The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma
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Description
Offering daring new ideas about evolution, two highly respected biologists here tackle the central, unresolved question in the field--how have living organisms on Earth developed with such astounding variety and complexity? Marc Kirschner and John Gerhart draw on cutting-edge biological and medical research to provide an original solution to this longstanding puzzle. "In this terrific new book, molecular systems meet evolution. The result is a wealth of stimulating ideas set among clear explanations drawn from a revelatory decade in biology."--Andrew H. Knoll, author of Life on a Young Planet "Thought-provoking and lucidly written. . . . The Plausibility of Life will help readers understand not just the plausibility of evolution, but its remarkable, inventive powers." --Sean Carroll, author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo "Remarkably lucid and comprehensive, this new theoretical synthesis will . . . shift the grounds for debate in the controversy surrounding organic evolution."--Booklist (starred review)
Product Details
Price
$40.80
Publisher
Yale University Press
Publish Date
November 01, 2006
Pages
336
Dimensions
6.34 X 9.2 X 0.9 inches | 1.04 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780300119770
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Marc W. Kirschner is professor and chair, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School. John C. Gerhart is professor in the Graduate School, University of California, Berkeley.
Reviews
"In this thought-provoking and lucidly written book, Marc Kirschner and John Gerhart address one of the most interesting, important, and yet difficult dimensions of evolutionary science-the origins of novelty. Drawing on a vast body of biological knowledge, from ant trails to the neural wiring of mouse whiskers, the authors illustrate how organisms are equipped to adapt to different and changing circumstances. They propose that variation, the raw material of evolution, is facilitated by newly understood properties of the development and physiology of organisms. This new view suggests that there is a bias in organisms capacity to evolve and in the directions that evolution takes." The Plausibility of Life" will help readers understand not just the plausibility of evolution, but its remarkable, inventive powers." -Sean Carroll, author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo
