Evolution: A Scientific American Reader (Scientific American Readers)

From the Scopes “Monkey Trial” of 1925 to the court ruling against the Dover Area School Boards 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 evolutions 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 worlds 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 whats 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. 

The Evolution of the Universe

The First Stars in the Universe

Exploring Our Universe and Others

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

The Fate of Life in the Universe

Life's Rocky Start

Misconceptions about the Big Bang

The Evolution of the Earth

CELLULAR EVOLUTION

Uprooting the Tree of Life

The Birth of Complex Cells

Viral Quasispecies

How Cells Respond to Stress

Cell Communication: The Inside Story

Life, Death and the Immune System

Cybernetic Cells

DINOSAURS AND OTHER MONSTERS

Rulers of the Jurassic Seas

The Mammals That Conquered the Seas

Breathing Life into Tyrannosaurus rex

Madagascar's Mesozoic Secrets

Which Came First, the Feather or the Bird?

The Terror Birds of South America

The Evolution of Life on Earth

HUMAN EVOLUTION

An Ancestor to Call Our Own

Early Hominid Fossils from Africa

Planet of the Apes

Once We Were Not Alone

Out of Africa Again... and Again?

Who Were the Neandertals

Food for Thought

Skin Deep

The Evolution of Human Birth

Once Were Cannibals

If Humans Were Built to Last

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