Download or read book Origins written by Frank H. T. Rhodes and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2016-07-29 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Fossils are the fragments from which, piece by laborious piece, the great mosaic of the history of life has been constructed. Here and there, we can supplement these meager scraps by the use of biochemical markers or geochemical signatures that add useful information, but, even with such additional help, our reconstructions and our models of descent are often tentative. For the fossil record is, as we have seen, as biased as it is incomplete. But fragmentary, selective, and biased though it is, the fossil record, with all its imperfections, is still a treasure. Though whole chapters are missing, many pages lost, and the earliest pages so damaged as to be, as yet, virtually unreadable, this—the greatest biography of all—is one in whose closing pages we find ourselves."—from Origins In Origins, Frank H. T. Rhodes explores the origin and evolution of living things, the changing environments in which they have developed, and the challenges we now face on an increasingly crowded and polluted planet. Rhodes argues that the future well-being of our burgeoning population depends in no small part on our understanding of life’s past, its long and slow development, and its intricate interdependencies. Rhodes’s accessible and extensively illustrated treatment of the origins narrative describes the nature of the search for prehistoric life, the significance of geologic time, the origin of life, the emergence and spread of flora and fauna, the evolution of primates, and the emergence of modern humans.
Download or read book Sudden Origins written by Jeffrey H. Schwartz and published by . This book was released on 1999-03-25 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now, in this book, paleoanthropologist Jeffrey Schwartz presents a radical new theory of evolution, which brings together evidence from genetics, paleontology, embryology, and anatomy to solve this great outstanding riddle. Central to the new theory is the recent discovery of a special kind of gene, known as homeobox genes, which can cause dramatic mutations that express themselves suddenly in the form of a new species. Such a new species will appear to have arisen out of thin air, with no lineage of ancestors. The new theory preserves natural selection, but shows that it is not the primary engine driving evolution, after all. Sudden Origins is a provocative and important book that will change the debate about evolution and challenge a number of popular ideas premised on the foundation of Darwinism. This book is crucial reading for anyone who has ever pondered the mysteries of our evolutionary heritage.
Download or read book Origins of Language written by Sverker Johansson and published by John Benjamins Publishing. This book was released on 2005-02-17 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sverker Johansson has written an unusual book on language origins, with its emphasis on empirical evidence rather than theory-building. This is a book for the student or researcher who prefers solid data and well-supported conclusions, over speculative scenarios. Much that has been written on the origins of language is characterized by hypothesizing largely unconstrained by evidence. But empirical data do exist, and the purpose of this book is to integrate and review the available evidence from all relevant disciplines, not only linguistics but also, e.g., neurology, primatology, paleoanthropology, and evolutionary biology. The evidence is then used to constrain the multitude of scenarios for language origins, demonstrating that many popular hypotheses are untenable. Among the issues covered: (1) Human evolutionary history, (2) Anatomical prerequisites for language, (3) Animal communication and ape "language", (4) Mind and language, (5) The role of gesture, (6) Innateness, (7) Selective advantage of language, (8) Proto-language.
Download or read book A Skeptic s Investigation into Jesus written by J. P. Hannah and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-04-27 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does human life have any significance? The statements below have become widely accepted in the Western world: -Life is the accidental product of random events. -The laws of physics are totally deterministic. -Science does not accept a connection between physical matter and human consciousness. -Atheism is a conclusion from evidence while faith is speculation. -Science and faith are incompatible. -Suffering contradicts the existence of a loving, omnipotent God. -Jesus was a compilation of pagan mythologies or a human teacher who was deified. But do these statements represent eternal truths? Are they logical conclusions based on established facts or merely opinions? What is the evidence? To investigate these and other questions of existence and faith, a skeptical academic objectively explored relevant aspects of philosophy, mythology, history, archaeology, cosmology, quantum physics, biochemistry, and various faiths that finally led to investigation of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures (including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the gnostic gospels). The findings of this research not only challenge many modern assumptions but also have significant implications for our understanding of reality. Written with minimum technicality for general readership, this book presents a wide range of interesting and carefully confirmed facts relevant to the above questions. Whether you are an atheist or an agnostic, a Christian, or a follower of another faith, or have simply not been interested, this investigation provides valuable and surprising insights into the nature of the universe and our place in it.
Download or read book Cosmosapiens written by John Hands and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2017-10-31 with total page 711 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A critical overview of scientific orthodoxy in an attempt to answer the fundamental questions “what are we?” and “why are we here?” (Kirkus Reviews). Specialist scientific fields are developing at incredibly swift speeds, but what can they really tell us about how the universe began and how we as humans evolved to play such a dominant role on Earth? John Hands’s extraordinarily ambitious book merges scientific knowledge from multiple disciplines and evaluates without bias or preconception all the theories and evidence about the origin and evolution of matter, consciousness, and mankind. The result, a “pearl of dialectical reasoning” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), provides the most comprehensive account yet of current ideas such as cosmic inflation, dark energy, the selfish gene, and neurogenetic determinism. In the clearest possible prose, it differentiates the firmly established from the speculative and examines the claims of various fields to approach a unified theory of everything. In doing so it challenges the orthodox consensus in those branches of cosmology, biology, and neuroscience that have ossified into dogma. Its “shocking and invigorating” analysis (Daily Telegraph, A Best Science Book of 2015) reveals underlying patterns of cooperation, complexification, and convergence that lead to the unique emergence in humans of a self-reflective consciousness that enables us to determine our future evolution. This groundbreaking book is destined to become a classic of scientific thinking. Praise for Cosmosapiens “This is a truly exceptional piece of work.” —Tim Crane, Knightsbridge Professor of Philosophy, The University of Cambridge “A game-changer. In the tradition of Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, this lucidly written, penetrating analysis challenges us to rethink many things we take for granted about ourselves, our society, and our universe. It will become a classic.” —Peter Dreier, E P Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College “Hands is an astute observer of recent trends in scientific ideas bold enough to point out what he sees as sense and nonsense and intelligently explain why. Even in cases where one might disagree, the arguments are thought-provoking.” —Paul Steinhardt, Albert Einstein Professor in Science, Princeton University
Download or read book Mapping the Origins Debate written by Gerald Rau and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2012-12-10 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique textbook by Gerald Rau surveys the six predominant models currently used to explain the origins of creation, of life, of species and of humans. Alongside his judicious account of the debate as a whole, Rau equips students with critical tools for evaluating the individual philosophies of science in play.
Download or read book written by Dave A. Schoch and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The modern theory of Evolution stands upon certain assumptions, and has for over 150 years. It will no doubt surprise many to discover that these assumptions are unwarranted and unjustified by the evidence and in some instances even antagonistic to the evidence, therefore making them illegitimate. This book describes these assumptions, demonstrates why they are unwarranted and illegitimate, and asks why they have not been dropped as the Scientific Method of research demands. This work stands utilizing science alone without reference to religious books, and allows the facts to speak for themselves.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Anthropology written by H. James Birx and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2006 with total page 3138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focuses on physical, social and applied athropology, archaeology, linguistics and symbolic communication. Topics include hominid evolution, primate behaviour, genetics, ancient civilizations, cross-cultural studies and social theories.
Download or read book Rethinking Human Evolution written by Jeffrey H. Schwartz and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-11-01 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contributors from a range of disciplines consider the disconnect between human evolutionary studies and the rest of evolutionary biology. The study of human evolution often seems to rely on scenarios and received wisdom rather than theory and methodology, with each new fossil or molecular analysis interpreted as supporting evidence for the presumed lineage of human ancestry. We might wonder why we should pursue new inquiries if we already know the story. Is paleoanthropology an evolutionary science? Are analyses of human evolution biological? In this volume, contributors from disciplines that range from paleoanthropology to philosophy of science consider the disconnect between human evolutionary studies and the rest of evolutionary biology. All of the contributors reflect on their own research and its disciplinary context, considering how their fields of inquiry can move forward in new ways. The goal is to encourage a more multifaceted intellectual environment for the understanding of human evolution. Topics discussed include paleoanthropology's history of procedural idiosyncrasies; the role of mind and society in our evolutionary past; humans as large mammals rather than a special case; genomic analyses; computational approaches to phylogenetic reconstruction; descriptive morphology versus morphometrics; and integrating insights from archaeology into the interpretation of human fossils. Contributors Markus Bastir, Fred L. Bookstein, Claudine Cohen, Richard G. Delisle, Robin Dennell, Rob DeSalle, John de Vos, Emma M. Finestone, Huw S. Groucutt, Gabriele A. Macho, Fabrizzio Mc Manus, Apurva Narechania, Michael D. Petraglia, Thomas W. Plummer, J.W. F. Reumer, Jeff Rosenfeld, Jeffrey H. Schwartz, Dietrich Stout, Ian Tattersall, Alan R. Templeton, Michael Tessler, Peter J. Waddell, Martine Zilversmit
Download or read book The Fascinated God written by Robert E. Zinser and published by Robert Zinser. This book was released on 2003-10 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I loved her inasmuch as day one and when day two came I married her, on day three she made me a gallant father to three beautiful kids. On day four we sat on our porch and watch our grand children play hide and seek. When day fi ve arrived she planted a kiss on my lips before she fl oated up the sky. On day fi ve and a quarter my heart could no longer exist a second without saliva from a soul mate, when day fi ve and a half and seven seconds came, I accepted her hands for a prom dance in heaven.. Now every morning we lay under our fi rst date bridge with anticipation we watch legend sun rise with a kiss.
Download or read book Worldviews Science And Us Bridging Knowledge And Its Implications For Our Perspectives Of The World Proceedings Of The Workshop On Times Of Entanglement written by Diederik Aerts and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2011-12-23 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present volume is part of the ‘Worldviews, Science and Us’ series of proceedings. It contains selected contributions on the subject of bridging knowledge and its implications for our perspectives of the world. This volume also represents the proceedings of the interdisciplinary stream of the international workshop (Part 1) Times of Entanglement, 21-22 September 2010 at the Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai, People's Republic of China in the context of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and, related cutting-edge investigations in the quantum paradigm from discussion panels organized by the Leo Apostel Center for Interdisciplinary studies within the framework of the ‘Research on the Construction of Integrating Worldviews’ research community set up by the Flanders Fund for Scientific Research. Further information about this research community and a full list of the associated international research centers can be found at www.vub.ac.be/CLEA/res/worldviews/.
Download or read book Worldviews Science and Us written by Diederik Aerts and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2011-12-23 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present volume is part of the ?Worldviews, Science and Us? series of proceedings. It contains selected contributions on the subject of bridging knowledge and its implications for our perspectives of the world. This volume also represents the proceedings of the interdisciplinary stream of the international workshop (Part 1) Times of Entanglement, 21?22 September 2010 at the Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai, People's Republic of China in the context of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and, related cutting-edge investigations in the quantum paradigm from discussion panels organized by the Leo Apostel Center for Interdisciplinary studies within the framework of the ?Research on the Construction of Integrating Worldviews? research community set up by the Flanders Fund for Scientific Research. Further information about this research community and a full list of the associated international research centers can be found at http: //www.vub.ac.be/CLEA/res/worldviews/.
Download or read book Archaeology written by Kevin Greene and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-06-17 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book details modern archaeologists' methods of studying the past, describing basic practical procedures as well as complex scientific techniques used in analysis. It also examines traditional methodology, fieldwork and excavation.
Download or read book Theistic Evolution written by J. P. Moreland and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2020-06-20 with total page 775 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the ECPA Book of the Year Award for Bible Reference Works Many prominent Christians insist that the church must yield to contemporary evolutionary theory and therefore modify traditional biblical ideas about the creation of life. They argue that God used—albeit in an undetectable way—evolutionary mechanisms to produce all forms of life. Featuring two dozen highly credentialed scientists, philosophers, and theologians from Europe and North America, this volume contests this proposal, documenting evidential, logical, and theological problems with theistic evolution—making it the most comprehensive critique of theistic evolution yet produced. Explains why theistic evolution is not congruent with a biblical worldview Features nineteen essays written by well-known experts in their fields Designed to be used as a textbook for courses on religion and evolution Accessible for those without expertise in the subject
Download or read book Science and Evolution written by Charles W. Colson and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each of these three books (Developing a Christian Worldview of Science and Evolution, Developing a Christian Worldview of the Problem of Evil, and Developing a Christian Worldview of the Christian in Today's Culture) is drawn from Colson's highly successful How Now Shall We Live? Shorter in length and accessible to readers, the Developing a Christian Worldview series is ideal for small-group study and classroom use. Each chapter begins with pre-reading questions, and each study session is made up of newly written discussion questions, role-playing activities, and challenges to implement key insights. All are designed to help readers grasp Colson's arguments and learn how to use the points effectively with non-Christians.
Download or read book Developmental Plasticity and Evolution written by Mary Jane West-Eberhard and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2003-03-13 with total page 815 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive synthesis on development and evolution: it applies to all aspects of development, at all levels of organization and in all organisms, taking advantage of modern findings on behavior, genetics, endocrinology, molecular biology, evolutionary theory and phylogenetics to show the connections between developmental mechanisms and evolutionary change. This book solves key problems that have impeded a definitive synthesis in the past. It uses new concepts and specific examples to show how to relate environmentally sensitive development to the genetic theory of adaptive evolution and to explain major patterns of change. In this book development includes not only embryology and the ontogeny of morphology, sometimes portrayed inadequately as governed by "regulatory genes," but also behavioral development and physiological adaptation, where plasticity is mediated by genetically complex mechanisms like hormones and learning. The book shows how the universal qualities of phenotypes--modular organization and plasticity--facilitate both integration and change. Here you will learn why it is wrong to describe organisms as genetically programmed; why environmental induction is likely to be more important in evolution than random mutation; and why it is crucial to consider both selection and developmental mechanism in explanations of adaptive evolution. This book satisfies the need for a truly general book on development, plasticity and evolution that applies to living organisms in all of their life stages and environments. Using an immense compendium of examples on many kinds of organisms, from viruses and bacteria to higher plants and animals, it shows how the phenotype is reorganized during evolution to produce novelties, and how alternative phenotypes occupy a pivotal role as a phase of evolution that fosters diversification and speeds change. The arguments of this book call for a new view of the major themes of evolutionary biology, as shown in chapters on gradualism, homology, environmental induction, speciation, radiation, macroevolution, punctuation, and the maintenance of sex. No other treatment of development and evolution since Darwin's offers such a comprehensive and critical discussion of the relevant issues. Developmental Plasticity and Evolution is designed for biologists interested in the development and evolution of behavior, life-history patterns, ecology, physiology, morphology and speciation. It will also appeal to evolutionary paleontologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and teachers of general biology.
Download or read book The Independent Review written by and published by . This book was released on 1906 with total page 864 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
