Evolution / Evolutionary biology Books

Book SynopsisIn 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. In this bedrock of biology books Darwin carved a new origin-story for all life: evolution rather than creation. In his new biography J. David Archibald describes and analyses Darwin’s prodigious body of work, as well as his equally productive home life – he lived with his wife and seven children in the hectic environs of Down House, south of London. There among his family and friends Darwin continued to experiment and write many more books on orchids, sex, emotions, and earthworms until his death in 1882, when he was honoured with burial at Westminster Abbey. This is a fresh, up-to-date account of the life and work of a most remarkable man.Trade ReviewDon’t let the slender stature of this book fool you. This is a powerful and authoritative guide to the complex and often misrepresented life and work of Charles Darwin. J. David Archibald has mastered the sources and takes his readers on an extraordinary journey. – John van Wyhe, historian of science, Director of Darwin Online

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Book SynopsisLandscapes of Human Evolution is an edited volume in honour of John Gowlett. John has a wide range of research interests primarily focused on the human genus Homo, and is a world leader in understanding the cognitive and behavioural preconditions necessary for the emergence of complex behaviours such as language and art. John is also a leader in investigating the early history of fire use and control in relation to social action and hominin communication. Landscapes of Human Evolution seeks to mirror John’s research profile and explores some of the most recent thinking regarding human evolution from the biological and cognitive development of our human ancestors, to the behavioural adaptations necessary to survive changing Pleistocene landscapes and environments. Specifically, Landscapes of Human Evolution focuses on the development of large hominin brains and bipedal locomotion; hominin interactions with landscape; and the amplification of complex hominin behaviours and social structures from the control of fire through to changing lithic technologies. Such an overview of the development of human ancestral species from a biological, cognitive, social, and behavioural perspective is particularly timely given the many recent advances in our understanding of the complexities of human evolution.Trade Review'... some excellent contributions and a worthy homage to the continuing career of one of the discipline’s true 'master craftsmen'. - Dave Underhill (2020): Azania: Archaeological Research in AfricaTable of ContentsForeword - James Cole, John McNabb, Matt Grove and Rob Hosfield ; A Good Man in Africa: John Gowlett’s Writings on Africa and its Hominin Archaeology from the late 1970s to the early 2000s - John McNabb ; Brain Size Evolution in the Hominin Clade - Andrew Du and Bernard Wood ; Australopithecus or Homo? The postcranial evidence - Robin H. Crompton ; Evolutionary Diversity and Adaptation in Early Homo - Alan Bilsborough and Bernard Wood ; Rift Dynamics and Archaeological Sites: Acheulean Land Use in Geologically Unstable Settings - Simon Kübler, Geoff Bailey, Stephen Rucina, Maud Devès and Geoffrey C.P. King ; How many handaxes make an Acheulean? A case study from the SHK-Annexe site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania - Ignacio de la Torre and Rafael Mora ; An Acheulian Balancing Act: A Multivariate Examination of Size and Shape in Handaxes from Amanzi Springs, Eastern Cape, South Africa - Matthew V. Caruana and Andy I. R. Herries ; Reflections on Possible Zoomorphic Acheulean bifaces from Southwestern Algeria - Thomas Wynn, Mohamed Sahnouni, Tony Berlant and Claude Douce ; Variable cognition in the evolution of Homo: biology and behaviour in the African Middle Stone Age - Robert A. Foley and Marta Mirazón Lahr ; Initial source evaluation of archaeological obsidian from Middle Stone Age site Kilombe GqJ h3 West 200, Kenya, East Africa - Sally Hoare, Stephen Rucina and John A.J. Gowlett ; The eternal triangle of human evolution - Clive Gamble ; Climate, Fire and the Biogeography of Palaeohominins (Robin I.M. Dunbar) [Open Access: Download] ; Fire, the Hearth (ocak) and Social Life: examples from an Alevi community in Anatolia - David Shankland ; From Specialty to Specialist: a citation analysis of Evolutionary Anthropology, Palaeolithic Archaeology and the work of John Gowlett 1970-2018 - Anthony Sinclair

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Book SynopsisConversations in Human Evolution is an ongoing science communication initiative seeking to explore the breadth and interdisciplinarity of human evolution studies. This volume reports twenty interviews (referred to as ‘conversations’ as they are informal in style) with scholars at the forefront of human evolution research, covering the broad scientific themes of quaternary and archaeological science, Palaeolithic archaeology, biological anthropology and palaeoanthropology, primatology and evolutionary anthropology and evolutionary genetics. This project features academics at various different stages in their careers and from all over the world; in this volume alone, researchers are based at institutions in seven different countries (namely the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States of America, Germany, Denmark, India, and China), covering four continents. Having arisen at the start of the COVID19 pandemic, Conversations in Human Evolution aims to encourage engagement with both human evolutionary studies and the broader socio-political issues that persist within academia, the latter of which is particularly pertinent during this time of global uncertainty. The conversations delve deeply into the study of our species’ evolutionary history through the lens of each sub-discipline, as well as detailing some of the most current advances in research, theory and methods. Overall, Conversations in Human Evolution seeks to bridge the gap between the research and researcher through contextualisation of the science with personal experience and historical reflection.Table of ContentsConversations in Human Evolution – Lucy Timbrell ; Part 1: Quaternary and Archaeological Science ; Enrico Crema ; Felix Riede ; Ben Marwick ; Chris Hunt ; Andy Herries ; Part 2: Palaeolithic Archaeology ; Shanti Pappu ; Michael Petraglia ; Shi-Xia Yang ; John Gowlett ; Eleanor Scerri ; Rob Davies ; Part 3: Biological Anthropology and Palaeoanthropology ; Emma Pomeroy ; Chris Stringer ; Katerina Harvati ; Bernard Wood ; Part 4: Primatology and Evolutionary Anthropology ; Susana Carvalho ; Isabelle Winder ; Fiona Jordan ; Part 5: Evolutionary Genetics ; Eske Willerslev ; Pontus Skoglund

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Book SynopsisOn his death, Arthur Boucot (1924–2017) left an unfinished manuscript in which he surveyed the skeletal, behavioural, and cultural changes that have characterized Homo from its first recognition in the Late Pliocene to the present. The subjects he treated were as varied as the preparation of food for infants, the length of intestines, hafting, plastering, use of flint and metals, the domestication of grains and animals, and the prevalence of parasitic diseases. His text repeatedly notes the difficulties imposed by the enormous gaps in both fossil and archaeological records. Boucot deduced a continuity in basic human behaviours from the Oldowan and Acheulian into modern forms, and made a point of including Neandertals and Denisovans. But he also pointed out that morphological changes in successive species of Homo do not coincide in time with major changes in lithic technologies. Boucot concluded that a quantum evolutionary gap separates hominins from the great apes: that members of our line were sapient and had been using language long before they became sapiens. In his text he also indicates his concern for changes to the environment wrought by human activities. The results of this late-life effort, edited after his death, provide a heavily referenced sourcebook for future workers in diverse fields.Table of ContentsPreface ; Introduction ; Thesis ; First Appearance of ‘New’ Behaviors or New Technologies? ; Taxonomy ; Quantum Evolution ; Data ; Summary ; Skeletal Features ; Soft-Tissue Evidence with Some Skeletal Basis ; Soft-Tissue Evidence Supported by Molecular Information ; Soft Tissue Variables with No Skeletal Evidence ; Behavioral Features ; Physiological Features ; Food Processing ; Sources of Food ; Evidence for Cultivation ; Cooking ; Gathering and Processing Fruits, Seeds, and other Edible Plant Parts ; Hunting and Fishing ; Farming ; Water Resources ; Human-Waste Disposal, Rubbish Disposal, Baths, and Drainage ; Behavioral–Technological Innovations ; Tools and Materials ; Warfare and Interpersonal Violence ; Textiles, Clothing, Basketry, Matting, Wooden Containers ; Property ; Trading and Transport of Materials ; Transportation ; Fire ; Architecture ; Measurements and Numbers ; Scales, Balances, Weights ; Religion ; Care of the Handicapped ; Communication ; Art ; Conclusions ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisConversations in Human Evolution is an ongoing science communication initiative seeking to explore the breadth and interdisciplinarity of human evolution studies. This volume reports another twenty interviews (referred to as ‘conversations’ as they are informal in style) with scholars at the forefront of human evolution research, covering the broad scientific themes of Palaeolithic archaeology, palaeoanthropology and biological anthropology, earth science and palaeoclimatic change, evolutionary anthropology and primatology, and human disease co-evolution. This project features academics at various different stages in their careers and from all over the world; in this volume alone, researchers are based at institutions in eleven different countries (namely Iran, India, the United Kingdom, Greece, Australia, South Africa, the United States of America, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Israel), covering five continents. Having arisen at the start of the COVID19 pandemic, Conversations in Human Evolution aims to encourage engagement with both human evolutionary studies and the broader socio-political issues that persist within academia, the latter of which is particularly pertinent during this time of global uncertainty. The conversations delve deeply into the study of our species’ evolutionary history through the lens of each sub-discipline, as well as detailing some of the most current advances in research, theory and methods. Overall, Conversations in Human Evolution seeks to bridge the gap between the research and researcher through contextualisation of the science with personal experience and historical reflection.Table of ContentsConversations in Human Evolution – Lucy Timbrell ; Part 1: Palaeolithic Archaeology ; Sonia Shidrang ; Ravi Korisettar ; Jennifer French ; Rebecca Wragg Sykes ; Nena Galanidou ; Part 2: Palaeoanthropology and biological anthropology ; Rainer Grün ; Briana Pobiner ; Mirriam Tawane ; Trish Biers ; Tanya Smith ; Rebecca Ackermann ; Part 3: Earth science and palaeoclimatic change ; Rick Potts ; Mark Maslin ; Yoshi Maezumi ; Part 4: Evolutionary anthropology and primatology ; Duncan Stibbard Hawkes ; Ammie Kalan ; Lynne Isbell ; Part 5: Human-disease evolution ; Hila May ; Simon Underdown ; Lluis Quintana-Murci

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the history of life-concepts, with a focus on the vegetable souls of Aristotle, investigating how they were interpreted and eventually replaced by evolutionary biology. Philosophers have long struggled with the relationship between physics, physiology, and psychology, asking questions of organization, purpose, and agency. For two millennia, the vegetable soul, nutrition, and reproduction were commonly used to understand basic life and connect it to “higher” animal and vegetable life. Cartesian dualism and mechanism destroyed this bridge and left biology without an organizing principle until Darwin. Modern biology parallels Aristotelian vegetable life-concepts, but remains incompatible with the animal, rational, subjective, and spiritual life-concepts that developed through the centuries. Recent discoveries call for a second look at Aristotle’s ideas – though not their medieval descendants. Life remains an active, chemical process whose cause, identity, and purpose is self-perpetuation.Trade Review“Life Concepts, Mix (Harvard) provides a comprehensive treatise of the soul, emphasizing nutritive or vegetable souls, from the concept's beginnings with Homer and pre-Socratic philosophers to significant development of the disparate views of Plato and Aristotle. … As a philosophical and theological work, Mix provides a meaningful and engaging account of a deep, enduring subject.” (Z. B. Johnson, Choice, Vol. 56 (8), April, 2019)​Table of Contents1. Vegetable Souls? 2. Greek Life – Psyche and Early Life-Concepts 3. Strangely Moved – Appetitive Souls in Plato 4. Three Causes in One – Biological Explanation in Aristotle 5. Life in Action – Nutritive Souls in Aristotle 6. Plants versus Animals in Hellenistic Thought 7. The Breath of Life – Nephesh in Hebrew Scriptures 8. Life after Life – Spiritual Life in Christianity 9. Invisible Seeds – Life-Concepts in Augustine 10. Aristotle Returns – A Second Medieval Synthesis 11. Life Divided – Vegetable Life in Aquinas 12. Mechanism Displaces the Soul 13. Divided Hopes – Physics versus Metaphysics 14. Ghosts in the Machine – Vitalism 15. The Same and Different – Early Theories of Evolution 16. Vegetable Significance – Evolution by Natural Selection 17. “Vegetables” versus Modern Plants 18. Counting Lives- Regulators and Replicators 19. What Can Be Revived (and What Cannot)

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Book SynopsisIn the context of life sciences, we are constantly confronted with information that possesses precise semantic values and appears essentially immersed in a specific evolutionary trend. In such a framework, Nature appears, in Monod’s words, as a tinkerer characterized by the presence of precise principles of self-organization. However, while Monod was obliged to incorporate his brilliant intuitions into the framework of first-order cybernetics and a theory of information with an exclusively syntactic character such as that defined by Shannon, research advances in recent decades have led not only to the definition of a second-order cybernetics but also to an exploration of the boundaries of semantic information. As H. Atlan states, on a biological level "the function self-organizes together with its meaning". Hence the need to refer to a conceptual theory of complexity and to a theory of self-organization characterized in an intentional sense. There is also a need to introduce, at the genetic level, a distinction between coder and ruler as well as the opportunity to define a real software space for natural evolution. The recourse to non-standard model theory, the opening to a new general semantics, and the innovative definition of the relationship between coder and ruler can be considered, today, among the most powerful theoretical tools at our disposal in order to correctly define the contours of that new conceptual revolution increasingly referred to as metabiology. This book focuses on identifying and investigating the role played by these particular theoretical tools in the development of this new scientific paradigm. Nature "speaks" by means of mathematical forms: we can observe these forms, but they are, at the same time, inside us as they populate our organs of cognition. In this context, the volume highlights how metabiology appears primarily to refer to the growth itself of our instruments of participatory knowledge of the world.Table of ContentsChapter 1: On the verge of life: Looking for a new scientific paradigm.- Chapter 2: Drawing a software space for natural evolution.- Chapter 3: Non-standard models and the "construction" of life.- Chapter 4: Regulatory logic, algorithmic information and general semantics.- Chapter 5: The roots of morphogenesis: notes for a new tale.

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Book SynopsisOther animals are driven to spend essentially their whole lives just trying to get fed, stay alive, and get laid. That’s about it. The same was true for our proto-human ancestors. And modern humans of course also require a Survival Drive and a Sex Drive in order to leave descendants. But today we spend most of our lives mainly just trying to convince ourselves that our existence is not absurd. In What We Are, Queen’s University biologist, Lonnie Aarssen, traces how our biocultural evolution has shaped Homo sapiens into the only creature that refuses to be what it is — the only creature preoccupied with a deeply ingrained, and absurd sentiment: I have a distinct ‘mental life’—an ‘inner self’—that exists separately and apart from ‘material life’, and so, unlike the latter, need not come to an end. This delusion conceivably gave our distant ancestors some wishful thinking for finding some measure of relief from the terrifying, uniquely human knowledge of the eventual loss of corporeal survival. But this came with an impulsive, nagging doubt — an obsessive underlying uncertainty: ‘self-impermanence anxiety’. Biocultural evolution, however, was not finished. It also gave us two additional, uniquely human, primal drives, both serving to help quell the burden of this anxiety. Legacy Drive generates delusional cultural domains for ‘extension’ of self; and Leisure Drive generates pleasurable cultural domains for distraction – ‘escape’ – from self. Legacy Drive and Leisure Drive, Aarssen argues, represent two of the most profound consequences of human cognitive and cultural evolution. What We Are advances propositions regarding how a visceral susceptibility to self-impermanence anxiety has — paradoxically — played a pivotal role in rewarding the reproductive success of our ancestors, and has thus been a driving force in shaping fundamental motivations and cultural norms of modern humans. More than any other milestone in the evolution of human minds, self-impermanence anxiety, and its mitigating Drives for Legacy and Leisure, account for not just the advance of civilization over the past many thousands of years, but also now, its impending collapse. Effective management of this crisis, Aarssen insists, will require a deeper and more broadly public understanding of its Darwinian evolutionary roots — as laid out in What We Are.Table of ContentsChapter 1 What Have We Done? Chapter 2 A Primer on Evolutionary Roots Chapter 3 Becoming Human Chapter 4 Discovery of Self Chapter 5 The March of Progress Chapter 6 Whispering Genes Chapter 7 The Mating Machine Chapter 8 Staying Alive Chapter 9 Escape From Self Chapter 10 Extension of Self Chapter 11 The Big Four Human Drives Chapter 12 Becoming The Solution

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Book SynopsisThis volume describes features of autonomy and integrates them into the recent discussion of factors in evolution. In recent years ideas about major transitions in evolution are undergoing a revolutionary change. They include questions about the origin of evolutionary innovation, their genetic and epigenetic background, the role of the phenotype and of changes in ontogenetic pathways. In the present book, it is argued that it is likewise necessary to question the properties of these innovations and what was qualitatively generated during the macroevolutionary transitions.The author states that a recurring central aspect of macroevolutionary innovations is an increase in individual organismal autonomy whereby it is emancipated from the environment with changes in its capacity for flexibility, self-regulation and self-control of behavior.The first chapters define the concept of autonomy and examine its history and its epistemological context. Later chapters demonstrate how changes in autonomy took place during the major evolutionary transitions and investigate the generation of organs and physiological systems. They synthesize material from various disciplines including zoology, comparative physiology, morphology, molecular biology, neurobiology and ethology. It is argued that the concept is also relevant for understanding the relation of the biological evolution of man to his cultural abilities.Finally the relation of autonomy to adaptation, niche construction, phenotypic plasticity and other factors and patterns in evolution is discussed. The text has a clear perspective from the context of systems biology, arguing that the generation of biological autonomy must be interpreted within an integrative systems approach.Trade Review“The core of Rosslenbroich’s book is a series of chapters examining the evolutionary trajectory of autonomy in more detail, through the lenses of history and function. The depth of the treatment of evidence is remarkable, his command of principles and facts of anatomy and physiology enviable.” (Daniel W. McShea, Biology & Philosophy, Vol. 30 (3), May, 2015)“The volume explores the nature of biological autonomy and its application to understanding major evolutionary trends. … this is an important book that deserves to play a role in the reforming of an updated evolutionary synthesis; it will appeal to evolutionary biologists, philosophers of science, and even zoologists who will accordingly reconsider morphological, anatomical, physiological, and behavioral features of animal life in a new, dynamic context.” (Mark Riegner, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 90 (1), March, 2015)“I recommend the book as a fine blend of thought-provoking holism, built around a conscientious survey of the deeper implications of dynamic systems and process thinking, essential to revise our still-too-static view of biology, and incorporate a mature understanding of autonomy.” (Martin Lockley, Acta Biotheoretica, August, 2014)Table of ContentsWhat is the outcome of evolution?.- The problem of macroevolutionary trends.- The concept of biological autonomy.- The major transitions in early evolution.- The Cambrian explosion and thereafter.- Fluid management in animals.- Reproduction.- Nervous systems and the flexibility of movements.- Endothermy.- The evolution of brains and behavior: is there a trend?.- The evolution of man.- Conclusion and implications.

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Book SynopsisSpontaneous self-cloning or clonality is a widespread phenomenon in the plant kingdom, and has a wide array of ecological and evolutionary implications. This volume is the outcome of an international workshop on clonal plant biology aimed at illustrating current progress and recent developments in the scientific study of clonality in plants. The first section of this book includes a collection of original research articles which demonstrate the wide variety of approaches and scientific challenges linked to clonality in plants. The topics covered in this section include ecological and evolutionary implications of sexual versus asexual propagation, including life-history evolution and sex-ratio dynamics, the importance of internal resource transport and remobilization of storage products for the invasiveness and competitiveness of clonal plants, a survey of clonal growth forms in grassland communities, and studies on the interactions between clonal plants and animals and fungi. The approaches used range from experimental studies on a broad variety of systems to mathematical modeling of clonal growth and its consequences. The second part features discussion and review papers on a diverse array of subjects, ranging from developmental considerations of clonality, principles of selection and evolution in clonal plants, a survey of clonality in algae, to potential implications of clonality for plant mating, and beyond. This part of the volume aims at presenting novel ideas and hypotheses, and at summarizing existing knowledge in previously under-researched areas, thereby providing directions for future research initiatives. This book captures ongoing cutting-edge research in the field of clonal plant ecology and evolution. It is directed to anyone from the undergraduate to specialist level who is interested in the biology of the intriguing phenomenon of asexual propagation in plants. Table of ContentsIntroduction. Local sex-ratio dynamics and sexual reproduction: a model for the dioecious liverwort Marchantia inflexa; D.N. McLetchie, et al. Relative contributions of sexual and asexual regeneration strategies in Populus nigra and Salix alba during the first years of establishment on a braided gravel bed river; N. Barsoum. The role of vegetative spread and seed dispersal for optimal life histories of clonal plants: a simulation study; E. Winkler, M. Fischer. Clonal integration enhances survival and performance of Potentilla anserina, suffering from partial sand burial on Ordos plateau, China; F. Yu, et al. Fragmentation of clones: how does it influence dispersal and competitive ability? B. Oborny, Á. Kun. Seasonal patterns of partitioning and remobilization of 14C in the invasive rhizomatous perennial Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decraene); E.A.C. Price, et al. The effects of mowing and fertilization on carbohydrate reserves and regrowth of grasses: do they promote plant coexistence in species-rich meadows? L. Klimes, J. Klimesová. Classifying clonal growth forms based on vegetative mobility and ramet longevity: a whole community analysis; A. Tamm, et al. A simulation study of the effects of architectural constraints and resource translocation on population structure and competition in clonal plants; T. Herben, J.-I. Suzuki. The developmental ecology of mycorrhizal associations in mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, Berberidaceae; M.A. Watson, et al. Age- and stage-based bud demography of Salix arctica under contrasting muskox grazing pressure in the High Arctic; A. Tolvanen, et al. The influence of position on genet growth: a simulation of a population of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) genets undergrazing; C.P.D. Birch. Developmental processes and the evolution of plant clonality; T. Sachs. The loss of sex in clonal plants; C.G. Eckert. Consequences of clonal growth for plant mating; A. Charpentier. Clonal architecture in marine macroalgae: ecological and evolutionary perspectives; L. Collado-Vides. Investigating the community consequences of competition among clonal plants; L. Gough, et al. On the evolution of clonal plant life histories; M. Fischer, M. van Kleunen. Fitness and evolution in clonal plants: the impact of clonal growth; J.J. Pan, J.S. Price.

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Book SynopsisComparison of closely related species is a powerful D. melanogaster. In D. melanogaster, microsatel- approach to understanding the changes that have oc- lites reveal that West African popUlations are more curred since their divergence from a common ancestor. closely related to non-African populations than to The sibling species Drosophila melanogaster and D. East African popUlations. East African populations are simulans are probably the species pair for which the more variable than West African or non-African popu- most genetic data are available. A workshop held at lations, suggesting that East African populations may 1 Gif/Yvette in January 2002 reviewed and discussed more closely reflect African ancestral variability. comparisons between these species, from their ecol- Ecophysiology, popUlation dynamics and popula- tion structure are also important to understanding the ogy and biogeography to their behavior and DNA evolution of the two species. Genetic diversity (8) polymorphism. is higher in D. simulans (S. Mousset and R. Singh).Table of ContentsPreface; P. Capy, P. Gibert, I. Boussy. 1. Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila simulans: so similar yet so different; P. Capy, P. Gibert. Biogegraphy and population structure: past and present. 2. How two Afrotropical endemics made two cosmopolitan human commensals: the Drosophila melanogaster-D. simulans palaeogeographic riddle; D. Lachaise, J.F. Silvain. 3. Mitochondrial DNA in the Drosophila melanogaster complex; M. Solignac. 4. Wolbachia infections in Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans: Polymorphism and levels of cytoplasmic incompatibility; H. Mercot, S. Charlat. 5. Historicity and the population genetics in Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans; M. Veuille, E. Baudry, M. Cobb, N. Derome, E. Gravot. 6. Patterns of microsatellite variability in the Drosophila melanogaster complex; B. Harr, C. Schlötterer. 7. Molecular polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans: What have we learned from recent studies? S. Mousset, N. Derome. 8. The Sex-Ratio trait and its evolution in Drosophila simulans: a comparative approach; D. Jutier, N. Derome, C. Montchamp-Moreau. 9. A reanalysis of protein polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans, D. sechellia, and D. mauritiana: effect of population size and selection; R.A. Morton, M. Choudhary, M.-L. Cariou, R.S. Singh. Transposable elements and chromosomes. 10. Transposable element dynamics in two sibling species: Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans; C. Viera, C. Biémont. 11. Wanderings of hobo: a transposon in Drosophila melanogaster and its close relatives; L.A. Boussy, M. Itoh. 12. Mitotic and polytene chromosomes:comparisons between Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans; S. Aulard, L. Monti, N. Chaminade, F. Lemeunier. Geographical variability and adaptation. 13. Comparative life histories and ecophysiology of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans; J.R. David, R. Allemand, P. Capy, M. Chakir, P. Gibert, G. Pétavy, B. Moreteau. 14. Comparative analysis of morphological traits among Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans: genetic variability, clines and phenotypic plasticity; P. Gibert, P. Capy, A. Imasheva, B. Moreteau, J.P. Morin, G. Pétavy, J.R. David. 15. Ecological and genetic interactions in Drosophila-parasitoids communities: a case study with D. melanogaster, D. simulans and their common Leptopilina parasitoids in South-Eastern France; F. Fleury, N. Ris, R. Allemand, P. Fouillet, Y. Carton, M. Boulétreau. 16. Relations between cuticular hydrocarbon polymorphism, resistance against desiccation and breeding temperature: a model for their evolution in Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans.J. Rouault, C. Marican, C. Wicker-Thomas, J.-M. Jallon. 17. Molecular analysis of circadian clocks in Drosophila simulans; A.S. Rogers, E. Rosato, R. Costa, C.P. Kyriacou. 18. Mutation in Drosophila simulans that lengthens the circadian period of locomotor activity; A.S. Rogers, A.E. Stefan, C. Pasetto, E. Rosato, R. Costa, C.P. Kyriacou. 19. Sperm size evolution in Drosophila: inter- and intraspecific analysis; D. Joly, A. Korol, E. Nevo. Speciation: pre and post zygotic isolation. 20. The nature of genetic variation in sex and reproduction-related genes among sibling species of the Drosophila melanogaster complex; R.J. Kulathinal, R.S. Singh. 21. Genetics of

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Book SynopsisFrom guppies to Galapagos finches and from adaptive landscapes to haldanes, this compilation of contributed works provides reviews, perspectives, theoretical models, statistical developments, and empirical demonstrations exploring the tempo and mode of microevolution on contemporary to geological time scales. New developments, and reviews, of classic and novel empirical systems demonstrate the strength and diversity of evolutionary processes producing biodiversity within species. Perspectives and theoretical insights expand these empirical observations to explore patterns and mechanisms of microevolution, methods for its quantification, and implications for the evolution of biodiversity on other scales. This diverse assemblage of manuscripts is aimed at professionals, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates who desire a timely synthesis of current knowledge, an illustration of exciting new directions, and a springboard for future investigations in the study of microevolution in the wild.Table of ContentsAn introduction to microevolution: rate, pattern, process; A.P. Hendry, M.T. Kinnison. The adaptive landscape as a conceptual bridge between micro- and macroevolution; S.J. Arnold, et al. Possible consequences of genes of major effect: transient changes in the G-matrix; A.F. Agrawal, et al. Toward a new synthesis: population genetics and evolutionary developmental biology; N.A. Johnson, A.H. Porter. Epistasis, complex traits, and mapping genes; M.J. Wade. Population structure inhibits evolutionary diversification under competition for resources; T. Day. Variation, selection and evolution of function-valued traits; J.G. Kingsolver, et al. Why the null matters: statistical tests, random walks and evolution; H.D. Sheets, C.E. Mitchell. Rates of evolution on the time scale of the evolutionary process; P.D. Gingerich. The pace of modern life II: from rates of contemporary microevolution to pattern and process; M.T. Kinnison, A.P. Hendry. Trends and rates of microevolution in plants; E. Bone, A. Farres. The population ecology of contemporary adaptations: what empirical studies reveal about the conditions that promote adaptive evolution; D.N. Reznick, C.K. Ghalambor. Explaining stasis: microevolutionary studies in natural populations; J. Merilä, et al. Ring species as bridges between microevolution and speciation; D.E. Irwin, et al. Microevolution in island rodents; O.R.W. Pergams, M.V. Ashley. Genetic architecture of adaptive differentiation in evolving host races of the soapberry bug, Jadera haematoloma; S.P. Carroll, et al. Rapid evolution of wing size clines in Drosophila subobscura; G.W. Gilchrist, et al. Insecticide resistance in the mosquito Culex pipiens: what have we learnedabout adaptation? M. Raymond, et al. High gene flow levels lead to gamete wastage in a desert spider system; S.E. Riechert, et al. Integrating genetic and environmental forces that shape the evolution of geographic variation in a marine snail; G.C. Trussell, R.J. Etter. On morphological clocks and paleophylogeography: towards a timescale for Sorex hybrid zones; P.D. Polly. A population founded by a single pair of individuals: establishment, expansion, and evolution; P.R. Grant, et al. Refugial isolation versus ecological gradients; T.B. Smith, et al. Experimental studies of adaptive differentiation in Bahamian Anolis lizards; J.B. Losos, et al. Runaway social games, genetic cycles driven by alternative male and female strategies, and the origin of morphs; B. Sinervo. Mechanisms of rapid sympatric speciation by sex reversal and sexual selection in cichlid fish; R. Lande, et al. Lateral plate evolution in the threespine stickelback: getting nowhere fast; M.A. Bell. Sexual conflict and evolution in Trinidadian guppies; A.E. Magurran. A century of life-history evolution in grayling; T.O. Haugen, L.A. Vøllestad. Evolution of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations in New Zealand: pattern, rate, and process; T.P. Quinn, et al. Adaptive divergence and the evolution of reproductive isolation in the wild: an empirical demonstration using introduced sockeye salmon; A.P. Hendry. Authors index.

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Book SynopsisThis book written by Professor Chi Yen of Sichuan Agricultural University in Chinese was published by China Agriculture Press (ISBN 978-7-109-22791-0). It describes a new theory on the constitution of organs of the higher plants based on experimental evidence, the multiple secondary axis theory. This theory states that all organs of the higher plants are the constitution of multiple secondary axes. The primary axis extends bipolarly to initiate the above- and the below-ground parts of a plant, from which secondary axes develop. Leaves are split, expanded upper ends of terminal secondary axes. Stems are merged lower ends of the secondary axes, Vascular bundles are secondary structures developed within the axes which interconnect with each other to form the central core of the stem and branches and the veins in the leaves. Roots form through the downward extension of the lower ends of the axes toward or within the underground and branch roots are unsplit secondary axes. All new axes emerge from the inner side of existing, split axes. All floral organs including fruits, seeds and vegetative reproduction organs such as bulbils and plantlets, are deformed axes. This theory is significant in guiding the scientific design of the ideotype of crops to optimize the development of the economically important organ(s) of a crop.Table of Contents Chapter 1. The two contrary theories about organogenesis in morphology of the higher plants.-chapter 2. Saunders’ Leaf-skin Theory of Stem.- Chapter 3. Leaves are split axes.- Chapter 4. Re-evaluation of the evidences for the Telome Theory.- Chapter 5. What do hooded-awn barley, bitter bamboo, tortoise shell bamboo, paspalum and crabgrass show us?.- Chapter 6. The ontogenesis of higher plants.- Chapter 7. The organogenesis of higher plants.- Chapter 8. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisInformation Theory and Evolution discusses the phenomenon of life, including its origin and evolution (and also human cultural evolution), against the background of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and information theory. Among the central themes is the seeming contradiction between the second law of thermodynamics and the high degree of order and complexity produced by living systems. This paradox has its resolution in the information content of the Gibbs free energy that enters the biosphere from outside sources, as the author will show. The role of information in human cultural evolution is another focus of the book.The first edition of Information Theory and Evolution made a strong impact on thought in the field by bringing together results from many disciplines. The new second edition offers updated results based on reports of important new research in several areas, including exciting new studies of the human mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA. Another extensive discussion featured in the second edition is contained in a new appendix devoted to the relationship of entropy and Gibbs free energy to economics. This appendix includes a review of the ideas of Alfred Lotka, Frederick Soddy, Nicholas Georgiescu-Roegen and Herman E. Daly, and discusses the relevance of these ideas to the current economic crisis.The new edition discusses current research on the origin of life, the distinction between thermodynamic information and cybernetic information, new DNA research and human prehistory, developments in current information technology, and the relationship between entropy and economics.Table of ContentsPioneers of Evolutionary Thought; Charles Darwin's Life and Work; Molecular Biology and Evolution; Statistical Mechanics and Information; Information Flow in Biology; Cultural Evolution and Information; Information Technology; Bioinformation Technology; Looking Towards the Future; Appendix A: Entropy and Information; Appendix B: Biosemiotics; Appendix C: Entropy and Economics.

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Book SynopsisReligious fundamentalists and biblical literalists present any number of arguments that attempt to disprove evolution. Those with a sympathetic ear often fail to critically examine these creationist claims, leading to an ill-informed public and, perhaps more troubling, ill-advised public policy. As Aron Ra makes clear, however, every single argument deployed by creationists in their attacks on evolution is founded on fundamental scientific, religious, and historical falsehoods–all of them. Among their most popular claims is that evolution is a religion, that there are no transitional species, that there are no beneficial mutations, and that supposedly sacred scripture is the infallible word of God. Yet, as the evidence and data plainly show, each of these claims is demonstrably and unequivocally false. There is simply no truth to creationism whatsoever, and the entire enterprise rests on a foundation of falsehoods. This book explains and exposes the worst of these lies, and should be read by all who honestly care about following the evidence no matter where it might lead in pursuit of the truth.Trade Review"This book demonstrates once again that Aron Ra is a master of eloquence, and of cutting to the chase with precision. This is an enjoyable read even for the well informed. But we often forget how embarrassingly uninformed biblical literalists are. This delightfully written takedown will educate and embarrass them all over again." Richard Carrier, Ph.D., author, On the Historicity of Jesus"Diogenes, you can retire now! Aron Ra, a remarkable figure in many ways, is an indefatigable opponent of hokum, whether religious or pseudoscientific in nature . . . . In this book Aron trains his analytical guns on 'scientific' creationism. Do you think this is a matter of beating a dead Eohippus? It is not, because pseudoscience and superstition never sleep, and their proponents never tire of seeking (and gaining!) government support to turn back the clock and to cripple science education precisely at the time our great country can least afford such charlatanism." Robert M. Price, co-author, Evolving out of Eden"The seemingly unquenchable popularity of the so-called 'paranormal' has long been a puzzle, both to me and to my good friend Aron Ra. However, Aron's much more important and more specific interest in preoccupation with woo-woo is bifold: religion & creationism to the study of which he has given much thought and concern. His book Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism brings to our stunned attention the farcical, juvenile, pseudoscientific claims with which so many cultures, worldwide, have occupied themselves for centuries, and to which they have so willingly surrendered on their way to the abattoir. . . Aron's rage along with his concern is very evident as he takes his reader step-by-step along the bumpy road he has researched and probed to illustrate just how juvenile that a belief in angels, heaven and hell, eternal life, promised rewards and penalties, can be unless we wake up and see the Earth upon which we live as a home that doesn't need abject nonsense to make it wondrous and exciting. Those who choose to believe that the fossil record can be disregarded, that humans were designed and manufactured 'as is' and just 'happened,' who surrender on their knees to ghosts that just aren't there, should settle down and read Aron Ra very carefully and should seriously think that's the word! about what he's written." James Randi, author, An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural

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Book SynopsisThe emergence into a New Era, into the Age of the Lily, without religions, without priests and

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAbundance Estimation; Aerial Behavior; Age Estimation; Aggressive Behavior; Albinism; Amazon River Dolphin; Ambergris; Antarctic Fur Seal; Antarctic Marine Mammals; Archaeocetes, Archaic; Arctic Marine Mammals; Atlantic Spotted Dolphin; Atlantic White-sided Dolphin; Australian Sea Lion; Australian Snubfin Dolphin; Baculum; Baiji; Baikal Seal; Balance; Baleen; Baleen Whales (Mysticeti); Baleen Whales, Evolution; Barnacles; Basilosaurids and Kekenodontids; Beaked Whales, Overview; Bearded Seal; Behavior, Overview; Beluga Whale; Berardius Beaked Whales; Biogeography; Biotelemetry; Blubber; Blue Whale; Bones and Teeth, Histology of Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops aduncus, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin; Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Common bottlenose dolphin; Bottlenose Whales; Bowhead Whale; Bow-riding; Brain; Breathing; Bryde's Whale; Burmeister's Porpoise; Bycatch; California, Galapagos and Japanese Sea Lions; Callosities; Cape and Australian Fur Seals; Captivity; Caspian Seal; Cephalorhynchus Dolphins; Cetacea, Evolution; Cetacean Ecology; Cetacean Life History; Cetartiodactyla; Circulatory System; Climate Change; Clymene Dolphin; Coloration; Common Dolphin; Communication; Conservation; Crabeater Seal; Culture and Social Learning; Cuvier's Beaked Whale; Dall's Porpoise; Delphinids, Overview; Dental Morphology; Desmostylia; Dialects; Diet; Distribution; Diving Behavior; Diving Physiology; Dolphins, Porpoises, and Monodontids, Evolution; Dugong; Dusky Dolphin; Eared Seals (Otariidae); Earless Seals (Phocidae); Echolocation; Ecology; Elephant Seals; Embryology; Endangered Species and Populations; Endocrine Systems; Energetics; Entanglement of Whales in Fishing Gear; Epimeletic Behavior; Ethics; Evolutionary Patterns; Extinctions, Specific; False Killer Whale; Feeding Morphology; Feeding Strategy and Tactics; Filter Feeding; Fin Whale; Finless Porpoise; Fisheries Interactions; Folklore and Legends; Forelimb Anatomy; Franciscana; Fraser's Dolphin; Gastrointestinal Tract; Genetics and Genomics; Genetics, Forensics; Genetics, Management; Geographic Variation; Gray Seal; Gray Whale; Group Behavior; Guadalupe, Galapagos, and Juan Fernandez Fur Seals; Habitat Pressure; Hair and Fur; Hindlimb Anatomy; Harbor Porpoise; Harbor Seal; Harp Seal; Health; Hearing; History of Marine Mammal Research; Hooded Seal; Hourglass Dolphin; Humpback Dolphins; Humpback Whale; Hunting; Hybridism; Identification Methods; Indo-Pacific Beaked Whale; Intelligence; International Whaling Commission; Inuit and Marine Mammals; Irrawaddy Dolphin; Killer Whale; Krill and other Plankton; Language Learning and Cognitive Skills; Leopard Seal; Locomotion, Terrestrial; Management and Conservation; Manatees; Marine Parks, Zoos, and Aquariums; Marine Protected Areas; Mark-Recapture; Mass Mortalities; Mating Systems; Melon-headed Whale; Mesoplodon Beaked Whales; Migration and Movement Patterns; Mimicry; Minke Whales; Molecular Ecology; Monk Seals; Musculature; Museums and Collections; Narwhal; Neoceti; New Zealand Fur Seal; New Zealand Sea Lion; Noise; Northern Fur Seal; Ocean Environments; Odobenocetops; Omura's Whale; Osmoregulation; Otters; Pacific White-sided Dolphin; Pantropical Spotted Dolphin; Parasites; Parental Behavior; Pathology; Peale's Dolphin; Pilot Whales; Pinniped Ecology; Pinnipedia, Evolution; Pinniped Life History; Pinniped Physiology; Pinnipeds; Playful Behavior; Polar Bear; Pollution; Popular Culture and Literature; Population Dynamics; Porpoises, Overview; Predation on Marine Mammals; Predator-Prey Relationships; Prey Consumption; Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales; Pygmy Killer Whale; Pygmy Right Whale; Remoras; Reproductive Anatomy; Reproductive Behavior; Reproductive Physiology; Ribbon Seal; Right Whale Dolphins; Right Whales; Ringed Seal; Risso's Dolphin; River Dolphins; River Dolphins, Evolution; Ross Seal; Rough-toothed Dolphin; Scrimshaw; Sealing; Sei Whale; Sensory Biology; Sexual Dimorphism; Shepherd's Beaked Whale; Signature Whistles; Sirenian Life History; Sirenian Evolution; Skeleton; Skull; Sociobiology; Song; Sound; Sound Paths; South American Fur Seal; South American Sea Lion; Species & Subspecies; Spectacled Porpoise; Sperm and Beaked Whales, Evolution; Sperm Whale; Spinner Dolphin; Spotted Seal; Steller Sea Lion; Steller's Sea Cow; Stock Identity and Assessment; Strandings; Streamlining; Striped Dolphin; Subantarctic Fur Seal; Surveys; Sustainability; Susu and Bhulan; Swimming; Systematics; Territorial Behavior; Thermoregulation; Thorax and Abdomen, Anatomy; Tool Use; Toothed Whales (Odontoceti); Tourism; Training; Tucuxi and Guiana Dolphins; Tuna-Dolphin Issue; Vaquita; Vision; Walrus; Weddell Seal; Whale Lice; Whaling, Illegal and Pirate; Whaling, Japanese; Whaling, Modern; Whaling, Traditional; Whiskers; White-beaked Dolphin

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, PEN America""One of Waterstones' Books of the Year 2020: Popular Science""Longlisted for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books for Young Adults""The role of happenstance in determining the fate of the world may seem a matter for philosophy more than science, but Carroll, a biologist, shows how central the idea is to everyday existence." * New York Times Book Review *"With conversational wit, Carroll encourages us to embrace the randomness of the world."---Scott Hershberger, Scientific American"The Yucatan asteroid is an epic example of the sheer randomness which, as Sean B. Carroll argues in this short but thought-provoking book, rules both the universe and our own lives."---Nick Rennison, Daily Mail"Carroll takes readers on an entertaining tour of biological discovery that emphasizes the dominant role played by chance in shaping the conditions for life on Earth. Along the way, he provides insights and humor that make the book a quick, lively read that both educates and entertains. . . . Books such as this remind us to make our unlikely time here count."---Ivor Knight, Science"Carroll’s work renders hefty topics accessible, exploring the perfect storm of events responsible for evolution, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs and every living person’s conception."---Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine"It is to biologist Sean B. Carroll’s credit that he’s found a way of taking a puzzle that could easily fill volumes (and probably has filled volumes), and presenting it to us in a slim, non-technical, and fun little book."---Dan Falk, Undark"A history book about humanity told with wit and style."---John Brandon, Forbes"A short, sweet, and scientifically solid view of life." * Kirkus, starred review *"I couldn’t put it down. If you’re at all interested in science, you’ll keep turning these pages."---Flora Taylor, American Scientist"If you enjoyed Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, you'll like this breezy, equally amusing trip through time. . . . A stellar little book about science.""---Jenny Nicholls, Waiheke Weekender"In Carroll, three traits that are rare in themselves conjoin in an even rarer alignment: a command of multiple scientific fields, an unrivaled ability to clearly explain complex scientific concepts, and a deep instinct for storytelling. It is only fitting that such an unlikely combination produced A Series of Fortunate Events, since this discipline-spanning, highly engaging volume is all about the unlikely combinations that gave rise to all life, to the human species, and to each of us as unique individuals."---Barbara N. Horowitz, The Quarterly Review of Biology"Entertaining and informative, Carroll’s latest is a real eye-opener."---Nick Smith, Engineering & Technology"Golf games, coincidental immunity, and pandemics: A Series of Fortunate Events ranges from examining trivial events to sobering ones, but remains relevant throughout, revealing how chance affects everyday life."---Rebecca Foster, Foreword Reviews"Entertaining and informative, Carroll’s latest is a real eye-opener."---Dr Alyson Hitch, The Bay"This book lays bare how often unpredictable events have shaped our world; it educates, engages, and entertains."---R. M. Denome, Choice"A short and charming book that will give you a new appreciation of the vagaries of life and their influence."---Ian Simmons, Fortean Times"This is an accessible and fun book but be forewarned that it might leave you wanting more. Personally, I take that as a good sign."---Leon Vlieger, The Inquisitive Biologist

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Book SynopsisJohn Cartwright is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Chester College of Higher Education, affiliated to the University of Liverpool.Trade ReviewCartwright’s book is worth a careful look if you are seeking a general and current overview of evolutionary theory applied to human behavior, or if you are trying to identify a resource on the evolution of human behavior for teaching purposes … The book is of value to a non-evolutionary scholar or student seeking a manageable overview of evolutionary approaches to human behavior … I have not found a better volume than Cartwright’s book for teaching purposes. * Peter B. Gray, Human Nature, Vol. 28 *Table of ContentsHistorical Introduction: Evolution and Theories of Mind and Behaviour, Darwin and After Foundations of Darwinian Psychology Natural Selection, Inclusive Fitness and the Selfish Gene Sex and Sexual Selection The evolution of the Hominins The Quintessence of Dust: The Hominin Package Adaptations and Evolved Design Life History Theory Cognition and modularity Emotions Altruism and Cooperation Conflict and Crime Human Sexual Behaviour: Anthropological Perspectives Human Mate Choice: The Evolutionary Logic of Sexual Desire Facial Atractiveness The Paradox of Homosexuality Incest Avoidance and the Westermark Effect Darwinian Medicine: Evolutionary Perspectives on Health and Disease Three Case Studies in Evolution and Health: Diet, Cancer and Mental Disorder The Evolution of Culture: Genes and Memes Ethics

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Book SynopsisIn an age where technologies such as AI threaten to supplant human intelligence, an award-winning scientist offers a radical new view of our innate human technology and what we''re truly capable of.There are rare moments in time when we make choices that irreversibly change the world, and our lives, forever. Today is one of those moments.Scientists, engineers and philosophers alike warn us that without a radical shift in our thinking, we are on track to be the last generation of pure humans that the world will know. Within a single generation we will devolve into a hybrid species of synthetic bodies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and computer chips that limit our ability to think, to love, and to adapt to the conditions of the emerging world in a healthy way. In doing so we will also lose our capacity for emotion, empathy, intimacy, and forgiveness?the very qualities that we value and cherish in our humanness.The question that we face is simple: Do we love ourselves enough to preserve the gift of our humanness? Our answer is based upon the way we?ve been taught to think of ourselves.This book is a compelling journey of self-discovery that will catapult you beyond conventional thinking when it comes to your origins, your limits and, most importantly, the abilities that have been hidden from you for centuries, and the extraordinary potential that awaits as you embrace them.

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Book SynopsisA new, fully updated edition of David Attenborough's groundbreaking Life on Earth.David Attenborough's unforgettable meeting with gorillas became an iconic moment for millions of television viewers. Life on Earth, the series and accompanying book, fundamentally changed the way we view and interact with the natural world setting a new benchmark of quality, influencing a generation of nature lovers.Told through an examination of animal and plant life, this is an astonishing celebration of the evolution of life on earth, with a cast of characters drawn from the whole range of organisms that have ever lived on this planet. Attenborough's perceptive, dynamic approach to the evolution of millions of species of living organisms takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of discovery from the very first spark of life to the blue and green wonder we know today.To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the book's first publication, David Attenborough revisited Life on Earth, completely updating andTrade Review‘It does not disappoint. The new Life on Earth is as glorious as the first’Guardian ‘A beautiful and wide ranging work. The breadth of natural history covered is extraordinary and mesmerising. Life on Earth is still breathtakingly rich, and we would know far less about it were it not for Attenborough’s wonderful skills of communication over the years: our cultural and scientific lives would be poorer without him’New Scientist ‘This natural history masterpiece offers a spectacular snapshot of a once-wild planet’New Scientist

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Book SynopsisAn 'entertaining and enlightening' deep dive into the alcohol-soaked origins of civilization—and the evolutionary roots of humanity's appetite for intoxication (Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised).While plenty of entertaining books have been written about the history of alcohol and other intoxicants, none have offered a comprehensive, convincing answer to the basic question of why humans want to get high in the first place.Drunk elegantly cuts through the tangle of urban legends and anecdotal impressions that surround our notions of intoxication to provide the first rigorous, scientifically-grounded explanation for our love of alcohol. Drawing on evidence from archaeology, history, cognitive neuroscience, psychopharmacology, social psychology, literature, and genetics, Drunk shows that our taste for chemical intoxicants is not an evolutionary mistake, as we are so often told. In fact, intoxication helps solve a number of distinctively human challenges: enhancing creativity, alleviating stress, building trust, and pulling off the miracle of getting fiercely tribal primates to cooperate with strangers. Our desire to get drunk, along with the individual and social benefits provided by drunkenness, played a crucial role in sparking the rise of the first large-scale societies. We would not have civilization without intoxication.From marauding Vikings and bacchanalian orgies to sex-starved fruit flies, blind cave fish, and problem-solving crows, Drunk is packed with fascinating case studies and engaging science, as well as practical takeaways for individuals and communities. The result is a captivating and long overdue investigation into humanity's oldest indulgence—one that explains not only why we want to get drunk, but also how it might actually be good for us to tie one on now and then. 

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Book SynopsisAnimal behavior expert Daniel T. Blumstein delves into the evolutionary origins and diverse ecological contexts of fear. Fear protects organisms from threats, but at a cost in health and productivity. The various species manage these costs differently, providing lessons for humans as we seek to benefit from fear without succumbing to panic.Trade ReviewClearly, The Nature of Fear is a book for this moment. Dread is all around, manifold and constant during the coronavirus pandemic, of course. But a particular theme of our escalating anxieties comes to the fore with Blumstein’s book in hand: the fear of belonging to nature…As the pandemic brings into focus our biological fragility, the time seems apt to examine the nature of human fear through the lens of, well, nature. * The Atlantic *A revelatory and masterful work by the world’s authority on fear in animal societies. Blumstein focuses the lenses of animal behavior and evolution on very human anxieties and fears. The result is a beautifully written book rich in crucial insights, with salience for scientists, students, policy makers, and every human being navigating their way through our sometimes frightening world. -- Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, coauthor of Wildhood and ZoobiquityBlumstein has studied fear in the animal kingdom for more than 30 years. In this highly readable book, he explains how related insights can help us do everything from composing scary music to managing biodiversity and imposing effective public health measures…Embrace your fears, and give it a read! * BBC Wildlife *The Nature of Fear’s main province is the fluttering pulse-rates of the broader animal kingdom, and that makes for mind-changing reading. -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Review *This terrific book is a reminder that when we are afraid, we are not alone. Lizards have fear. Mice have fear. Marmots have fear. This feeling is ancient, and for many millions of years, it has guided animals’ actions. If you want to understand the roots of fear, and also make more sense of your own life, read this book. -- Rob Dunn, author of Never Home AloneBlumstein shows us how fear can be a positive force. When equipped with the knowledge of fear’s origin, we have a blueprint for conquering it. Informed by animals and evolution, The Nature of Fear is a biological thriller that everyone needs to read. -- Brian Hare, coauthor of The Genius of DogsIn this lively and informative book, Blumstein takes the study of fear from the laboratory into the wild to emphasize the costs and benefits of fear responses and their evolution. This novel approach has much to offer as we try to understand the origin of our own fears. -- Guy Beauchamp, author of Animal Vigilance: Monitoring Predators and CompetitorsIn this fascinating book, Daniel Blumstein explores the causes and consequences of fear for human and nonhuman animals, providing important insights into the ways that we all recognize and cope with risks in the course of our daily lives. -- Tim Clutton-Brock, author of Mammal SocietiesThe feature making this project most compelling is the thesis that fear can be chronic, inappropriate, and very costly…An enjoyable book. -- James Chadwick Johnson * Quarterly Review of Biology *In this slim but packed book, Daniel Blumstein explores many facets of an emotion all animals feel: fear in all its different faces, broadening the discussion in ways that will challenge readers to re-examine the values of a trauma nobody likes. -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Review *

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Book SynopsisINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolutionfrom the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequalityand revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlikeeither free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals. Revisiting this encounter has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democ

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Book SynopsisExplains how the human head works, and why our heads evolved in this peculiarly human way. This book documents how the many components of the head function, how they evolved since we diverged from the apes, and how they interact in diverse ways both functionally and developmentally, causing them to be highly integrated.Trade ReviewLieberman's integrated approach will make his book a forum for a way of thinking in human evolution that has not yet found its equal in print. -- Christopher Dean, University College LondonThis is an outstanding book. Lieberman draws from a wide variety of disciplines, including bone biology, embryology, morphometrics, functional anatomy, and paleontology to forge a masterful synthesis of the evolution of the human head. It will be the definitive reference for decades. * John G. Fleagle, Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University *Lieberman offers acute descriptions of anatomy, embryology, physiology, and hominid fossils, while providing an exciting way to observe the relationships among structures, functions, and evolutionary variance. -- Scott Vieira * Library Journal *Lieberman dives deep into the cranium, showing just how much of what we consider to be human is connected to what happens above the neck. -- Carolyn Y. Johnson * Boston Globe *Daniel Lieberman has written a wonderful and inspiring book about the human head's evolution...One stands in awe at the work that has gone into it...This encyclopedic book is transformative...The morphological details in Lieberman's book make it a direct descendant of Gray's Anatomy...If a single word describes this book, it is integrative. The author integrates material from anatomy, physiology, physics, biomechanics, molecular and developmental biology, but brings all under the umbrella of evolutionary theory. -- Chris McManus * Times Higher Education *This [is an] impressive book...This hefty and well-written book offers a scholarly breadth and attention to detail that are certainly laudable. The book is quite unusual in that it includes a comprehensive review of the soft tissues associated with cranial features and discusses them within the context of evolutionary morphology and the fossil record of the human skull. I can think of no other volume that packages the anatomy of the human head in this fashion...Lieberman's big book definitely moves us ahead in effectively synthesizing so much of what is currently understood about the structure, function and evolution of the human head. -- Brian T. Shea * American Scientist *By rooting his study in the basics of tissue mechanics and functional morphology, Lieberman does the spadework to which all such studies aspire but few achieve--and makes that task seem elegant and effortless. -- Henry Gee * Nature *Daniel Lieberman marshals diverse evidence to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding patterns of variation and covariation in the form, function, and phylogeny of the human head...The breadth and diversity of subject matter the volume will impart to the reader is particularly laudable. Lieberman's holistic approach is a welcome, if not requisite, strategy for addressing a multifarious biological system such as the human head. The book's focus on both hard- and soft-tissue components, consideration of how such elements correspond to one another, and comprehensive overview of external and internal influences on patterns of morphological variation and covariation clearly set the tone for how one might profitably investigate cranial evolution across all vertebrates. The introductions to myriad biological concepts, surveys of some modern approaches to outstanding paleoanthropological questions, and review of fossil evidence regarding evolutionary transformations in human skull form will enlighten readers of all backgrounds. The Evolution of the Human Head is an entertaining read...It contains a wealth of information relevant to human evolution. In doing so, it offers a wonderful entrée into many of the outstanding issues that will undoubtedly remain at the center of debates regarding human origins for years to come. -- Matthew J. Ravosa * Science *

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Book SynopsisWith this volume, Hal Whitehead gives us a clearer picture of the ecology and social life of sperm whales than we have ever had before. Of interest to animal behaviourists, conservationists, biologists, as well as marine mammalogists.

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Book Synopsis''A fabulous book'' The Economist''Mind expanding - this book will change your view of the world forever'' Matthew Syed''Wonderfully refreshing and thought-provoking'' Peter Frankopan''Original, fascinating, and provocative'' Andrew McAfeeA blueprint for a better future. Playing on the phrase a theory of everything in physics, Michael Muthukrishna offers a unified theory of human behavior, culture, and society - a theory of everyone.Drawing on the most recent research across the sciences, humanities, and the emerging field of cultural evolution, he paints a panoramic picture of who we are and exactly what makes human beings different from all other forms of life on the planet.Muthukrishna argues that it is our unique ability to create culture, a shared body of knowledge, skills, and experience passed on from generation to generation that has enabled our current Trade ReviewMind expanding - this book will change your view of the world forever. Michael Muthukrishna is one of our greatest and most creative thinkers -- Matthew Syed, broadcaster and author of REBEL IDEAS and BLACK BOX THINKINGMuthukrishna has a heart as big as his intellect, which is saying something. In this original, fascinating, and provocative book he dives deep into who we humans are and what makes us tick. His hopeful message is that once we understand ourselves better we'll coexist better. Let's prove him right -- Andrew McAfee, author of THE GEEK WAY and co-author of THE SECOND MACHINE AGEBuzzing with ideas, A Theory of Everyone encourages us to rethink what it is to be human. A compelling and essential read for anyone interested in building a better, more sustainable future -- David Bodanis, author of THE ART OF FAIRNESSA big, bold and ambitious look at the world around us in which nothing is off limits. Wonderfully refreshing and thought-provoking -- Peter Frankopan, author of THE SILK ROADSA Theory of Everyone is your guide to some of the most important advances in the social sciences, written by a foremost researcher, beautifully illustrated, and positively overflowing with fascinating facts and ideas -- Erez Yoeli, Director, Applied Cooperation Initiative, MIT, co-author of HIDDEN GAMESA must read for anyone interested in understanding the forces that shape all of our lives. Full of scientific discoveries, revolutionary insights, and delightful storytelling, you will not only see the world differently, you'll have the tools to create a brighter future -- Michele Gelfand, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of RULE MAKERS, RULE BREAKERSThe best book I've read in a decade. A sprightly page-turner that entertains with specifics, astonishes with universals, and reframes the big issues facing humanity -- Robert Klitgaard, author of CONTROLLING CORRUPTION and TROPICAL GANGSTERSThis book, which I read with great fascination, shows how we can move beyond neoclassical economics with a firmer foundation in the natural sciences and energy. This is extremely important as the world soon, and Europe now, increasingly faces critical energy shortages. I hope this book helps more people understand the critical importance of energy in generating our current affluence, and its diminution as a probable root cause of future inflation. A failure to understand these relations is likely to cause our societies to become impossible to govern -- Charles Hall, ESF Foundation Distinguished Professor at State University of New York, inventor of the EROI metric, author of ENERGY AND THE WEALTH OF NATIONSThere is a truly wonderful idea at the heart of this book: that by exchanging things and thoughts, human beings became capable of doing and knowing far more than their meagre brains would have otherwise made possible. It is not an entirely new idea, but Michael Muthukrishna explores its extraordinary and hopeful implications with rich and thrilling energy -- Matt Ridley, author of THE EVOLUTION OF EVERYTHINGA Theory of Everyone flavorfully mixes a stunning breadth of scholarship with an impressive knowledge of pop-culture and current issues, boldly going where most social scientists fear to tread. Lucidly discussing ideas surrounding IQ, race, sex differences, inheritance taxes, religion, Microsoft and even monogamy, readers are treated to a fascinating intellectual flight that thoughtfully offers many new perspectives on old issues. Buckle up! -- Joseph Henrich, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University and author of THE WEIRDEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD and THE SECRET OF OUR SUCCESSDo you know your own species? You might think so, but Muthukrishna will make you think again. With clarity, humor, and energy, he opens new vistas on how genes and cultures shaped who we are and how we can improve our lives together. A Theory of Everyone is for everyone -- Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Chauncey Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics, Duke University, author of THINK AGAINA Theory of Everyone uses the latest social science research to answer the critical question of how all human communities can be made to work better. Magisterial in scope and practical in application, this book should be required reading for CEOs, community organisers, Head Teachers, and Presidents -- Jamie Heywood, CEO of zolar and former head of Uber, Northern and Eastern EuropeMichael brings the reader up to date on this powerful theoretical framework - including much of his own innovative work on corruption, cooperation, and collective intelligence - and thoughtfully discusses how this framework can be applied to address pressing societal issues, ranging from diversity to taxation to free speech -- Moshe Hoffman, Visiting Lecturer on Economics, Harvard University, co-author of HIDDEN GAMESThis hugely enjoyable book, stuffed with surprising facts, shows how we can turn the social sciences into real sciences. Michael Muthukrishna's new "theory of everyone" reveals alarming threats to humanity's future - but also shows that once we understand the science behind society, we do have the power to produce permanent systemic solutions -- Ian Morris, Professor, Stanford Archaeology Center, Stanford University, author of GEOGRAPHY IS DESTINY - BRITAIN AND THE WORLDA Theory of Everyone delivers both an overarching theory and a practical toolkit for understanding and improving the human condition. What could be more important than that? -- David Sloan Wilson, author of THIS VIEW OF LIFEOne of today's most brilliant minds weighs in on what ails us and how to fix it. Muthukrishna breaks life's biggest questions into their component parts, then reveals how artificial intelligence, physics, history, evolutionary biology and psychology can together answer them, in a way that will keep you up at night. The most important book you will quickly read this year - good luck not telling your friends about it! -- Brian Hare, New York Times bestselling author, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a synthetic overview of all evidence concerning the evolution of the morphology of the human pelvis, including comparative anatomy, clinical and experimental studies, and quantitative evolutionary models. By integrating these lines of research, this is the first book to bring all sources of evidence together to develop a coherent statement about the current state of the art in understanding pelvic evolution. Second, and related to this, the volume is the first detailed assessment of existing paradigms about the evolution of the pelvis, especially the obstetric dilemma. The authors argue that there are many ''dilemmas'', but these must be approached using a testable methodology, rather than on the proviso of a single paradigm. The volume clearly contributes to greater scientific knowledge about human variation and evolution, and has implications for clinicians working within reproductive health. A thought-provoking read for students, researchers and professionals in tTrade Review'The human pelvis is a lens through which so many questions about our evolutionary history can be asked and answered - from the way we enter this world, to the way we walk through it. Three of the world's leading experts on the evolution of the pelvis have joined forces to write the definitive book on the anatomy, variation, development and evolution of a bone that has been central to the human story. Through concise writing, current research and clear illustrations, the authors write a coherent tale about a complicated bone, challenging many long-held beliefs along the way. I devoured this book and, like any great book, it left me with more questions than answers. It is sure to be the starting point for any scholar interested in the evolution of our pelvis and the launching point for all future research on this fascinating and still poorly understood bone.' Jeremy DeSilva, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire'Understanding of human pelvic evolution has increased dramatically as the fossil record has grown substantially. In this scholarly tour de force, Wall-Scheffler, Kurki and Auerbach pull together knowledge of the pelvis in an excellent synthesis examining data and conclusions from biomechanics, kinematics, fossil evidence, developmental biology, evolutionary theory and beyond. They identify multiple sources of selection on the pelvis, including locomotion, obstetrics, thermoregulation and body size, explicating how developmental, genetic, epi-genetic and evolutionary forces interact to determine pelvic morphology(ies) in living people. They recognise that essentialising childbirth has limited understanding of how anatomy influences obstetrical experiences. Thus, they are appreciative of past and present human variation in pelvic morphology, birth mechanism, body shape and locomotor pattern, realising that ignoring variation masks important patterns critical for understanding. This synthetic book is essential reading for anyone studying human skeletal anatomy, and sets an agenda for future studies of human pelvic evolution.' Karen Rosenberg, University of Delaware'This volume presents a comprehensive review of the anatomy, functional morphology, evolution, growth and development, and variation of the human pelvis. The individual chapters and extensive up-to-date bibliography provide an excellent resource and reference for students interested in forensic anthropology, human evolution, and comparative anatomy. The contents may be familiar to seasoned experts in human skeleton biology, but it is always welcome to have a synthesis of the latest research on this topic in a single volume.' T. Harrison, ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction; 1. Pelvis anatomy; 2. Functional morphology; 3. Pelves of the hominin lineage; 4. Developmental biology of the pelvis; 5. Pelvis evolution as a function of evolutionary development; Conclusion; Appendix; Works cited; Index.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a wonderful book. In it Eberhard explores the mechanical and evolutionary aspects of spider webs from all sides. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs of webs appearing throughout. Each chapter has a down-to-earth summary that repeats the main points of the chapter. Eberhard is not afraid to rail against the many errors that infect previous work on spiders and webs, including adultophilia (the tendency to ignore the webs of juvenile spiders), typology (the eagerness to describe 'the' spider and its web when in reality there are many variations in the webs of any one species), and many more shortcomings. But by far the strength of the book is Eberhard's ability to tell his readers what is needed on topics A to Z if we are to test hypotheses further. This willingness to lay out predictions that are derived from particular hypotheses on puzzling behaviors that have not been checked makes the book a gold mine for students of spider webs and indeed for all animal behaviorists."--John Alcock, Arizona State University, author of "Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach" "There is only one comparable book on this topic that was published over thirty years ago, and it is not comprehensive. Eberhard's book is an extensive, encyclopedic review of what is known (and unknown) about spider webs today. It also provides many original observations from Eberhard himself."--Rainer F. Foelix, author of "Biology of Spiders" "Spider Webs provides both an authoritative and unique synthesis of research and still-to-be-addressed questions on spider web biology. There is no one better equipped to write a book on this subject than Eberhard. It will be a major contribution to the fields of ecology, evolution, and behavior, providing new information, new syntheses, and new insights on a broad range of topics."--Brent Opell, Virginia Tech "A comprehensive book on all aspects of spider webs is long overdue, and Eberhard is one of the few biologists--if not the only one--who has the knowledge, passion, and expertise to write such a book. Very thorough and detailed, Spider Webs is of great importance to specialists in its field, especially since it not only summarizes previously published studies, but also presents new ideas and views on structure, construction, function, and evolution of spider webs and their (potential) relevance to many different fields of biology."--Samuel Zschokke, University of Basel, SwitzerlandTable of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 A foreign world: life tied to silk lines 1.3 A brief history of spider web studies 1.4 Emphasis on behavior 1.5 The scope of this book and tactics in presentation 1.6 Evolutionary history and phylogeny 1.7 Terminology and other procedural matters 1.8 Acknowledgments Chapter 2. The “hardware” of web-building spiders: morphology, silk, and behavior 2.1. Introduction 2.2 Silk glands and silk 2.3 Spinnerets as high-precision instruments 2.4 Leg morphology and behavior: grasping lines precisely and securely 2.5 Cutting lines and recycling silk 2.6 How spiders avoid adhering to their own webs: a mystery partly solved 2.7 Central nervous system basis for web construction 2.8 Summary Chapter 3. Functions of orb web designs 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Correcting common misconceptions about orb webs 3.3 How orbs function 3.4 Summary Chapter 4. Putting pieces together: tradeoffs and remaining puzzles 4.1 Introduction 4.2 “Optimal” orb designs: tradeoffs between functions are difficult to measure 4.3 “Multiple trap” design: a new way to view orb webs 4.4 Tensions and stresses 4.5 Relative numbers of radii and sticky spiral loops 4.6 Testing visibility and stopping functions: the extreme case of trunk orbs 4.7 Correlations between spider size and orb design? 4.8 Spider positions, attack behavior, and up-down asymmetries in orbs 4.9 Remaining puzzles 4.10 Non-orb webs 4.11 Evolutionary responses by insects? A neglected aspect of prey capture 4.12 Summary (including part of chapter 3) Chapter 5. The building behavior of non-orb weavers 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Order of lines and other higher-level patterns5.3 Lower-level patterns: leg movements and manipulation of lines5.4 Stereotyped behavior in non-orb construction5.5 Adjustments to substrate-imposed constraints 5.6 Managing swaths of fine lines 5.7 SummaryBox 5.1 The funnel web diplurid Linothele macrothelifera Chapter 6. The building behavior of orb-weavers 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Simplifications for smoother reading 6.3 Behavior of two araneids 6.4 Senility in orb construction: a new frontier? 6.5 Detailed movements 6.6 General patterns 6.7 Summary Chapter 7. Cues directing web construction behavior 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Classifying the cues 7.3 Cues for sticky spiral construction 7.4 Temporary spiral 7.5 Hub 7.6 Stabilimentum construction 7.7 Radii, frames, and anchor lines 7.8 Early radii, and frames and anchor lines: determining web size, shape, and design 7.9 To build or not to build: triggering orb construction and destruction 7.10 Cues that trigger transitions between stages of orb construction 7.11 Other stimuli that spiders can sense but that are not (yet) known to guide orb construction 7.12 Hints of abilities: follow circular paths and sense radius lengths 7.13 Effects of psychotropic drugs on orb construction 7.14 Coordinating different adjustments to different cues 7.15 The (limited) role of simulations in understanding orb construction behavior 7.16 A missing link: translating cues into attachment sites 7.17 Summarizing the behavioral challenges met by orb weavers 7.18 Independence (?) of the spider’s responses 7.19 Changes in responses to cues: learning and maturation 7.20 Cues guiding the construction of non-orbs 7.21 Summary Chapter 8. Web ecology and website selection 8.1 Introduction: what is and is not included 8.2 Webs and ecological foraging theories 8.3 What is enough? “Fast lane” and “slow lane” spiders 8.4 Processes that produce habitat biases 8.5 A general correlation between website selectivity and web design flexibility? 8.6 Website tenacity, web durability, and recycling 8.7 Web durability 8.8 Limited by websites? Possible competition for prey and websites 8.9 Problems in attempts to study cues that guide website choices 8.10 Time of day: day webs vs. night webs 8.11 Summary Chapter 9. Evolutionary patterns: an ancient success that produced high diversity and rampant convergence 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Patterns in the diversity of webs 9.3 Consequences of the failure of the prey specialist hypothesis for understanding diversity and convergence 9.4 What is a sheet web? Problems inherited from previous imprecision 9.5 Mygalomorphs: similar patterns of diversity and rampant convergence in a different world 9.6 Diversity of relations with insects 9.7 Lack of miniaturization effects 9.8 Paths not followed: alternative web forms in other animals 9.9 Summary and a new synthesis Box 9.1 The most spectacular convergence of all: Fecenia Box 9.2 The most spectacular divergence of all: Theridiidae Box 9.3 Sand castles: extreme modifications of Seothyra henscheli webs to shifting sand Box 9.4 Relation between web design and silk properties: stiff silk in Uroctea durandi Chapter 10. Ontogeny, modularity, and the evolution of web building 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Web ontogeny and evolution 10.3 Early web evolution 10.4 The behavior patterns used to build early webs 10.5 Evolution of later non-orb webs 10.6 Inconsistent evolutionary trends in non-orb webs 10.7 Diversity in non-orbs that results from behavioral stability 10.8 The (probably) monophyletic origin of orb webs 10.9 Evolutionary changes in orb designs 10.10 “Post-orb” web evolution in Orbiculariae 10.11 Coevolution between attack behavior and web design (and its lack) 10.12 What didn’t happen, possible synapomorphies, and further puzzles 10.13 Modularity and adaptive flexibility 10.14 Modules and evolutionary transitions in web-building behavior 10.15 Summary References Index

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Book SynopsisChallenging the common gene-centric approach to organisms, this book articulates a relativistic theory of biology. It is grounded in up-to-date biological research and rigorous application of mathematics to biology; however, it is presented in a non-technical manner for the general reader, and requires no familiarity with complex biology, mathematics or philosophy.Trade Review'Among its many merits, this remarkable book deserves to become a classic text in the philosophy of science. Almost alone among philosophers of science, Noble is a practising scientist; and unusually among practising scientists, he is an accomplished philosopher. His book brings out, with unparalleled clarity, how the scientific endeavour involves not only empirical inquiry but also conceptual structure. Noble shows how, on the negative side, popular presentations of sound biological results may be vitiated by bad metaphysics, and how, on the positive side, science and philosophy may extend the boundaries of knowledge by a unified epistemology. He ends, however, with a salutary warning that there may well be a limit to the human capacity to know the answers to ultimate questions.' Sir Anthony Kenny, University of Oxford'I think this a marvellous book. Denis Noble emphasises that genes, organs and systems dance to the tune of the organism and its social and physical environment. He sets the relativity of biology in a remarkable scientific sweep, ranging from cosmology to human belief systems. He reminds me of another great biologist, C. H. Waddington, to whom Noble pays handsome tribute. Writing with clarity and charm, Noble attempts to break down silos of knowledge inhabited by scientists who fail to come out and engage with others. … Broadening minds in an era of intense specialisation is more important than ever. Noble deserves to be successful in his desire to do just that and I hope that he will be.' Sir Patrick Bateson, University of Cambridge'In my view Dance to The Tune of Life is a 'must read'. In it Denis Noble lucidly deconstructs how and why reductionism came to prominence in biology and led to the current state of molecular Humpty-Dumptyism. His central idea that there is no privileged level of causation is the first conceptual step to putting Humpty Dumpty back together again.' Michael J. Joyner, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota'Denis Noble is renowned for his mission to reintegrate the physiological sciences with mainstream biology, including evolutionary theory. His new book combines clear exposition of basic principles with many valuable examples. He gives the reader, general or expert, a completely new view of life.' Yung E. Earm, Seoul National University, South Korea'Dance to the Tune of Life is one of the most fascinating and impressive books I have ever read. Denis Noble, a world-renowned physiologist and systems biologist, has revolutionized our traditional notion of the nature of life. The title Dance to the Tune of Life mirrors the essence of the argument of the book. The life emerges from numerous biological processes at different scales and levels. Such actors and actresses, stage properties, and stage are not separately present they act together in harmony, dancing to a tune with a music performed by an orchestra, an organism. By describing his research experiences and achievements on the cardiac rhythm evolutionary biology, medicine, and philosophy, Denis has not only provided us with very modern knowledge of the biological reactions and their network but also described to us the nature of life. I believe that this book impacts everyone involved in biomedicine.' Yoshihisa Kurachi, Osaka University, Japan'Having demolished the 'Selfish Gene' fiction, Noble in this marvelous book moves both science and philosophy from an antiquated 'either/or' static model to an 'and' model. 'Dance' shows elegantly and brilliantly that from the miracle of the ancient symbiosis of mitochondrial bacterial remnants in human cells, through the rock-solid interrelationship between genes and the feedback from the environment in all senses - from the core phenomenon of functional epigenetics, to the universe itself and our place in it - that we are, at heart, inter-beings, co-arising.' Samuel Shem, New York University'Denis Noble is a pioneer in understanding human physiology through quantitative studies linking behaviour across multiple scales of biological organization - from proteins to cells, tissues, organs and organ systems. These studies have led him to characterize biological function in terms of a Principle of Biological Relativity: there is no privileged level of causation in biology, because living organisms are multilevel open stochastic systems in which the behaviour at any level depends on higher and lower levels, and so cannot be fully understood in isolation. This engaging book defends this view in depth, and thereby also provides strong support for an extended synthesis of evolutionary theory that goes beyond the Modern Synthesis of Neo-Darwinism. It is highly recommended as a thoughtful study of the kind of complexity real living organisms display.' George Ellis FRS, University of Cape Town, South Africa'In this elegantly written and personal book world-renowned physiologist and systems biologist Denis Noble effectively argues for a fundamental revision of the theory of evolution. Against the reductionist, gene-centered approach of Neo-Darwinism, which has dominated biology for more than a century, Noble passionately pleas for a more integrated approach. Massively supported by recent postgenomic and epigenetic empirical research, Dance to the Tune of Life deepens and synthesizes ideas Noble earlier developed in The Music of Life. Biology beyond the Genome (2006) and subsequent writings. Just like Newtonian physics underwent a major transformation in the beginning of the 20th century due to Einstein's general theory of relativity, the life sciences are facing a no less fundamental transformation. Noble's book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand this transformation.' Jos de Mul, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands'… enlightening … The illustrations are both vibrant and clarifying, giving this title a sparkle that compels you to imagine how each concept fits into the larger scheme. I commend this author for relishing the subtle reminders of what makes this inquiry important. It's a best read.' D. Wayne Dworsky, San Francisco Book Review (www.sanfranciscobookreview.com)'… a very informative read … Noble's Dance to the Tune of Life is an illuminating account of why philosophy is necessary in doing science.' Sepehr Ehsani, Metascience'The narrative is remarkable … Dance to the Tune of Life is a marvellous text reflecting on the complexity of biology.' Anna Holderbaum, The BiologistTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgments; 1. The universe and the principle of relativity; 2. Biological scales and levels; 3. Biological networks; 4. Nature and origin of cells; 5. Blind chance and natural selection; 6. Biological relativity; 7. Dancing nucleotides: natural genetic engineering; 8. Epigenetics and a relativistic theory of evolution; 9. The relativity of epistemology: the meaning of it all; 10. Postscript; Glossary; Index.

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