Explaining Life through Evolution

Ebook
On sale Aug 08, 2023 | 280 Pages | 9780262375467

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Part I: A Personal Prologue
Called to Action 3
Pulled Into the Fight 11
On Trust 17
Facts and Truth 21

Part II: The Evolution Revolution
Introduction to Evolution 27
The Great Chain of Being or Ladder of Life 37
Theories of Evolution 47
From So Simple a Beginning 53
The Selection of Natural Selection 67
Mendel and the Maintenance of Variation 73
Mutants and Mutations 79
Speciation: The Formation of New Species 89

Part III: Questions and Misconceptions
Who You Calling "Primitive"? 109
Our Crappy-Crappie Bodies 117
The Tree of Life 123
The Origin of Life 129
The History of Life 137

Part IV: Why Understanding Evolution Matters
Evolution in the Anthropocene 145
Natural History 155
Our Genealogy and Ancestry 163
Sex/Gender/Sexuality 175
Combating Post-Truth with Trust 189
Conversation with a Creationist 195

Epilogue 201
Acknowledgments 207
Glossary 209
Notes 219
Further Reading 257
Figure Credits 259
Index 263
Prosanta Chakrabarty is Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Fishes at Louisiana State University. He is a TED Senior Fellow, an Elected Fellow of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), a Fulbright Distinguished Chair, and a National Geographic Certified Educator.

Table of Contents

Part I: A Personal Prologue
Called to Action 3
Pulled Into the Fight 11
On Trust 17
Facts and Truth 21

Part II: The Evolution Revolution
Introduction to Evolution 27
The Great Chain of Being or Ladder of Life 37
Theories of Evolution 47
From So Simple a Beginning 53
The Selection of Natural Selection 67
Mendel and the Maintenance of Variation 73
Mutants and Mutations 79
Speciation: The Formation of New Species 89

Part III: Questions and Misconceptions
Who You Calling "Primitive"? 109
Our Crappy-Crappie Bodies 117
The Tree of Life 123
The Origin of Life 129
The History of Life 137

Part IV: Why Understanding Evolution Matters
Evolution in the Anthropocene 145
Natural History 155
Our Genealogy and Ancestry 163
Sex/Gender/Sexuality 175
Combating Post-Truth with Trust 189
Conversation with a Creationist 195

Epilogue 201
Acknowledgments 207
Glossary 209
Notes 219
Further Reading 257
Figure Credits 259
Index 263

Author

Prosanta Chakrabarty is Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Fishes at Louisiana State University. He is a TED Senior Fellow, an Elected Fellow of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), a Fulbright Distinguished Chair, and a National Geographic Certified Educator.

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