Worldcat Discovery
Print Books, Subject--Darwin, Charles
A sampling of books from our library...
The Cambridge Companion to the Origin of Species by
Publishers Summary: This Companion commemorates the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species and examines its main arguments. Drawing on the expertise of leading authorities in the field, it also provides the contexts - religious, social, political, literary, and philosophical - in which the Origin was composed. Written in a clear and friendly yet authoritative manner, this volume will be essential reading for both scholars and students. More broadly, it will appeal to general readers who want to learn more about one of the most important and controversial books of modern times.
Call Number: JFM Main Collection QH365.O8 R865 2009ISBN: 9780521870795Publication Date: 2008-11-24
Darwin's Dice by
"For evolutionary biologists, the concept of chance has always played a significant role in the formation of evolutionary theory. As far back as Greek antiquity, chance and "luck" were understood to be key factors in the evolution of the natural world. Emphasizing chance is an entire way of thinking about nature, and it is also one of the key ideas that separates Charles Darwin from other systematic biologists of his time. Studying the concept of chance in Darwin's writing reveals core ideas in his theory of evolution, as well as his reflections on design, purpose, and randomness in nature's progression over the course of history. In Darwin's Dice: The Idea of Chance in the Thought of Charles Darwin, Curtis Johnson does exactly that. He examines the workof Darwin in terms of his views on randomness and chance, and how the views changed as his work progressed. Randomness was a focal point for Darwin, and pursuing it as a theme helped significantly transform his research. Darwin's Dice shows us how Darwindefined "chance," and explores Darwin's influential architect metaphor in relation to the idea. Through the lens of randomness, Johnson reveals how Darwin's treatment of free will becomes more complex. This approach can shed light on many other quirks and points of interest in Darwin's work, including the curiously shifting presence of giraffes in subsequent drafts of On the Origin of Species. Johnson also reexamines Darwin's "Metaphysical Notebooks," and discusses the role Darwin felt that chance plays in morality and religion. Darwin's Dice presents a new way to look at Darwinist thought and the writings on Charles Darwin. Curtis Johnson reveals that chance and randomness play a large part in Darwinist thought, and that we can better understand Darwin's work by understanding that part"
Call Number: JFM Main QH365.D8 J64 2015ISBN: 9780199361410Publication Date: 2014-10-01
Darwin's Origin of the Species by
Publisher's summary: No book has changed our conception of ourselves more than Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. It caused a sensation on its first day of publication in 1859, selling out its entire print run in one day, and went on to become an international best seller. The idea that living things, including humans, gradually evolve through natural selection profoundly shocked its Victorian readers, calling into question what had been for many the unshakeable belief that there was a Creator.
In this book, Janet Browne, Charles Darwin's biographer, shows why The Origin of Species can fairly claim to be the greatest science book ever published. Browne describes the long genesis of Darwin's theories, from his early readings as a university student and his five-year voyage on the Beagle, to his debates with contemporaries and experiments in his garden. She explores the shock to Darwin when he read of a competing scientist's similar discoveries and the wide and immediate impact of Darwin's theories on the world.
Darwin's seminal work is nearly as controversial today as it was upon publication over a century ago, and it remains at the heart of an intense debate between scientists and creationists.
Call Number: JFM Main Collection QH365.O8 B76 2006ISBN: 9780871139535Publication Date: 2007-03-12
Defining Darwin by
Publisher Summary: Discusses the influence of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution on the field of science as well as its cultural influences, and challenges the origins and methods of Darwin's research.
Call Number: JFM Main Collection QH361 .R8736 2009ISBN: 9781591027256Publication Date: 2009-07-28
Print Book, Subject--Evolution (Biology)
A sampling of books from our library...
Ancestors in Our Genome by
In Ancestors in Our Genome, molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris presents us with a complete and up-to-date account of the evolution of the human genome and our species. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, the book traces human origins back to their source among our earliest human ancestors, and explains many of the most intriguing questions that genome scientists are currently working to answer. For example, what does the high level of discordance among the gene trees of humans and the African great apes tell us about our respective separations from our common ancestor? Was our separation from the apes fast or slow, and when and why did it occur? Where, when, and how did our modern species evolve? How do we search across genomes to find the genomic underpinnings of our large and complex brains and language abilities? How can we find the genomic bases for life at high altitudes, for lactose tolerance, resistance to disease, and for our different skin pigmentations? How and when did we interbreed with Neandertals and the recently discovered ancient Denisovans of Asia? Harris draws upon extensive experience researching primate evolution in order to deliver a lively and thorough history of human evolution.Ancestors in Our Genome is the most complete discussion of our current understanding of the human genome available.
Call Number: JMF Main QH447.H368 2015ISBN: 0199978034Publication Date: 2014-12-01
Darwin and His Children by
While much has been written about the life and works of Charles Darwin, the lives of his ten children remain largely unexamined. Most "Darwin books" consider his children as footnotes to the life of their famous father and close with the death of Charles Darwin. This is the only book that deals substantially with the lives of his children from their birth to their death, each in his or her own chapter. Tim Berra's Darwin and His Children: His Other Legacy explores Darwin's marriage to his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, a devout Unitarian, who worried that her husband's lack of faith would keep them apart in eternity, and describes the early death of three children of this consanguineous marriage. Many of the other children rose to prominence in their own fields. William Darwin became a banker and tended the Darwin family's substantial wealth. Henrietta Darwin edited Charles' books and wrote a biography of her mother. Three of Darwin's sons were knighted and elected Fellows of the Royal Society: Sir George Darwin was the world's expert on tides, Sir Francis Darwin developed the new field of plant physiology, and Sir Horace Darwin founded the world-class Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. Major Leonard Darwin was a military man, Member of Parliament, and patron of early genetic research. This book, richly illustrated with photographs of the Darwin family, demonstrates the intellectual atmosphere whirling about the Darwin household, portrays loving family relationships, and explores entertaining vignettes from their lives.
Call Number: JFM Main QH31.D2 B474 2013ISBN: 0199309442Publication Date: 2013-08-19
Once We All Had Gills by
In this book, Rudolf A. Raff reaches out to the scientifically queasy, using his life story and his growth as a scientist to illustrate why science matters, especially at a time when many Americans are both suspicious of science and hostile to scientific ways of thinking. Noting that science has too often been the object of controversy in school curriculums and debates on public policy issues ranging from energy and conservation to stem-cell research and climate change, Raff argues that when the public is confused or ill-informed, these issues tend to be decided on religious, economic, and political grounds that disregard the realities of the natural world. Speaking up for science and scientific literacy, Raff tells how and why he became an evolutionary biologist and describes some of the vibrant and living science of evolution. Once We All Had Gills is also the story of evolution writ large: its history, how it is studied, what it means, and why it has become a useful target in a cultural war against rational thought and the idea of a secular, religiously tolerant nation.
Call Number: JFM Main Collection QH31.128 A3 2012ISBN: 0253002354Publication Date: 2012-07-16
Unnatural Selection by
Shows how drugs, pesticides, and pollution are exerting intense selection pressure on all manner of species and suggests how humans can lessen their impact.
Call Number: JFM Main RA1226.M68 2015ISBN: 1610914988Publication Date: 2014-10-28
eBooks
A sampling of ebooks available online...
Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species by Call Number: JFM OnlineISBN: 9781573567947Publication Date: 2007-01-01
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