didn't Know: A Doctor Dissects the Theory of Evolution
Geoffrey Simmons (Author)
(27)

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Endorsed by William Dembski, Ph.D., the scientist at the forefront of the intelligent–design movement.

Darwin might have thought twice about publishing his theories if he had had access to today’s medical and microbiological discoveries. Drawing on years of research, Dr. Simmons demonstrates that the almost infinite complexity of the human anatomy simply could not have developed by chance. For example:

• the body runs on “battery power”...from the hundreds of mitochondria in each cell
• the two sexes—evolutionary theory cannot explain why they exist
• every cell is its own pharmacist, chemist, and metallurgist

Accessible, clearly presented, and utterly fascinating, What Darwin Didn’t Know shows the human body to be a marvelous system constructed by an infinitely wise Designer.

• Rank: #17264 in eBooks
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Released on: 2004-01-01
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1

Evolution in the Dark: Adaptation of Drosophila in the Laboratory (SpringerBriefs in Biology)

Evolution in the Dark: Adaptation of Drosophila in the Laboratory (SpringerBriefs in Biology)
Naoyuki Fuse (Author), Tasuku Kitamura (Author), Takashi Haramura (Author), Kentaro Arikawa (Author), Michio Imafuku (Author)

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How organisms come to possess adaptive traits is a fundamental question for evolutionary biology. Although it is almost impossible to demonstrate evolution in the laboratory, this issue can be approached by using an unusual organism, “Dark-fly”: Drosophila melanogaster kept in complete darkness for 57 years through 1,400 generations, which corresponds to 28,000 years in terms of human generations. Has Dark-fly adapted to an environment of total darkness? If so, what is the molecular nature of the adaptation? In Evolution in the Dark, the remarkable findings from the Dark-fly project performed at Kyoto University are presented. It was found that Dark-fly did not have poor eyesight, but rather exhibited higher phototaxis ability and displayed lengthened bristles on the head that function as tactile receptors. Circadian rhythms were weakened but still retained in Dark-fly. With recent progress in genome science enabling researchers to perform whole genome sequencing for Dark-fly, a large number of mutations were identified including genes encoding a light receptor, olfactory receptors, and enzymes involved in neural development. The Dark-fly project is a simple but very long-term experiment. Combined with advanced techniques in genetics and genomics, it is a valuable tool for understanding the molecular nature of adaptive evolution.

• Rank: #295594 in Books
• Published on: 2013-09-24
• Released on: 2013-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .0 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 60 pages

Evolutionary Analysis

Evolutionary Analysis
Scott Freeman (Author), Jon C. Herron (Author)
(29)

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By presenting evolutionary biology as an ongoing research effort, this best-seller aims to help readers think like scientists. The authors convey the excitement and logic of evolutionary science by introducing principles through recent and classical studies, and by emphasizing real-world applications. Features a new chapter on Phylogenomics and the Molecular Basis of Adaptation (Ch. 15). Offers an earlier presentation of Reconstructing Evolutionary Trees, reflecting the growing importance of this topic in the field. Includes the latest research and examples, giving students access to the most current developments in the field. Includes full-color photographs, diagrams and data-graphics throughout, developed by the author. Undergraduate courses in evolution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Rank: #10321 in Books
• Brand: Unknown
• Published on: 2007-01-07
• Ingredients: Example Ingredients
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 10.87" h x 1.34" w x 8.50" l, 4.32 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 800 pages

Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach, Ninth Edition

Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach, Ninth Edition
John Alcock (Author)
(16)

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This new edition of Animal Behavior has once again been thoroughly rewritten with coverage of much recent work in animal behavior, while retaining the many successful features of previous editions. The writing style is clear and engaging; the book is well illustrated with many new photographs; and the discussion questions are embedded in the text to encourage the development of problem-solving skills of students. This now-classic text continues to offer a balanced treatment of the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary bases of behavior with a focus on the importance of evolutionary theory for the unification of the different behavioral disciplines.

• Rank: #14045 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Sinauer Associates, Inc.
• Published on: 2009-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 10.83" h x 9.02" w x .0" l, 1.10 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 546 pages

• Used Book in Good Condition

Advances in Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Advances in Evolutionary Developmental Biology
J. Streelman (Editor)

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Providing outstanding breadth of coverage in evo-devo, Advances in Evolutionary Developmental Biology provides a comprehensive review of the milestones of research in evolution and development and outlines the exciting research agenda for the field going forward. Compiling the viewpoints of a diverse group of field experts, this timely text expands the now-mature science of evo-devo into more complex areas of research. This essential reference is destined to become the go-to source for ideas and hypotheses for a new generation of graduate students in evolutionary and developmental biology.

• Rank: #2718469 in Books
• Published on: 2013-10-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .0 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 264 pages