Download or read book Evolution s Darling written by Scott Westerfeld and published by Running PressBook Pub. This book was released on 1999 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Darling, an astronavigational control unit, wants to know if a clone has a soul. Two hundred years and one artificial body later, he is off in search of a dead artist, a living artwork, and the forces behind a mystery that spans the universe.
Download or read book Evolution s Rainbow written by Joan Roughgarden and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2013-09-14 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this innovative celebration of diversity and affirmation of individuality in animals and humans, Joan Roughgarden challenges accepted wisdom about gender identity and sexual orientation. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Roughgarden takes on the medical establishment, the Bible, social science—and even Darwin himself. She leads the reader through a fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality among fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including primates. Evolution's Rainbow explains how this diversity develops from the action of genes and hormones and how people come to differ from each other in all aspects of body and behavior. Roughgarden reconstructs primary science in light of feminist, gay, and transgender criticism and redefines our understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Witty, playful, and daring, this book will revolutionize our understanding of sexuality. Roughgarden argues that principal elements of Darwinian sexual selection theory are false and suggests a new theory that emphasizes social inclusion and control of access to resources and mating opportunity. She disputes a range of scientific and medical concepts, including Wilson's genetic determinism of behavior, evolutionary psychology, the existence of a gay gene, the role of parenting in determining gender identity, and Dawkins's "selfish gene" as the driver of natural selection. She dares social science to respect the agency and rationality of diverse people; shows that many cultures across the world and throughout history accommodate people we label today as lesbian, gay, and transgendered; and calls on the Christian religion to acknowledge the Bible's many passages endorsing diversity in gender and sexuality. Evolution's Rainbow concludes with bold recommendations for improving education in biology, psychology, and medicine; for democratizing genetic engineering and medical practice; and for building a public monument to affirm diversity as one of our nation's defining principles.
Download or read book Life Everywhere written by David Darling and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2007-10-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To many people, the main question about extraterrestrial life is whether or not it exists. But to the scientific community, that question has already been answered: It does. So confident are scientists of the existence of life on other planets that they've invested serious amounts of money, time and prestige in finding and studying it. NASA has started an Institute of Astrobiology, for instance, and the University of Washington, Seattle, began in September 1999 to accept graduate students into its Department of Astrobiology. Life Everywhere is the first book to lay out for a general reader what the new science of astrobiology is all about. It asks the fascinating questions researchers are asking themselves and one another: u What is life? u How does it originate? u How often does life survive once it arises?u How does evolution work?u What determines whether complex or even intelligent life will emerge from more primitive forms?Informed by interviews with most of the experts in this nascent subject, Life Everywhere introduces readers to one of the most important scientific disciplines of the coming century.
Download or read book The Evolution Of Sin written by Giana Darling and published by Giana Darling Publishing. This book was released on 2021-04-22 with total page 830 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It started with an affair; a seven day long, no-strings-attached holiday affair on the beaches of Mexico. I'm trading in my bohemian artist life in Paris for the grit and glamor of New York City in a bid to reinvent my life for the second time and rejoin my fractured family. But before I jump into the deep end, I take a much needed vacation in Mexico. Where I meet the enigmatic, French billionaire, Sinclair. The last thing I need in my life is another complication. Sinclair is older, more experienced in every way, rich, sophisticated, and taken by another woman. He shouldn't want me. I shouldn't let myself want him. Yet, when he proposes a seven-day holiday affair, I can't resist the temptation. What follows is the most passionate week of my life, and despite my best intentions, he makes it impossible to walk away with my heart intact. The ramifications of that week follow me to New York City where, heartbroken but prepared to distract myself by reuniting with my family, Sinclair turns up in the last place I ever expected to find him. My mother's kitchen. I'm faced with an impossible choice. Safeguard my reputation, career, and family by sacrificing the only man I've ever loved. Or follow my heart into the cold, dominating hands of the mysterious Frenchman I shouldn't have but crave with every inch of my soul, condemning those I love to misery as a consequence. *The complete Evolution of Sin Trilogy re-released with bonus content*
Download or read book Mystery of Mysteries written by Lucyle T Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science Michael Ruse and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the recent Sokal hoax--the publication of a prominent physicist's pseudo-article in a leading journal of cultural studies--the status of science moved sharply from debate to dispute. Is science objective, a disinterested reflection of reality, as Karl Popper and his followers believed? Or is it subjective, a social construction, as Thomas Kuhn and his students maintained? Into the fray comes "Mystery of Mysteries," an enlightening inquiry into the nature of science, using evolutionary theory as a case study. Michael Ruse begins with such colorful luminaries as Erasmus Darwin (grandfather of Charles) and Julian Huxley (brother of novelist Aldous and grandson of T. H. Huxley, "Darwin's bulldog" ) and ends with the work of the English game theorist Geoffrey Parker--a microevolutionist who made his mark studying the mating strategies of dung flies--and the American paleontologist Jack Sepkoski, whose computer-generated models reconstruct mass extinctions and other macro events in life's history. Along the way Ruse considers two great popularizers of evolution, Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould, as well as two leaders in the field of evolutionary studies, Richard Lewontin and Edward O. Wilson, paying close attention to these figures' cultural commitments: Gould's transplanted Germanic idealism, Dawkins's male-dominated Oxbridge circle, Lewontin's Jewish background, and Wilson's southern childhood. Ruse explicates the role of metaphor and metavalues in evolutionary thought and draws significant conclusions about the cultural impregnation of science. Identifying strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the "science wars," he demonstrates that a resolution of the objective and subjective debate is nonetheless possible.
Download or read book The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism written by Kenneth De Baets and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-05-07 with total page 565 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This two-volume edited book highlights and reviews the potential of the fossil record to calibrate the origin and evolution of parasitism, and the techniques to understand the development of parasite-host associations and their relationships with environmental and ecological changes. The book deploys a broad and comprehensive approach, aimed at understanding the origins and developments of various parasite groups, in order to provide a wider evolutionary picture of parasitism as part of biodiversity. This is in contrast to most contributions by parasitologists in the literature that focus on circular lines of evidence, such as extrapolating from current host associations or distributions, to estimate constraints on the timing of the origin and evolution of various parasite groups. This approach is narrow and fails to provide the wider evolutionary picture of parasitism on, and as part of, biodiversity. Volume one focuses on identifying parasitism in the fossil record, and sheds light on the distribution and ecological importance of parasite-host interactions over time. In order to better understand the evolutionary history of parasites and their relationship with changes in the environment, emphasis is given to viruses, bacteria, protists and multicellular eukaryotes as parasites. Particular attention is given to fungi and metazoans such as bivalves, cnidarians, crustaceans, gastropods, helminths, insects, mites and ticks as parasites. Researchers, specifically evolutionary (paleo)biologists and parasitologists, interested in the evolutionary history of parasite-host interactions as well as students studying parasitism will find this book appealing.
Download or read book What s in Your Genome written by Laurence A. Moran and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2023-05-16 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What’s in Your Genome? describes the functional regions of the human genome, the evidence that 90% of it is junk DNA, and the reasons this evidence has not been widely accepted by the popular press and much of the scientific community. The human genome contains about 25,000 protein-coding and noncoding genes and many other functional elements, such as origins of replication, regulatory elements, and centromeres. Functional elements occupy only about 10 percent of the more than three billion base pairs in the human genome. Much of the rest is composed of ancient fragments of broken genes, transposons, and viruses. Almost all of this is thought to be junk DNA, based on evidence that dates back fifty years. This conclusion is controversial. What’s in Your Genome? describes the arguments on both sides of the debate and attempts to explain the reasoning behind those different points of view. The book corrects a number of false narratives that have arisen in recent years and examines how they have affected the debate over junk DNA. In addition, Laurence A. Moran focuses on scientific misconceptions and misinformation and on how the junk DNA controversy has been incorrectly portrayed in both the scientific literature and the popular press. Tracing the earliest indications of junk DNA back to the 1960s, the book explains the success of nearly neutral theory and the importance of random genetic drift, which gave rise to the view that evolution produces sloppy genomes full of junk DNA. What’s in Your Genome? aims to offer the most accurate and current account of the human genome.
Download or read book Invasion Genetics written by Spencer C. H. Barrett and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-07-15 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Invasion Genetics: the Baker & Stebbins legacy provides a state-of-the-art treatment of the evolutionary biology of invasive species, whilst also revisiting the historical legacy of one of the most important books in evolutionary biology: The Genetics of Colonizing Species, published in 1965 and edited by Herbert Baker and G. Ledyard Stebbins. This volume covers a range of topics concerned with the evolutionary biology of invasion including: phylogeography and the reconstruction of invasion history; demographic genetics; the role of stochastic forces in the invasion process; the contemporary evolution of local adaptation; the significance of epigenetics and transgenerational plasticity for invasive species; the genomic consequences of colonization; the search for invasion genes; and the comparative biology of invasive species. A wide diversity of invasive organisms are discussed including plants, animals, fungi and microbes.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Parenting written by Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Parenting provides a comprehensive resource for state-of-the-art research on how our evolutionary past informs current parenting roles and practices. Featuring chapters from leaders in the field, the Handbook is designed for advanced undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in psychology, anthropology, biology, sociology, and demography, as well as many other social and life science disciplines. It is the first resource of its kind that brings together empirical and theoretical contributions from scholarship at the intersection of evolutionary psychology and parenting.
Download or read book Evolving Genes and Proteins written by Vernon Bryson and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2014-05-12 with total page 654 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolving Genes and Proteins covers the proceedings of the "Evolving Genes and Proteins" symposium, held at the Institute of Microbiology of Rutgers, The State University on September 17 and 18, 1964, with support from the National Science Foundation. The book focuses on the structural and functional features of proteins and nucleic acids. The selection first offers information on lysine biosynthesis and evolution, lipid patterns in the evolution of organisms, and evolution of heme and chlorophyll. Discussions focus on the evolution of the genes of the porphyrin biosynthetic chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids in plants and animals, and diagnostic radiocarbon tracers. The text then examines evolutionary divergence and convergence in proteins; evolution of hemoglobin in primates; and constancy and variability of protein structure in respiratory and viral proteins. The publication takes a look at the comparative aspects of the structure and function of phosphoglucomutase, evolution of dehydrogenases, and enzymatic homology and analogy in phylogeny. The text also ponders on the evolution of an enzyme, role of mutations in evolution, enzyme catalysis and color of light in bioluminescent reactions, and evolution of the lactose utilization gene system in enteric bacteria. The selection is a valuable reference for microbiologists and readers interested in the study of genes and proteins.
Download or read book The Consequence written by Giana Darling and published by . This book was released on 2017-05-12 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does everyone deserve a happy ending? Giselle Moore has been through a lot in her short life but things are looking up; her premier art showing in New York City is on the horizon, she has been reunited with her family and, most of all, she is deeply in love with the mysterious Frenchman she met on vacation in Mexico. There is only one thing that could derail her happiness and that is her guilt over her forbidden relationship with Sinclair. After finally confessing their love for each other, the two decide to travel to Paris, France where they may begin to discover what it really means to be together. When a terrible family accident beckons them back home, the return of a sinister man from the past, crumbling business deals and a family that has turned against them tests their fledgling romance and the very idea that they could possibly live happily ever after.
Download or read book On Faith and Science written by Edward John Larson and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Throughout history, scientific discovery has interacted with religious belief, creating comment, controversy, and sometimes violent dispute. In this enlightening and accessible volume, distinguished historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Larson joins forces with Michael Ruse, philosopher of science and Gifford Lecturer, to offer distinctive perspectives on the sometimes contentious, sometimes conciliatory, and always complex relationship between science and religion. The authors explore how scientists, philosophers, and theologians through time approached vitally important topics, including cosmology, geology, evolution, genetics, neurobiology, gender, and the environment. Broaching their subjects from both historical and philosophical perspectives and taking a global, cross-cultural approach, Larson and Ruse avoid rancor and polemic as they address many of the core issues currently under debate by the adherents of science and the advocates of faith. In so doing, they shed new light on the richly diverse field of ideas at the crossroads where science meets spiritual belief"--Jacket.
Download or read book The Structure of Evolutionary Theory written by Stephen Jay Gould and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2002-03-21 with total page 1460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world’s most revered and eloquent interpreter of evolutionary ideas offers here a work of explanatory force unprecedented in our time—a landmark publication, both for its historical sweep and for its scientific vision. With characteristic attention to detail, Stephen Jay Gould first describes the content and discusses the history and origins of the three core commitments of classical Darwinism: that natural selection works on organisms, not genes or species; that it is almost exclusively the mechanism of adaptive evolutionary change; and that these changes are incremental, not drastic. Next, he examines the three critiques that currently challenge this classic Darwinian edifice: that selection operates on multiple levels, from the gene to the group; that evolution proceeds by a variety of mechanisms, not just natural selection; and that causes operating at broader scales, including catastrophes, have figured prominently in the course of evolution. Then, in a stunning tour de force that will likely stimulate discussion and debate for decades, Gould proposes his own system for integrating these classical commitments and contemporary critiques into a new structure of evolutionary thought. In 2001 the Library of Congress named Stephen Jay Gould one of America’s eighty-three Living Legends—people who embody the “quintessentially American ideal of individual creativity, conviction, dedication, and exuberance.” Each of these qualities finds full expression in this peerless work, the likes of which the scientific world has not seen—and may not see again—for well over a century.
Download or read book The New Breed written by Kate Darling and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2021-04-20 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For readers of The Second Machine Age or The Soul of an Octopus, a bold, exciting exploration of how building diverse kinds of relationships with robots—inspired by how we interact with animals—could be the key to making our future with robot technology work There has been a lot of ink devoted to discussions of how robots will replace us and take our jobs. But MIT Media Lab researcher and technology policy expert Kate Darling argues just the opposite, suggesting that treating robots with a bit of humanity, more like the way we treat animals, will actually serve us better. From a social, legal, and ethical perspective, she shows that our current ways of thinking don’t leave room for the robot technology that is soon to become part of our everyday routines. Robots are likely to supplement—rather than replace—our own skills and relationships. So if we consider our history of incorporating animals into our work, transportation, military, and even families, we actually have a solid basis for how to contend with this future. A deeply original analysis of our technological future and the ethical dilemmas that await us, The New Breed explains how the treatment of machines can reveal a new understanding of our own history, our own systems, and how we relate—not just to nonhumans, but also to one another.
Download or read book Intelligent Design written by William A. Dembski and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2002-07-12 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book William A. Dembski brilliantly argues that intelligent design provides a crucial link between science and theology. This is a pivotal work from a thinker whom Phillip Johnson calls "one of the most important of the `design' theorists."
Download or read book Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience written by Steven Platek and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An essential reference for the new discipline of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience that defines the field's approach of applying evolutionary theory to guide brain-behavior investigations. Since Darwin we have known that evolution has shaped all organisms and that biological organs—including the brain and the highly crafted animal nervous system—are subject to the pressures of natural and sexual selection. It is only relatively recently, however, that the cognitive neurosciences have begun to apply evolutionary theory and methods to the study of brain and behavior. This landmark reference documents and defines the emerging field of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience. Chapters by leading researchers demonstrate the power of the evolutionary perspective to yield new data, theory, and insights on the evolution and functional modularity of the brain. Evolutionary cognitive neuroscience covers all areas of cognitive neuroscience, from nonhuman brain-behavior relationships to human cognition and consciousness, and each section of Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience addresses a different adaptive problem. After an introductory section that outlines the basic tenets of both theory and methodology of an evolutionarily informed cognitive neuroscience, the book treats neuroanatomy from ontogenetic and phylogenetic perspectives and explores reproduction and kin recognition, spatial cognition and language, and self-awareness and social cognition. Notable findings include a theory to explain the extended ontogenetic and brain development periods of big-brained organisms, fMRI research on the neural correlates of romantic attraction, an evolutionary view of sex differences in spatial cognition, a theory of language evolution that draws on recent research on mirror neurons, and evidence for a rudimentary theory of mind in nonhuman primates. A final section discusses the ethical implications of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience and the future of the field. Contributors: C. Davison Ankney, Simon Baron-Cohen, S. Marc Breedlove, William Christiana, Michael Corballis, Robin I. M. Dunbar, Russell Fernald, Helen Fisher, Jonathan Flombaum, Farah Focquaert, Steven J.C. Gaulin, Aaron Goetz, Kevin Guise, Ruben C. Gur, William D. Hopkins, Farzin Irani, Julian Paul Keenan, Michael Kimberly, Stephen Kosslyn, Sarah L. Levin, Lori Marino, David Newlin, Ivan S. Panyavin, Shilpa Patel, Webb Phillips, Steven M. Platek, David Andrew Puts, Katie Rodak, J. Philippe Rushton, Laurie Santos, Todd K. Shackelford, Kyra Singh, Sean T. Stevens, Valerie Stone, Jaime W. Thomson, Gina Volshteyn, Paul Root Wolpe
Download or read book Lauren s Beach Crush written by Angela Darling and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looking forward to reuniting with her summer crush during an annual family beach vacation, Lauren's carefully planned strategies to win his heart are challenged by the appearance of a friend from school, who captures the boy's attentions.
