Suppose, instead of thinking about organisms using genes to reproduce themselves, as we had since Mendel's work was rediscovered, we turn it around and imagine that "our" genes build and maintain us in order to make more genes. That simple reversal seems to answer many puzzlers which had stumped scientists for years, and we haven't thought of evolution in the same way since. Drawing fascinating examples from every field of biology, he paved the way for a serious re-evaluation of evolution. He also introduced the concept of self-reproducing ideas, or memes, which (seemingly) use humans exclusively for their propagation. If we are puppets, he says, at least we can try to understand our strings.

    The birds are all photographed in their natural habitat.

    The first nontechnical guide to both the cultural significance and physiological effects of hallucinogens, HALLUCINOGENIC PLANTS will fascinate general readers and students of anthropology and history as well as botanists and other specialists. All of the wild and cultivated species considered are illustrated in brilliant full color.

    Barash (b. 1946) is a Professor of Psychology at the Univ. of Washington, & is notable for books on human aggression, Peace Studies, & the sexual behavior of animals & people. He has written approximately 30 books in total. He received his bachelor's degree in biology from Harpur College, SUNY at Binghamton & a PhD in zoology from Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison in 1970. He taught at the SUNY at Oneonta, then accepted a permanent position at the Univ. of Washington.

    In the second edition, published in 1989, the authors expanded information on the birds of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras: approximately 200 new species were added to the material in the 1976 edition. Over 300 additional species, some of them Panamanian, were illustrated. Sixteen new plates were added, and three of the original plates were replaced by improved versions. Throughout the book changes were made to accommodate the explosion in knowledge of the birds of Panama and nearby areas and of neotropical birds in general. The basic sequence and systematics of the AOU 1983 Check-list were adopted. Also included in the revised edition was expanded and updated information on birdfinding in Panama, prepared with the assistance of two of Panama's best resident birders. The book also contains a special section outlining developments in Panama ornithology and conservation. A sophisticated treatment of one of the world's richest avifaunas.--The Quarterly Review of Biology

    New to this updated edition: improved treatment of atomic orbitals and properties such as electronegativity, novel approaches to the depiction of ionic structures, nomenclature for transition metal compounds, quantitative approaches to acid-base chemistry, Wade's rules for boranes and carboranes, the chemistry of major new classes of substances including fullerenes and silenes plus a chapter on the inorganic solid state.

    Harrison, Joseph Needham, and Paul Weiss as a springboard for a discussion about a shift in developmental biology from a vitalism-mechanism framework to organicism. The book deftly interweaves Thomas Kuhn's concept of paradigm change into this wide-ranging analysis, emphasizing the role of model, analogy, and metaphor in the paradigm and arguing that any truly useful theoretical system in biology must have a central metaphor.

    

    The new edition offers a wealth of new information, especially in the areas of taxonomy, genomics, plant hormones, and Arabidopsis research.

    The essays collected here are among his most valuable and durable: contributions that form the basis for much of the contemporary understanding of evolutionary biology.

    Encyclopedia of Common Diseases

    Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in biochemistry, this book provides clear, concise, well-exampled descriptions of the physical methods that biochemists and molecular biologists use.