Evolution: A Scientific American Reader

By Scientific American and Anthea Maton

Book Overview

From the Scopes "Monkey Trial" of 1925 to the court ruling against the Dover Area School Board's proposed intelligent design curriculum in 2005, few scientific topics have engendered as much controversy-or grabbed as many headlines-as evolution. And since the debate shows no signs of abating, there is perhaps no better time to step back and ask: What is evolution? Defined as the gradual process by which something changes into a different and usually more complex and efficient form, evolution explains the formation of the universe, the nature of viruses, and the emergence of humans. A first-rate summary of the actual science of evolution, this Scientific American reader is a timely collection that gives readers an opportunity to consider evolution's impact in various settings.

Divided into four sections that consider the evolution of the universe, cells, dinosaurs, and humans, Evolution brings together more than thirty articles written by some of the world's most respected evolutionary scientists. As tour guides through the genesis of the universe and complex cells, P. James E. Peebles examines the evidence in support of an expanding cosmos, while Christian de Duve discusses the birth of eukaryotes. In an article that anticipated his book Full House, Stephen Jay Gould argues that chance and contingency are as important as natural selection for evolutionary change. And Ian Tatersall makes two fascinating contributions, submitting his view that the schematic of human evolution looks less like a ladder and more like a bush.

With the latest on what's being researched at every level of evolutionary studies, from prospects of life on other planets to the inner working of cells, Evolution offers general readers an opportunity to update their knowledge on this hot topic while giving students an introduction to the problems and methodologies of an entire field of inquiry.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226742695
• ISBN13: 9780226742694
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A STILL-INTERESTING SUMMARY OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY (CIRCA 1978)

(Ignore the "Review" from the School Library Journal; it's clearly about a different book, that was for schoolchildren.) Scientific American has always been a more "scientific" magazine (albeit for a semi-"popular" audience) than, say, OMNI or Discover. Noteworthy scientists often contributed articles, that discussed cutting-edge research. The articles in this collection were all published in a special issue of Scientific American in September 1978. Although research has sometimes superseded the conclusions reached, many of these articles are still interesting--as least for historical purposes. Articles include Ernst Mayr on "Evolution"; Francisco Ayala on "The Mechanisms of Evolution"; Richard Dickerson's "Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life"; J. William Schopf on "The Evolution of the Earliest Cells"; Robert May on "The Evolution of Ecological Systems"; John Maynard Smith on "The Evolution of Behavior"; Sherwood Washburn on "The Evolution of Man"; and Richard Lewontin on "Adaptation."