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| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution Sean B. Carroll, 2007-09-17 DNA evidence not only solves crimes—in Sean Carroll's hands it will now end the Evolution Wars. DNA, the genetic blueprint of all creatures, is a stunningly rich and detailed record of evolution. Every change or new trait, from the gaudy colors of tropical birds to our color vision with which we admire them, is due to changes in DNA that leave a record and can be traced. Just as importantly, the DNA evidence has revealed several profound surprises about how evolution actually works. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution Sean B. Carroll, 2007-08-28 A geneticist discusses the role of DNA in the evolution of life on Earth, explaining how an analysis of DNA reveals a complete record of the events that have shaped each species and how it provides evidence of the validity of the theory of evolution. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Survival of the Sickest LP Dr. Sharon Moalem, Jonathan Prince, 2007-05-22 Was diabetes evolution's response to the last Ice Age? Did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on—or off? Survival of the Sickest is fi lled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth—and especially what that means for us. Read it. You're already living it. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: First Steps Jeremy DeSilva, 2021-04-06 A Science News Best Science Book of the Year: “A brilliant, fun, and scientifically deep stroll through history, anatomy, and evolution.” —Agustín Fuentes, PhD, author of The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional Winner of the W.W. Howells Book Prize from the American Anthropological Association Blending history, science, and culture, this highly engaging evolutionary story explores how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species. Humans are the only mammals to walk on two rather than four legs—a locomotion known as bipedalism. We strive to be upstanding citizens, honor those who stand tall and proud, and take a stand against injustices. We follow in each other’s footsteps and celebrate a child’s beginning to walk. But why, and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? Bipedalism has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult and dangerous; our running speed is much slower than other animals; and we suffer a variety of ailments, from hernias to sinus problems. In First Steps, paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly ordinary ability is. A seven-million-year journey to the very origins of the human lineage, this book shows how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human—from our technological abilities to our thirst for exploration and our use of language—and may have laid the foundation for our species’ traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. Moving from developmental psychology labs to ancient fossil sites throughout Africa and Eurasia, DeSilva brings to life our adventure walking on two legs. Includes photographs “A book that strides confidently across this complex terrain, laying out what we know about how walking works, who started doing it, and when.” —The New York Times Book Review “DeSilva makes a solid scientific case with an expert history of human and ape evolution.” —Kirkus Reviews “A brisk jaunt through the history of bipedalism . . . will leave readers both informed and uplifted.” —Publishers Weekly “Breezy popular science at its best.” —Science News |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Remarkable Creatures Sean B. Carroll, 2014-10-16 National Book Award Finalist: A biologist’s “thoroughly enjoyable” account of the expeditions that unearthed the history of life on our planet (Publishers Weekly). Not so long ago, most of our world was an unexplored wilderness. Our sense of its age was vague and vastly off the mark, and much of the knowledge of our own species’ history was a set of fantastic myths and fairy tales. But scientists were about to embark on an amazing new era of understanding. From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Big Picture, this book leads us on a rousing voyage that recounts the most important discoveries in two centuries of natural history: from Darwin’s trip around the world to Charles Walcott’s discovery of pre-Cambrian life in the Grand Canyon; from Louis and Mary Leakey’s investigation of our deepest past in East Africa to the trailblazers in modern laboratories who have located a time clock in our DNA. Filled with the same sense of adventure that spurred on these extraordinary men and women, Remarkable Creatures is a “stirring introduction to the wonder of evolutionary biology” (Kirkus Reviews). “Charming and enlightening.” —San Francisco Chronicle “As fast-paced as a detective story.” —Nature |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Moral Animal Robert Wright, 1995-08-29 One of the most provocative science books ever published—a feast of great thinking and writing about the most profound issues there are (The New York Times Book Review). Fiercely intelligent, beautifully written and engrossingly original. —The New York Times Book Review Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animaled one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics—as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies. Illustrations. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Selfish Gene Richard Dawkins, 1989 Science need not be dull and bogged down by jargon, as Richard Dawkins proves in this entertaining look at evolution. The themes he takes up are the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour; the genetical definition of selfish interest; the evolution of aggressive behaviour; kinshiptheory; sex ratio theory; reciprocal altruism; deceit; and the natural selection of sex differences. 'Should be read, can be read by almost anyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution.' W.D. Hamilton, Science |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Endless Forms Most Beautiful Sean B. Carroll, 2005 As described in this fascinating book, Evo Devo is evolutionary development biology, the third revolution in the science, which shows how the endless forms of animals--butterflies and zebras, trilobites and dinosaurs, apes and humans--were made and evolved. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Lessons of History Will Durant, Ariel Durant, 2012-08-21 A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant. With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Summary of The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman,MD & Michael E. Long:How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love. Sex, and Creativity-And Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race thomas francis, 2023-10-23 The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman,MD & Michael E. Long In the introductory section, we gain insights into how our brain operates, driven by a complex interplay of various chemicals. These chemicals can be categorized into two groups: down chemicals, which dictate our ability to either savor the current moment or resist it, and up chemicals, which fuel our innate desire to seek new experiences. They offer rewards when we fulfill these desires and penalties when we fall short. One of the key up chemicals is dopamine, a substance residing in our brain. Dopamine not only provides pleasurable sensations but also plays a pivotal role in the process of learning. It serves as the driving force behind our motivation to explore and seek out novel opportunities, effectively earning its title as the molecule of more. Delving into the realm of science, particularly concerning the brain, reveals a complex and sometimes contradictory landscape. Despite years of experimentation and research, the intricacies of how the brain functions continue to elude complete understanding. Grab a copy and learn more! |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Genetic Twists of Fate Stanley Fields, Mark Johnston, 2013-02-08 How tiny variations in our personal DNA can determine how we look, how we behave, how we get sick, and how we get well. News stories report almost daily on the remarkable progress scientists are making in unraveling the genetic basis of disease and behavior. Meanwhile, new technologies are rapidly reducing the cost of reading someone's personal DNA (all six billion letters of it). Within the next ten years, hospitals may present parents with their newborn's complete DNA code along with her footprints and APGAR score. In Genetic Twists of Fate, distinguished geneticists Stanley Fields and Mark Johnston help us make sense of the genetic revolution that is upon us. Fields and Johnston tell real life stories that hinge on the inheritance of one tiny change rather than another in an individual's DNA: a mother wrongly accused of poisoning her young son when the true killer was a genetic disorder; the screen siren who could no longer remember her lines because of Alzheimer's disease; and the president who was treated with rat poison to prevent another heart attack. In an engaging and accessible style, Fields and Johnston explain what our personal DNA code is, how a few differences in its long list of DNA letters makes each of us unique, and how that code influences our appearance, our behavior, and our risk for such common diseases as diabetes or cancer. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Evolution Douglas J. Futuyma, 2009 Douglas Futuyma presents an overview of current thinking on theories of evolution, aimed at an undergraduate audience. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Making Sense of God Timothy Keller, 2016-09-20 We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Survival of the Friendliest Brian Hare, Vanessa Woods, 2020-07-14 A powerful new theory of human nature suggests that our secret to success as a species is our unique friendliness “Brilliant, eye-opening, and absolutely inspiring—and a riveting read. Hare and Woods have written the perfect book for our time.”—Cass R. Sunstein, author of How Change Happens and co-author of Nudge For most of the approximately 300,000 years that Homo sapiens have existed, we have shared the planet with at least four other types of humans. All of these were smart, strong, and inventive. But around 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens made a cognitive leap that gave us an edge over other species. What happened? Since Charles Darwin wrote about “evolutionary fitness,” the idea of fitness has been confused with physical strength, tactical brilliance, and aggression. In fact, what made us evolutionarily fit was a remarkable kind of friendliness, a virtuosic ability to coordinate and communicate with others that allowed us to achieve all the cultural and technical marvels in human history. Advancing what they call the “self-domestication theory,” Brian Hare, professor in the department of evolutionary anthropology and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University and his wife, Vanessa Woods, a research scientist and award-winning journalist, shed light on the mysterious leap in human cognition that allowed Homo sapiens to thrive. But this gift for friendliness came at a cost. Just as a mother bear is most dangerous around her cubs, we are at our most dangerous when someone we love is threatened by an “outsider.” The threatening outsider is demoted to sub-human, fair game for our worst instincts. Hare’s groundbreaking research, developed in close coordination with Richard Wrangham and Michael Tomasello, giants in the field of cognitive evolution, reveals that the same traits that make us the most tolerant species on the planet also make us the cruelest. Survival of the Friendliest offers us a new way to look at our cultural as well as cognitive evolution and sends a clear message: In order to survive and even to flourish, we need to expand our definition of who belongs. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Teachers' Manual to Accompany World History in the Making and World History To-day Albert Edward McKinley, Arthur Charles Howland, Matthew Lincoln Dann, 1928 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: How Science Works: Evolution R. John Ellis, 2010-01-18 Evolution is just a theory, isn’t it? What is a scientific theory anyway? Don’t scientists prove things? What is the difference between a fact, a hypothesis and a theory in science? How does scientific thinking differ from religious thinking? Why are most leading scientists atheists? Are science and religion compatible? Why are there so many different religious beliefs but only one science? What is the evidence for evolution? Why does evolution occur? If you are interested in any of these questions and have some knowledge of biology, this book is for you. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Introduction to Psychology Jennifer Walinga, Charles Stangor, This book is designed to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. The focus on behaviour and empiricism has produced a text that is better organized, has fewer chapters, and is somewhat shorter than many of the leading books. The beginning of each section includes learning objectives; throughout the body of each section are key terms in bold followed by their definitions in italics; key takeaways, and exercises and critical thinking activities end each section. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: An Exposition of the Old and New Testament. Wherein Each Chapter is Summed Up in Its Contents; the Sacred Text Inserted at Large, in Distinct Paragraphs; Each Paragraph Reduced to Its Proper Heads; the Sense Given, and Largely Illustrated; with Practical Remarks and Observations, by Matthew Henry ... A New Edition, Edited by the Rev. George Burder, and the Rev. Joseph Hughes ... With the Life of the Author, by the Rev. Samuel Palmer , 1806 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry David L. Nelson, Albert L. Lehninger, Michael M. Cox, 2008-02 Authors Dave Nelson and Mike Cox combine the best of the laboratory and best of the classroom, introducing exciting new developments while communicating basic principles of biochemistry. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History Stephen Jay Gould, 1990-09-17 [An] extraordinary book. . . . Mr. Gould is an exceptional combination of scientist and science writer. . . . He is thus exceptionally well placed to tell these stories, and he tells them with fervor and intelligence.—James Gleick, New York Times Book Review High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago called the Burgess Shale. It hold the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature of history. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Unplugging the Classroom Hilary Anne Wilder, Sharmila Pixy Ferris, 2017-05-17 Unplugging the Classroom: Teaching with Technologies to Promote Students' Lifelong Learning provides techniques to help teaching and learning in an age where technology untethers instruction from the classroom, from semester seat-time, and from a single source of expertise. The book brings together researchers and practitioners from diverse academic fields, including library perspectives, and presents interdisciplinary discussions from both theoretical and applied areas. It is unique in its goal of bringing educators and librarians together to explore the challenges that are faced by students and faculty in any time, any place, any path, and any pace learning. In spite of the fact that the mobile revolution has definitively arrived, students and faculty alike aren't ready to make the leap to mobile learning. The pressures of technological advances, along with the changing nature of learning, will demand increasingly profound changes in education. Researchers have begun to address this issue, but the revolution in mobile communication has not been accompanied by a concomitant growth in pedagogical resources for educators and students. More importantly, such growth needs to be under-girded by sound learning theories and examples of best practice. - Provides a hands-on resource useful to both novices and experts for technology-enabled teaching and learning - Gives both discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary perspectives - Discusses discipline-specific mobile applications - Offers an opportunity to meet the needs of contemporary learners and foster their competencies as lifelong learners - Addresses emerging issues in technology and pedagogy |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: On the Law Which Has Regulated the Introduction of New Species Alfred Russel Wallace, 2016-05-25 This early work by Alfred Russel Wallace was originally published in 1855 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'On the Law Which Has Regulated the Introduction of New Species' is an article that details Wallace's ideas on the natural arrangement of species and their successive creation. Alfred Russel Wallace was born on 8th January 1823 in the village of Llanbadoc, in Monmouthshire, Wales. Wallace was inspired by the travelling naturalists of the day and decided to begin his exploration career collecting specimens in the Amazon rainforest. He explored the Rio Negra for four years, making notes on the peoples and languages he encountered as well as the geography, flora, and fauna. While travelling, Wallace refined his thoughts about evolution and in 1858 he outlined his theory of natural selection in an article he sent to Charles Darwin. Wallace made a huge contribution to the natural sciences and he will continue to be remembered as one of the key figures in the development of evolutionary theory. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Secret of Our Success Joseph Henrich, 2017-10-17 How our collective intelligence has helped us to evolve and prosper Humans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, human groups have produced ingenious technologies, sophisticated languages, and complex institutions that have permitted us to successfully expand into a vast range of diverse environments. What has enabled us to dominate the globe, more than any other species, while remaining virtually helpless as lone individuals? This book shows that the secret of our success lies not in our innate intelligence, but in our collective brains—on the ability of human groups to socially interconnect and learn from one another over generations. Drawing insights from lost European explorers, clever chimpanzees, mobile hunter-gatherers, neuroscientific findings, ancient bones, and the human genome, Joseph Henrich demonstrates how our collective brains have propelled our species' genetic evolution and shaped our biology. Our early capacities for learning from others produced many cultural innovations, such as fire, cooking, water containers, plant knowledge, and projectile weapons, which in turn drove the expansion of our brains and altered our physiology, anatomy, and psychology in crucial ways. Later on, some collective brains generated and recombined powerful concepts, such as the lever, wheel, screw, and writing, while also creating the institutions that continue to alter our motivations and perceptions. Henrich shows how our genetics and biology are inextricably interwoven with cultural evolution, and how culture-gene interactions launched our species on an extraordinary evolutionary trajectory. Tracking clues from our ancient past to the present, The Secret of Our Success explores how the evolution of both our cultural and social natures produce a collective intelligence that explains both our species' immense success and the origins of human uniqueness. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Making of Sound in the Organ and in the Orchestra Hermann Smith, 1911 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: A People's Guide to Capitalism Hadas Thier, 2018-06-02 A lively, accessible, and timely guide to Marxist economics for those who want to understand and dismantle the world of the 1%. Economists regularly promote Capitalism as the greatest system ever to grace the planet. With the same breath, they implore us to leave the job of understanding the magical powers of the market to the “experts.” Despite the efforts of these mainstream commentators to convince us otherwise, many of us have begun to question why this system has produced such vast inequality and wanton disregard for its own environmental destruction. This book offers answers to exactly these questions on their own terms: in the form of a radical economic theory. “Thier’s urgently needed book strips away jargon to make Marx’s essential work accessible to today’s diverse mass movements.” —Sarah Leonard, contributing editor to The Nation “A great book for proletarian chain-breaking.” —Rob Larson, author of Bit Tyrants: The Political Economy of Silicon Valley “Thier unpacks the mystery of capitalist inequality with lucid and accessible prose . . . . We will need books like A People’s Guide to help us make sense of the root causes of the financial crises that shape so many of our struggles today.” —Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership “Ranging from exploitation at work to the operations of modern finance, this book takes the reader through a fine-tuned introduction to Marx’s analysis of the modern economy . . . . Thier combines theoretical explanation with contemporary examples to illuminate the inner workings of capitalism . . . . Reminds us of the urgent need for alternatives to a crisis-ridden system.” —David McNally, author of Blood and Money |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Arrival of the Fittest Andreas Wagner, 2015-10-06 Wagner draws on over fifteen years of research to present the missing piece in Darwin's theory. Using experimental and computational technologies that were heretofore unimagined, he has found that adaptations are not just driven by chance, but by a set of laws that allow nature to discover new molecules and mechanisms in a fraction of the time that random variation would take--Amazon.com. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Survival of the Fittest Mark Breslin, 2005 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Dominion Tom Holland, 2019-10-29 A “marvelous” (Economist) account of how the Christian Revolution forged the Western imagination. Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion-an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus-was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history. Today, the West remains utterly saturated by Christian assumptions. As Tom Holland demonstrates, our morals and ethics are not universal but are instead the fruits of a very distinctive civilization. Concepts such as secularism, liberalism, science, and homosexuality are deeply rooted in a Christian seedbed. From Babylon to the Beatles, Saint Michael to #MeToo, Dominion tells the story of how Christianity transformed the modern world. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Human Population Genetics John H. Relethford, 2012-02-15 Introductory guide to human population genetics and microevolutionary theory Providing an introduction to mathematical population genetics, Human Population Genetics gives basic background on the mechanisms of human microevolution. This text combines mathematics, biology, and anthropology and is best suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate study. Thorough and accessible, Human Population Genetics presents concepts and methods of population genetics specific to human population study, utilizing uncomplicated mathematics like high school algebra and basic concepts of probability to explain theories central to the field. By describing changes in the frequency of genetic variants from one generation to the next, this book hones in on the mathematical basis of evolutionary theory. Human Population Genetics includes: Helpful formulae for learning ease Graphs and analogies that make basic points and relate the evolutionary process to mathematical ideas Glossary terms marked in boldface within the book the first time they appear In-text citations that act as reference points for further research Exemplary case studies Topics such as Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, inbreeding, mutation, genetic drift, natural selection, and gene flow Human Population Genetics solidifies knowledge learned in introductory biological anthropology or biology courses and makes it applicable to genetic study. NOTE: errata for the first edition can be found at the author's website: http://employees.oneonta.edu/relethjh/HPG/errata.pdf |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque, 2025-01-01 “All Quiet on the Western Front,” by Erich Maria Remarque, is a poignant narrative that captures the profound effects of World War I on a generation stripped of its innocence and vitality. Through the eyes of the young German soldier Paul Bäumer, Remarque unfolds the harrowing realities of war on the front lines—where the only certainties are death, despair, and the relentless erosion of one’s humanity. As Paul and his comrades navigate the brutal chaos of trench warfare, they are bound by a brotherhood forged under fire, clinging to fleeting moments of joy and solace amidst the omnipresent specter of mortality. This seminal work is not merely a novel about war; it is a powerful indictment of the senseless brutality of conflict and the incalculable cost of violence. Remarque’s unflinching portrayal of the soldiers’ experiences serves as a universal reminder of the tragedies that unfold when nations choose war as a means to settle disputes. “All Quiet on the Western Front” remains as relevant today as it was upon its publication, continuing to offer profound insights into the personal and collective consequences of warfare, and a poignant commentary on the loss of youth and innocence in the crucible of battle. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Ghost Map Steven Johnson, 2006 It is the summer of 1854. Cholera has seized London with unprecedented intensity. A metropolis of more than 2 million people, London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure necessary to support its dense population - garbage removal, clean water, sewers - the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease that no one knows how to cure. As their neighbors begin dying, two men are spurred to action: the Reverend Henry Whitehead, whose faith in a benevolent God is shaken by the seemingly random nature of the victims, and Dr. John Snow, whose ideas about contagion have been dismissed by the scientific community, but who is convinced that he knows how the disease is being transmitted. The Ghost Map chronicles the outbreak's spread and the desperate efforts to put an end to the epidemic - and solve the most pressing medical riddle of the age.--BOOK JACKET. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Pheasant Cap Master (He guan zi) Carine Defoort, Ho-kuan tzu, 1997-01-01 This first book-length study in English explores the long neglected ancient Chinese treatise: the Pheasant Cap Master or He guan zi (3rd century B.C.). |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Gene Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2016-05-17 The #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller The basis for the PBS Ken Burns Documentary The Gene: An Intimate History Now includes an excerpt from Siddhartha Mukherjee’s new book Song of the Cell! From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies—a fascinating history of the gene and “a magisterial account of how human minds have laboriously, ingeniously picked apart what makes us tick” (Elle). “Sid Mukherjee has the uncanny ability to bring together science, history, and the future in a way that is understandable and riveting, guiding us through both time and the mystery of life itself.” —Ken Burns “Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee dazzled readers with his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Emperor of All Maladies in 2010. That achievement was evidently just a warm-up for his virtuoso performance in The Gene: An Intimate History, in which he braids science, history, and memoir into an epic with all the range and biblical thunder of Paradise Lost” (The New York Times). In this biography Mukherjee brings to life the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices. “Mukherjee expresses abstract intellectual ideas through emotional stories…[and] swaddles his medical rigor with rhapsodic tenderness, surprising vulnerability, and occasional flashes of pure poetry” (The Washington Post). Throughout, the story of Mukherjee’s own family—with its tragic and bewildering history of mental illness—reminds us of the questions that hang over our ability to translate the science of genetics from the laboratory to the real world. In riveting and dramatic prose, he describes the centuries of research and experimentation—from Aristotle and Pythagoras to Mendel and Darwin, from Boveri and Morgan to Crick, Watson and Franklin, all the way through the revolutionary twenty-first century innovators who mapped the human genome. “A fascinating and often sobering history of how humans came to understand the roles of genes in making us who we are—and what our manipulation of those genes might mean for our future” (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), The Gene is the revelatory and magisterial history of a scientific idea coming to life, the most crucial science of our time, intimately explained by a master. “The Gene is a book we all should read” (USA TODAY). |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Improbable Destinies Jonathan B. Losos, 2017-08-08 A major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works Earth’s natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change—a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze—caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary flukes? And what does that say about life on other planets? Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be. Improbable Destinies will change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Self-interpreting Bible , 1896 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: Human Origins , 2011 Describes how mapping the human genome has aided paleoanthropologists in their study of ancient bones used to explore human origins, from the earliest humans--bipedal apes--up to Martin Pickford's Millennium Man. |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: An Introduction to General Biology William Thompson Sedgwick, 1914 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: A Synopsis of Criticisms Upon Those Passages of the Old Testament Richard Arthur Francis Barrett, 1847 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Chautauquan , 1900 |
| the making of the fittest chapter summaries: The Chautauquan Theodore L. Flood, Frank Chapin Bray, 1900 |
MAKING Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of MAKING is the act or process of forming, causing, doing, or coming into being. How to use making in a sentence.
MAKING | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
MAKING definition: 1. the activity or process of producing something: 2. the things used to make or build something…. Learn more.
making noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes ...
Definition of making noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
MAKING definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
The making of something is the act or process of producing or creating it. ...the director's book about the making of this movie. American English : making / ˈmeɪkɪŋ /
Making - definition of making by The Free Dictionary
1. the act of a person or thing that makes. 2. structure; constitution; makeup. 3. the means or cause of success or advancement: His first job at the factory was the making of him. 4. Usu., makings. …
What does maKing mean? - Definitions.net
Making refers to the process of creating, producing, or constructing something by using one's skills, knowledge, and resources. It typically involves taking raw materials, components, or ideas and …
Making or Makeing – Which is Correct? - Two Minute English
Nov 28, 2024 · The correct form is Making. In English, when forming the present participle or gerund of a verb, if the base verb ends with an ‘e’, you typically drop the ‘e’ and add ‘ing’. For …
making - WordReference.com Dictionary of English
the act of a person or thing that makes, produces, etc.: [uncountable] the making of dresses. Usually, makings. [plural] the qualities necessary to develop into or become something: has the …
MAKING Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Making definition: the act of a person or thing that makes.. See examples of MAKING used in a sentence.
208 Synonyms & Antonyms for MAKING - Thesaurus.com
Find 208 different ways to say MAKING, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
MAKING Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of MAKING is the act or process of forming, causing, doing, or coming into being. How to use making in a sentence.
MAKING | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
MAKING definition: 1. the activity or process of producing something: 2. the things used to make or build something…. Learn more.
making noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage …
Definition of making noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
MAKING definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
The making of something is the act or process of producing or creating it. ...the director's book about the making of this movie. American English : making / ˈmeɪkɪŋ /
Making - definition of making by The Free Dictionary
1. the act of a person or thing that makes. 2. structure; constitution; makeup. 3. the means or cause of success or advancement: His first job at the factory was the making of him. 4. Usu., …
What does maKing mean? - Definitions.net
Making refers to the process of creating, producing, or constructing something by using one's skills, knowledge, and resources. It typically involves taking raw materials, components, or …
Making or Makeing – Which is Correct? - Two Minute English
Nov 28, 2024 · The correct form is Making. In English, when forming the present participle or gerund of a verb, if the base verb ends with an ‘e’, you typically drop the ‘e’ and add ‘ing’. For …
making - WordReference.com Dictionary of English
the act of a person or thing that makes, produces, etc.: [uncountable] the making of dresses. Usually, makings. [plural] the qualities necessary to develop into or become something: has …
MAKING Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Making definition: the act of a person or thing that makes.. See examples of MAKING used in a sentence.
208 Synonyms & Antonyms for MAKING - Thesaurus.com
Find 208 different ways to say MAKING, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
