Monday Mix: Darwin Day... Darwin & Evolution (Part 2)
--by Hanje Richards
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Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England on February 12, 1809 and died on April 19, 1882. During those 73 years, he changed the face of life sc
ience forever by establishing that all species of life descended over time from common ancestry and by proposing the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called "natural selection."
He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. The scientific community and much of the general public came to accept evolution as a fact in his lifetime, and his life and work are celebrated in February on "Darwin Day."
The Copper Queen Library celebrates "Darwin Day" with this list of outstanding life sciences titles (Part 1 was published yesterday). Enjoy!
Life: A N
atural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth (Richard Fortey). From its origins on the still-forming planet to the recent emergence of Homo sapiens, one of the world's leading paleontologists offers an absorbing account of how and why life on Earth developed as it did. Interlacing the tale of his own adventures in the field with vivid descriptions of creatures who emerged and disappeared in the long march of geologic time, Fortey sheds light upon a fascinating array of evolutionary wonders, mysteries, and debates. Brimming with wit, literary style, and the joy of discovery, this is an indispensable book that will delight the general reader and the scientist alike.
ience forever by establishing that all species of life descended over time from common ancestry and by proposing the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called "natural selection."He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. The scientific community and much of the general public came to accept evolution as a fact in his lifetime, and his life and work are celebrated in February on "Darwin Day."
The Copper Queen Library celebrates "Darwin Day" with this list of outstanding life sciences titles (Part 1 was published yesterday). Enjoy!
Life: A N
atural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth (Richard Fortey). From its origins on the still-forming planet to the recent emergence of Homo sapiens, one of the world's leading paleontologists offers an absorbing account of how and why life on Earth developed as it did. Interlacing the tale of his own adventures in the field with vivid descriptions of creatures who emerged and disappeared in the long march of geologic time, Fortey sheds light upon a fascinating array of evolutionary wonders, mysteries, and debates. Brimming with wit, literary style, and the joy of discovery, this is an indispensable book that will delight the general reader and the scientist alike. One
Long Argument: Charles Darwin and the Genesis of Modern Evolutionary Thought (Ernst Mayr). Every modern evolutionist turns to Darwin's work again and again. Current controversies in the life sciences very often have as their starting point some vagueness in Darwin's writings or some question Darwin was unable to answer owing to the insufficient biological knowledge available during his time. Despite the intense study of Darwin's life and work, however, many of us cannot explain his theories (he had several separate ones) and the evidence and reasoning behind them, nor do we appreciate the modifications of the Darwinian paradigm that have kept it viable throughout the 20th century.
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Long Argument: Charles Darwin and the Genesis of Modern Evolutionary Thought (Ernst Mayr). Every modern evolutionist turns to Darwin's work again and again. Current controversies in the life sciences very often have as their starting point some vagueness in Darwin's writings or some question Darwin was unable to answer owing to the insufficient biological knowledge available during his time. Despite the intense study of Darwin's life and work, however, many of us cannot explain his theories (he had several separate ones) and the evidence and reasoning behind them, nor do we appreciate the modifications of the Darwinian paradigm that have kept it viable throughout the 20th century. Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution - Who would have predicted that a hot spot
left over from the Big Bang would eventually lead to our galaxy, the solar system, the Earth – and to us? Origins explores how the universe and our planet began amid chaos and eventually gave birth to the first stirrings of life. Join cutting-edge scientists on a voyage deep into the Earth to find analogs to the earliest life on our planet, and travel a million miles from Earth with a space probe designed to capture the earliest observable "snapshot" of the Big Bang. Then, watch as astronomers test an ingenious new way to detect distant planets that may harbor life, and discover that every atom in our bodies, and practically every bit of matter in the Earth, was made in the heart of stars. Hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, Origins presents startling new findings that attempt to explain just how Earth, life, and the universe all began. [DVD]
left over from the Big Bang would eventually lead to our galaxy, the solar system, the Earth – and to us? Origins explores how the universe and our planet began amid chaos and eventually gave birth to the first stirrings of life. Join cutting-edge scientists on a voyage deep into the Earth to find analogs to the earliest life on our planet, and travel a million miles from Earth with a space probe designed to capture the earliest observable "snapshot" of the Big Bang. Then, watch as astronomers test an ingenious new way to detect distant planets that may harbor life, and discover that every atom in our bodies, and practically every bit of matter in the Earth, was made in the heart of stars. Hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, Origins presents startling new findings that attempt to explain just how Earth, life, and the universe all began. [DVD]. 
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.Origins: What New Discoveries Reveal About the Emergence of Our Species and Its Possible Future (Richard Leakey & Roger Lewin). In this vast survey of human origins and evolution, Leakey and Lewin present intriguing scientific information in such a way that the general reader will be fascinated and drawn into the search.
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Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human (Richard Leakey & Roger Lewin). The world-famous paleoanthropologist describes his fossil hunting at Lake Turkana and reassesses human prehistory – incorporating ideas from philosophy, anthropology, molecular biology, and linguistics – to explore how humans acquired the qualities of consciousness and humanity.
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The Panda’s Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History (Stephen J. Gould). The wonders and mysteries of evolutionary biology are explored in these essays. The title essay discusses the paradox that poor design is a better argument for evolution than good design, as illustrated by the anatomy of the panda's "thumb" – which is not a thumb at all, but an extension of the radial sesamoid. Topics addressed in other essays include the female brain, the Piltdown Man hoax, Down Syndrome, and the relationship between dinosaurs and birds.
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The Reluc
tant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (David Quammen). Twenty-one years passed between Charles Darwin's epiphany that "natural selection" formed the basis of evolution and the scientist's publication of On the Origin of Species. Why did Darwin delay, and what happened during the course of those two decades? The human drama and scientific basis of these years constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.
tant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (David Quammen). Twenty-one years passed between Charles Darwin's epiphany that "natural selection" formed the basis of evolution and the scientist's publication of On the Origin of Species. Why did Darwin delay, and what happened during the course of those two decades? The human drama and scientific basis of these years constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution. .
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The R
ichness of Life: The Essential Stephen J. Gould (Stephen J. Gould). Upon his death in 2002, Stephen Jay Gould stood at the pinnacle among observers of the natural world, recognized by Congress as a "living legend." His prodigious legacy – sixteen best-selling and prize-winning books, dozens of scientific papers, an unbroken series of three hundred essays in Natural History – combined to make Gould the most widely-read science writer of our time. This indispensable collection of 48 pieces from his brilliant oeuvre includes selections from classics such as Ever Since Darwin and The Mismeasure of Man, plus articles and speeches never before published in book form. This volume, the last that will bear his name, spotlights his elegance, depth, and sheer pleasure in our world – a true celebration of an extraordinary mind.
ichness of Life: The Essential Stephen J. Gould (Stephen J. Gould). Upon his death in 2002, Stephen Jay Gould stood at the pinnacle among observers of the natural world, recognized by Congress as a "living legend." His prodigious legacy – sixteen best-selling and prize-winning books, dozens of scientific papers, an unbroken series of three hundred essays in Natural History – combined to make Gould the most widely-read science writer of our time. This indispensable collection of 48 pieces from his brilliant oeuvre includes selections from classics such as Ever Since Darwin and The Mismeasure of Man, plus articles and speeches never before published in book form. This volume, the last that will bear his name, spotlights his elegance, depth, and sheer pleasure in our world – a true celebration of an extraordinary mind.. 
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River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (Richard Dawkins). How did the replication bomb we call "Life" begin and where in the world or, rather, in the universe, is it heading? Writing with characteristic wit and an ability to clarify complex phenomena (the New York Times described his style as "the sort of science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius"), Dawkins confronts the ancient mystery.
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The Self
ish Gene (Richard Dawkins). Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk. Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.
ish Gene (Richard Dawkins). Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk. Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.. 
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The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind (Richard Leakey & Roger Lewin). Chronicling five times in the history of Earth in which more than half of all living species disappeared in a geological instant, this geological study states that we are on the brink of a sixth mass extinction and presents supporting evidence.
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Summer f
or the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion (Edward Larson). In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the 20th century's most contentious dramas: the Scopes trial that pit William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes and his lawyer, Clarence Darrow, in a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education. That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day – in Dover, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Cobb County, Georgia, and many other cities and states throughout the country. For his work on Summer for the Gods, the single most authoritative account of the pivotal event whose combatants still remain at odds in both classroom and courtroom, Larson received the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998.
or the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion (Edward Larson). In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the 20th century's most contentious dramas: the Scopes trial that pit William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes and his lawyer, Clarence Darrow, in a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education. That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day – in Dover, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Cobb County, Georgia, and many other cities and states throughout the country. For his work on Summer for the Gods, the single most authoritative account of the pivotal event whose combatants still remain at odds in both classroom and courtroom, Larson received the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998. .
Why Evo
lution Is True (Jerry Coyne). In the current debate about creationism and intelligent design, there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned – the evidence. Yet, the proof of evolution by natural selection is vast, varied, and magnificent. In this succinct and accessible summary of the facts supporting the theory of natural selection, Coyne dispels common misunderstandings and fears about evolution and clearly confirms the scientific truth that supports this amazing process of change. Weaving together the many threads of modern work in genetics, paleontology, geology, molecular biology, and anatomy that demonstrate the"indelible stamp" of the processes first proposed by Darwin, Coyne does not aim to prove creationism wrong. Rather, by using irrefutable evidence, it sets out to prove evolution right.
lution Is True (Jerry Coyne). In the current debate about creationism and intelligent design, there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned – the evidence. Yet, the proof of evolution by natural selection is vast, varied, and magnificent. In this succinct and accessible summary of the facts supporting the theory of natural selection, Coyne dispels common misunderstandings and fears about evolution and clearly confirms the scientific truth that supports this amazing process of change. Weaving together the many threads of modern work in genetics, paleontology, geology, molecular biology, and anatomy that demonstrate the"indelible stamp" of the processes first proposed by Darwin, Coyne does not aim to prove creationism wrong. Rather, by using irrefutable evidence, it sets out to prove evolution right. .
Your Inner Fish: A J
ourney Into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body (Neil Shubin). Why do we look the way we do? Neil Shubin, the paleontologist and professor of anatomy who co-discovered Tiktaalik, the “fish with hands,” tells the story of our bodies as you've never heard it before. By examining fossils and DNA, he shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our heads are organized like long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genomes look and function like those of worms and bacteria. Your Inner Fish makes us look at ourselves and our world in an illuminating new light. This is science writing at its finest – enlightening, accessible, and told with irresistible enthusiasm.
Your Inner Fish: A J
ourney Into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body (Neil Shubin). Why do we look the way we do? Neil Shubin, the paleontologist and professor of anatomy who co-discovered Tiktaalik, the “fish with hands,” tells the story of our bodies as you've never heard it before. By examining fossils and DNA, he shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our heads are organized like long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genomes look and function like those of worms and bacteria. Your Inner Fish makes us look at ourselves and our world in an illuminating new light. This is science writing at its finest – enlightening, accessible, and told with irresistible enthusiasm.
posted by msbw @ 4:30 PM
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