{"product_id":"observing-evolution-9781421441658","title":"Observing Evolution","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA firsthand account of how a modest moth demonstrated Darwin's theory of natural selection.   The extraordinary tale of the humble peppered moth is at the very foundation of our acceptance of Darwinian evolution. When scientists in the early twentieth century discovered that a British population of the small, speckled Biston betularia had become black over the course of mere decades in response to the Industrial Revolution's encroaching soot, the revelation cemented Darwin's theory of natural selection. This finding was the staple example of evolution in action until the turn of the millennium, when proponents of Creationism fomented doubts about the legitimacy of early experiments. In the midst of this upheaval, evolutionary biologist Bruce S. Grant and his contemporaries were determinedly building a dataset that would ultimately vindicate the theory of industrial melanism in the peppered moth and, by extension, the theory of natural selection itself. Observing Evolution tells the rem\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHighly recommended.\u003cbr\u003e—Malcolm Peaker, \u003ci\u003eZoology Jottings\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrant's writing is accessible, his explanations of complex science easily digestible, and he is full of genuinely amusing stories. If you ever doubted the validity of this iconic example of rapid evolution, \u003ci\u003eObserving Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e will set you straight.\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNatural History Bookshop\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor others who simply enjoy a good scientific detective story, this is among the best.\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBritish Journal of Entomology and Natural History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this engaging book, Grant documents the places he went and the extraordinary people he met, on this quest to understand parts of the peppered moth story that did not quite add up.\u003cbr\u003e—James Mallet, Harvard University, \u003ci\u003eEvolution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHighly recommended for all biology students, especially those interested in entomology and evolutionary biology...It's a real treat to read about some of the giants of entomological research.\u003cbr\u003e—Andrew Wakeham-Dawson, \u003ci\u003eEntomologist's Monthly Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProvides a rare, unfiltered glimpse into what doing science is actually like....For Grant, the process of becoming an authority on peppered moths was a truly ground-up affair that began unplanned, with nothing more than a question. To begin working with Biston, he needed to step outside of what, at the time, was his well-defined scientific comfort zone of lab-based research....On a fundamental level, this book reveals that there's an art to doing science.\u003cbr\u003e—Richard Gawne, Tufts University, \u003ci\u003eJournal of Experimental Zoology: Molecular and Developmental Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFascinating...Grant's story is both personal and engaging...His book presents a validation of natural selection data plus a critical assessment of speculation over 50 years in a gripping personal science adventure story.\u003cbr\u003e—Stephen J. O'Brien, \u003ci\u003eJournal of Heredity\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book chronicles Grant's efforts to wrestle with details of the operation of natural selection in wild populations of widely geographically separated species of the peppered moth....Grant is a good writer and a great storyteller....[He] is clearly devoted to the scientific process, and wide open to his research subjects showing him something completely unexpected.\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe American Biology Teacher\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps what is most special about Grant's chronicle is the passion with which he writes about scientific practice. His love of biology shines through, and it is quite contagious.\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eHistory and Philosophy of the Life Sciences\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Grant] beautifully describes how science works and what it is like to be a practicing evolutionary scientist. I recommend his book to all readers, but especially to students. I cannot think of another volume that might be as great an inspiration.\u003cbr\u003e—Douglas J. Futuyma, \u003ci\u003eQuarterly Review of Biology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreface\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Passing the Baton\u003cbr\u003e2. Peppered Moths 101\u003cbr\u003e3. Catching Moths Using Light Traps\u003cbr\u003e4. Camouflage\u003cbr\u003e5. The Rest-Site Selection Controversy\u003cbr\u003e6. A Feeling for the Organism\u003cbr\u003e7. Elizabethan Moths\u003cbr\u003e8. Non-Random Rest-Site Selection in Captivity\u003cbr\u003e9. Life at Mountain Lake\u003cbr\u003e10. Travel Arrangements\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e11. Wirral Welcome\u003cbr\u003e12. Coffee with the Clarkes\u003cbr\u003e13. Clockwork Orange\u003cbr\u003e14. Surface Reflectance\u003cbr\u003e15. How to Pick Up a Moth\u003cbr\u003e16. The Birch Moth\u003cbr\u003e17. Cultural Assimilation\u003cbr\u003e18. Caterpillars\u003cbr\u003e19. Long Season's End\u003cbr\u003e20. Yankees Go Home\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e21. From Field to Lab\u003cbr\u003e22. The Talk\u003cbr\u003e23. The Grand Pub\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart IV\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e24. Summer School\u003cbr\u003e25. Coauthors\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart V\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e26. Nihongo\u003cbr\u003e27. Gaijin\u003cbr\u003e28. Reception\u003cbr\u003e29. Around Town\u003cbr\u003e30. In The Field\u003cbr\u003e31. Tajima\u003cbr\u003e32. Fisheries Lab\u003cbr\u003e33. Hokkaido\u003cbr\u003e34. Tourists\u003cbr\u003e35. Nagano\u003cbr\u003e36. East Meets West\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart VI\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e37. Serendipity\u003cbr\u003e38. Allelic Melanism\u003cbr\u003e39. Conspecific Pheromones\u003cbr\u003e40. Howard Hughes Lecture\u003cbr\u003e41. Mr. Parallel Evolution\u003cbr\u003e42. Aerogrammes\u003cbr\u003e43. Edwin S. George Reserve\u003cbr\u003e44. Farewell and Welcome\u003cbr\u003e45. Nature\u003cbr\u003e46. Round Two\u003cbr\u003e47. Oxfordshire\u003cbr\u003e48. New York Times\u003cbr\u003e49. Expanding Views\u003cbr\u003e50. Epilogue\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Johns Hopkins University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408143065431,"sku":"9781421441658","price":46.35,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781421441658.jpg?v=1730501745","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/observing-evolution-9781421441658","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}